SERIES: What does the climate have to do with your food, energy, water and waste?
JOBURG - Food, energy and water are three essentials we need to survive and thrive, however, each of these necessities is under pressure as we face a rapidly changing climate.
Crop failure, loss of livestock and a reduced food supply are all effects of climate change. At the same time, globally, we are also contributing to the minimisation of these essentials by wasting an excess of nine million tonnes of food per year.
Extreme weather patterns such as flooding and severe droughts will increase as global average temperatures soar. Recent water shortages in South Africa are a case in point.
The nine million tonnes of food we bin every year contain enough water to fill 600 000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Energy is essential for us to prosper, but the means by which we produce it, in the form of burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, is one of the biggest contributors to climate change.
When you consider that these three resources are also intricately connected, it is obvious that the time to shine a light on these issues is now.
