A rise in average world temperature of 2,5C above 1990 levels could cause up to two-thirds of all animal species in the Kruger National Park to become extinct, Environmental Affairs Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has warned.

A rise in average world temperature of 2,5C above 1990 levels could cause up to two-thirds of all animal species in the Kruger National Park to become extinct, Environmental Affairs Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has warned.

A growing water scarcity in Africa could also lead to increasing numbers of so-called "environmental refugees" fleeing to better-resourced countries on the continent.

Speaking at the opening of a climate change conference at Kirstenbosch in Cape Town on Monday, Van Schalkwyk said: "An extensive report about the effects of climate change shows that if the phenomenon continues unabated, the damage to one of South Africa's most celebrated and popular conservation and tourism areas could be shattering."

This was according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, published in June.

"To avoid the worst impact of climate change, all countries need to carry their fair share of responsibility to limit a global temperature increase to below 2C.

South Africa could not continue without carbon constraints.

"It will be a failure of this generation of leaders if any developed country shirks its responsibility for the problem." - Sapa