Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Heads of Departments
Mayors present
Municipal Managers
Captains of Industry
NGOs and Civil Society
International guests
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
The first part of my closing remarks will focus on the Declaration and Resolutions of the Provincial Pre-COP17 Summit.
This provincial Summit on Climate Change has affirmed, through presentations and debates which provided a clear picture, that indeed time is short and the dangers are great and that matters of climate change need to be acted upon with urgency.
Therefore, we, the delegates to the KwaZulu-Natal Pre-COP17 Summit held on 26 and 27 September 2011 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, as a run-up to 17th edition of Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change assert that:
- Climate change is a reality and this is a conclusion based on supporting scientific and physical evidence on our shores
- Industrial and agricultural emissions, veld and sugarcane burning contribute substantially to Greenhouse gas emissions in the province
- Future climate change in the province will feature the following; abnormal rainfall distribution patterns and temperature extremes, frequent occurrence of extreme weather events leading to flooding and drought in the province, increasing rise in sea-level and will witness Southwards spread of malaria disease as well as decreasing crop yields due to shorter planting season and drought which compromises food security and economic growth of the province.
As KwaZulu-Natal we recognise that climate crisis is as much a social and economic crisis as it is an environmental disaster.
It is about limiting exploitation of fossil fuels in the ground and creating socialised renewable energy systems; food security and reducing overproduction for over consumption. It is a significant challenge to our development imperatives.
The summit took account of the views expressed during a number of inter leading activities such as 2011 Regional Seminars ( in Empangeni, Newcastle and Durban), KwaNaloga Summit on Climate Change and Rural Development and the resolutions taken at the Climate Change Conference organised by the erstwhile Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in 2005.
As one of the summit intended outcomes was to agree on a framework for the development of the KwaZulu-Natal Climate Change Action Plan, a set of eight focal areas were developed to assist five Commissions in drafting practical resolutions.
The five Resolutions and eight focal areas are outlined below.
Summit resolutions
Resolution 1 - Institutional capacity
The summit resolved to invite all interested and affected parties to pay special attention to the need for building and strengthening institutional capacity and synergies between related instruments at the provincial and national level in order to address the linkages between climate change and governance. Creation of a Provincial Climate Change Council.
Resolution 2-Education and public awareness
All KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) stakeholders shall cooperate in and promote, develop and exchange of educational and public awareness material on climate change and its effects.
Furthermore KZN stakeholders shall promote the development and implementation of education and training programmes, including the strengthening of academic institutions and the exchange or secondment of personnel to train experts in this field. Lastly we shall encourage the widest participation in this process, in order to ensure broader awareness among communities
Adequate funding shall be sourced to promote appropriate research to inform evidence based planning.
Resolution 3 - Policy and Strategy
The summit recognised the ecological, social and economic vulnerability of KZN communities to the impact of climate change and in particular of sea level rise, heavy storms, snow, diseases, etc
Resolution 4 - Infrastructure Service Delivery
All KZN stakeholders shall take climate change considerations into account, to the extent feasible, in their relevant social, economic and environmental policies and actions, and employ appropriate methods, for example impact assessments- formulated and determined nationally - with a view to minimising adverse effects on the economy, on public health and on the quality of the environment, of projects or measures undertaken by them to mitigate or adapt to climate change.
Resolution 5.A - Land use and Planning (Settlement Planning)
The Summit resolved that KwaZulu-Natal stakeholders particularly amakhosi and municipalities must cooperate in preparing integrated spatial plans for the protection, development, and rehabilitation of land, settlements and towns.
Resolution 5.B - (Building Methods)
KZN stakeholders resolved to formulate, implement, publish and regularly update provincial programmes containing measures to mitigate climate change by promoting sustainable building methods.
Resolution 5.C - (Greening of council operations and systems)
Promote and cooperate in the development, application and diffusion, including transfer of technologies, practices and processes that control, reduce or prevent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases.
Resolution 6.A - Natural Resources (Air Quality)
The summit resolved to encourage all interested and affected bodies to undertake, where possible, studies on the importance of carbon storage and sequestration in mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Resolution 6.B -Natural Resources (Ecosystems)
The summit recognised that climate change may substantially affect the ecological character of wetlands and their sustainable use. Furthermore, the summit endorsed the potentially important role of wetlands in adapting to and in mitigating climate change.
Resolution 7 - Disaster Management
The summit agreed to the need to improve and apply more widely techniques and methodologies for assessing the potential adverse effects of climate change on settlement, and, implement appropriate measures for prevention, mitigation and adaptation as part of reducing community risks and vulnerabilities, as well as assisting areas that are particularly vulnerable to those effects.
Resolution 8 - Green Economy
The summit resolved to redefine our KZN competitive advantage and structurally transform the economy by shifting from energy intensive to a climate-friendly path as part of a pro-growth, pro-development and pro-jobs strategy.
Resolution 9 - Rural Development
All KZN stakeholders, taking into account their common but differentiated responsibilities, agreed to promote sustainable rural land management through conservation and resource enhancement.
As we draw our summit to a close, we are inspired by the departed First Ever African woman Nobel Peace Price winner Professor Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who in her speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize said, "I came to understand that when the environment is destroyed, plundered or mismanaged, we undermine our quality of life and that of future generations.
"As I was growing up, I witnessed forests being cleared and replaced by commercial plantations, which destroyed local biodiversity and the capacity of the forests to conserve water," she said.
"My fellow Africans, as we embrace this recognition, let us use it to intensify our commitment to our people, to reduce conflicts and poverty, and thereby improve their quality of life. Let us embrace democratic governance, protect human rights and protect our environment.”
She further pointed out, "You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them to understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them.”
Clearly, her passing away should not be in vain. As we wrap up this summit we have the opportunity to draw an inspiration from her sterling work.
We must launch an unprecedented effort to ensure that KwaZulu-Natal becomes a model of a province that is greener, cleaner, sustainable and prosperous.
The point that we want to emphasise today is that the provincial government is committed to creating a prosperous and sustainable future but we cannot do it alone.
This summit clearly demonstrated that Climate Change has the potential to affect almost every sector in the economy of this province and these include: agriculture, trade, infrastructural development, healthcare, energy and water, trade; and more importantly the country’s national fiscus. Therefore, we believe that stakeholder engagement remains the answer.
We are calling upon all stakeholders – representatives from industry, non-governmental organisations, civil society, academics, religious leaders, traditional leaders, leaders of all political parties and the media to work with government to refine and implement our programme of action on climate change.
Acting together will ensure that we are able to effectively tackle both adaptation and mitigation.
Critically, acting together will enable this province to leap frog stages of socio-economic development as our collective action will facilitate the sharing of skills, stimulation of innovation and creation of opportunities for access to new technologies.
As it was discussed by various commissions, climate change has altered the way in which countries view economic growth, in that nations are increasingly relying on the new technology to explore cleaner sources of energy.
This has caused a shift towards new ‘green’ production processes and renewable energy generation, and a new way of thinking with regards to economic growth and development planning.
The relevance for South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal lies in the need to invest in new renewable energy sources, and to attract investment that applies green principles and employs ‘green’ technologies.
Establishment of the Provincial Climate Change Council
In closing this summit, the provincial government wishes to declare a firm intent to establish a multi stakeholder Provincial Climate Change Council.
The council, chaired by the Premier of the province, will serve as a provincial platform ensuring regular dialogue and consultations on climate change related policies, plans, programmes, projects and activities.
The council will be modeled along the lines of the Provincial AIDS Council including MECs, Heads of Departments, Mayors, academics and representatives of business sector, NGOs, traditional leaders and church leaders.
The council will, inter alia - refine, finalise and implement KwaZulu-Natal Climate Change Action Plan to do the following:
- Establish and/or improve communication mechanism amongst institutions concerned with and working in the field of climate change.
- Coordinate climate change responses at programmatic level to foster synergy and avoid duplication of efforts, and optimize benefits from existing programs, and coordinate activities related to policies, plans, strategies, financing programmes and projects
- Provide inputs for developing consensus on climate change related issues
- Provide inputs for financing in order to effectively implement, monitor and evaluate the implementation of resolutions of this Summit including the Climate Change Action Plan
- Meet at least twice per annum and guide government policy making and planning process while mobilising civil society’s response.
Ladies and gentlemen
The KwaZulu-Natal government intends to use hosting of COP17 Summit to spread awareness in the country and to seek new opportunities to reposition the provincial economy for growth in green economy.
For the next few months the world will be focusing on KwaZulu-Natal as we host COP17 Summit.
Going into the future we will be judged on what contribution we have made not only by ensuring the most successful conference in terms of logistics, but in terms of the contribution we would have made towards ensuring that the global community seals the deal to protect our planet and to build a more sustainable, prosperous global economy that will benefit all nations.
We thank you all for your contribution and participation in this summit. I wish to thank my colleagues in cabinet, members of parliament and all employees in government departments for their active participation.
I hope we have defined the path for relationship between government and different leaders of society and organised labour. Let us continue to search for solution for our country and future generations.
I thank you.
Enquiries:
Ndabezinhle Sibiya
Cell: 082 375 4742
