By Gabriela Baczynska and Alister Doyle

POZNAN, Poland, Dec 4 (Reuters) - South Africa needs millions of dollars in aid to tackle environmental degradation, since it must also deal with problems ranging from poverty to AIDS, an environment ministry official said on Thursday.

Among developing countries, South Africa is one of the most active in fighting climate change, and the United Nations, sponsoring climate talks in Poland, often commends it for its efforts.

But South Africa says it needs international assistance to invest in environmentally friendly technology, such as solar power plants to replace coal-fuelled generators that supply 90 percent of electricity.

"For (a solar power plant) we would have to raise around 350 million euros ($441.6 million) and we are looking towards the international community to fill in this gap," said Joanne Yawitch, deputy head of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

More electricity is urgently needed in South Africa, which has experienced severe power shortages, Yawitch told Reuters on the sidelines of the U.N.'s climate talks, for which 187 countries are meeting in Poznan, Poland from Dec. 1 to Dec. 12.

"Our country is predicted to experience the impacts of climate change really severely."

A U.N. climate report last year said South Africa could suffer from longer dry seasons and a 30 percent reduction in rainfall.

But the environment is only one of South Africa's many concerns.

"As a developing country, issues for us are growth and economic development," she said.

"At the moment we have between 25 and 30 percent unemployment. And with all of the social instability that is associated, with high levels of poverty and HIV/AIDS problem one has to find a balance between addressing your very fundamental social and economic problems."

South Africa, one of Africa's biggest economies, has indicated that its greenhouse gas emissions may peak some time between 2020 and 2025.

"Then we see emissions stabilising until around 2035 and starting to decline around 2050-2060," Yawitch said.

Most developing countries participating in the climate talks in Poland do not want to cut greenhouse gas emissions until wealthy countries have done so first.

"Because we don't have targets doesn't mean we are doing nothing to fight climate change," Yawitch said, adding that South Africa was considering measures to cut pollution such as a more efficient control of wildfires.

"There's a lot of work on climate change that we are doing and that could also be recognised." (Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; editing by Catherine Bosley)

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