The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on Friday launched the South Africa Biennial Update Report Explorer (BURE) app on the sidelines of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference in Katowice, Poland.

The BURE app is part of South Africa’s Climate Change Response Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System. It is a new platform, which expands the functionality of the system, by offering accessible and dynamic data and visualisations of South Africa’s climate change response.

Developed in collaboration with World Resources Institute, the app is an important resource for policymakers, business, researchers and civil society to view and download data on South Africa’s climate actions and goals for contributing to the international effort to mitigate greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions under the Paris Agreement.

“This project to develop and manage the new app is aimed at strengthening domestic climate systems to track progress toward tackling climate change,” said DEA climate change deputy director-general Dr Tsakani Ngomane.

It is an important tool supporting the realisation of South Africa’s ‘nationally determined contribution’ and the Paris Agreement.

The National Climate Change Response Policy guides South Africa’s climate action as part of the broader global effort to mitigate and manage the effects of global warming and underpins the country’s commitment to the successful implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The Climate Change M&E System ensures transparency of climate action and facilitates South Africa’s ability to manage the increasing transparency requirements of the Paris Agreement. 

“The app makes it easier than ever for policymakers, civil society and other stakeholders to gain an insight into the status of South Africa’s climate change response, providing easy access to data on the country’s efforts in this regard.

“This platform is important for providing a common basis for reflecting on the progress made towards meeting national commitments, allowing leaders to understand if they’re on track and change course as needed.

“The platform strengthens the country’s continued efforts to empower all stakeholders with the necessary information to act on climate change with increasing ambition,” said World Resources Institute climate deputy director and GHG Protocol global director Pankaj Bhatia.  

The app allows users to track South Africa’s GHG emissions profile, covering both historical GHG emissions and emission projections to 2050, and allows for customisable views by sector, subsector and gas. 

Additionally, the app users are able to track finance flows for climate change related activities in South Africa. This would include information on loans and grants from international and domestic sources for local government climate change adaptation projects, or nonfinancial support needed for activities such as testing of geological carbon dioxide storage and the potential installation of carbon capture and storage systems at industrial facilities.

The app project is supported by funding from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, and its Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.