Media Release: Immediate. 21 January 2009 (Mossel Bay Tourism)

IMAGE: by Glenn Murray for Mossel Bay Tourism (Download image: Mossel Bay by Glenn Murray)

Mossel Bay Welcomes Climate Summit

Mossel Bay Tourism is gearing up to welcome the delegates to a Climate Change Summit that will be held in the town from the 2nd to the 4th of February.

The Summit will take place at the Diaz Strand Hotel & Resort and will be hosted by the Mayor of the Eden District Municipality, Rudi Laws.

Under the theme of ‘The impact of climate change on coastline and Little Karoo living,’ it will address the effect of climate change on six major areas of life: life in the ocean itself, economic development, tourism, social well-being, population growth and recreation.

Significantly, video conferencing will link the summit to six other coastal regions in South Africa and around the world.

“There can no longer be any doubt in anyone’s mind that climate change is affecting us all,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s chairman, Neels Zietsman.

“Clearly, though, climate change affects the poor most of all – which is the main reason we welcome the District Municipality’s efforts to address the problem in the Southern Cape.

“But the economy of the Southern Cape is underpinned by the tourism industry, and what affects tourism in our region also affects us all,” he said.

The Eden District Municipality – which already has an early warning system for potential disasters – expects the summit to help in the creation of a strategy for adapting to climate change and mitigating its effects.

It hopes that discussions will lead to the establishment of green buildings in the region as well as the creation of recycling and renewable energy programmes, clean industries and new poverty reduction measures.

Mayor Laws said that while the District Municipality was proactive in its efforts, mitigating the effects of climate change was everyone’s responsibility.

“Eden is observing the effect in the here and now, acknowledging that global temperatures are rising and threatening valuable ecosystem services which support life on earth.

“We are determined to do something about it, through practical measures like curbing uncontrolled urban sprawl and development,” he said.

“All other considerations aside, climate change and poverty are possibly the two most serious challenges facing the planet as a whole,” said Mr Zietsman.

“We are very proud that our region is taking a lead in addressing them.”

More information from Alewijn Dippenaar, 044 874 5918 or alewijn@octagonal.co.za – and more about Mossel Bay at www.visitmosselbay.co.za

ENDS 396 Words

MORE INFORMATION:
Marcia Holm, Mossel Bay Tourism
marketing@visitmosselbay.co.za | Telephone: +27(0)44 691 2202

www.visitmosselbay.co.za

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