The South Africa government through the Department of Environmental Affairs has shown its commitment to educating and raising awareness and outreach on climate change related information by developing the MY2050 calculator.
Speaking during the 2016 SciFest workshop held at Rhodes university Environmental Learning and Research Centre (ELRC), a representative from the Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Sector Directorate, Kent Buchanan said the MY2050 Calculator is an interactive tool where the user can investigate ways on how South Africa can reach its low carbon goals by 2050 while learning about climate and energy. Thus the calculator offers adults and youth an entertaining learning experience.
Kent said, “the MY2050 calculator project brings awareness to the SA government’s initiative to reduce greenhouse gases per their international commitment”.
The workshop held from 2-8 March 2016 was well attended by Rhodes University staff, students and high school students from neighbouring schools. The workshop provided a platform for teaching the public on one of the tools that can be used to generate discussions and choices on sustainable energy choices.
The workshop also provided a forum for discussing what is possible to meet the energy needs of South Africa through exploring more sustainable options in terms of energy production and energy use.
With the use of the MY2050 calculator the user will be able to:
• Gain an understanding of the major sources of Greenhouse gas emissions in South Africa
• Explore supply and demand interventions that could assist the country to reduce its emissions
• Identify the trade-offs of life-style choices that might be necessary to reach the selected low-carbon scenario.
• Discuss what could be done to reduce the level Greenhouse gas emissions in South Africa.
The MY2050 calculator scifest workshop was a collaborative effort between the Department of Environmental Affairs and the ELRC Fundisa for Change Teacher Education programme.
By Patience Shawarira.