Knowledge management for climate change in South Africa: A proposed strategy

Abstract

This article investigates knowledge management for climate change in South Africa and proposes a strategy for knowledge management for climate change. The economic, political, social and ecological dimensions of climate change are predicted to pose a threat to the country’s National Development Plan and sustainable development. Given the growing emphasis on knowledge management for sustainable development and the importance of knowledge in the adaptive capacity and mitigation of climate change, knowledge management has been a central response strategy to climate change by various government and non-government agencies across the globe. The effects of climate change and the lack of focus on knowledge management for climate change in South Africa makes this an important topic for investigation. A systematic literature search and content analysis of relevant textbooks, articles, policy strategies, frameworks and legislation on knowledge management and climate change was conducted. Climate change, knowledge management and strategies were the keywords that were interrogated in the Scopus, ProQuest, EBSCO, Science Direct, Emerald, Elsevier, Taylor and Francis, Springer, Wiley and Inderscience databases to ensure comprehensive coverage. The retrieved articles were evaluated for eligibility. After removing 2900 irrelevant duplicate entries that did not entirely address the study’s scope, a descriptive synthesis of the 100 pertinent articles was completed. A strategy for knowledge management for climate change that calls for establishing a Knowledge Management Centre for Climate was proposed.