Programme Director;
Minister: Water Affairs and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa
Speaker of the Legislature, Ms Peggy Nkonyeni
Members of the Executive Council;
MEC for Health Sbongiseni Dhlomo,
MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs Lydia Johnson,
MEC for Finance Ina Cronje,
MEC for Human Settlement Maggie Govender.
Heads of Departments;
Mayors present; eThekwini Mayor, JamesNxumalo and Mayor of Ilembe and
Chair of SALGA, Cllr Mdabe Municipal Managers;
Captains of industry;
NGOs and civil society;
International guests;
Members of the media;
Ladies and gentlemen;
Good morning
We want to greet you this morning and thank you very much for your presence.
I want to particularly thank the national Departments of Water and Environmental Affairs, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Department of International Relations and Cooperation for the partnership in this two-day summit.
The hosting of this summit has generated a huge amount of optimism. This is not only about the position of this province but about the future success in fighting for the amelioration of future climatic conditions.
I am happy that we have been joined by a number of stakeholders from across different sectors of our society. This is a clear indication that we are increasingly taking the issue of climate change seriously.
I am sure all of us are aware that climate change and variability may result in significant impacts on various sectors of South African society and the economy.
The South African Country Studies Programme identified the health sector, maize production, plant and animal biodiversity, water resources, and rangelands as areas most vulnerable to climate change. These are the issues I want to focus on in my address later on, especially in relation to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
In brief summary the following impacts could be expected from climate change:
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The KwaZulu-Natal forestry industry is highly sensitive to climate change and the general aridification in some areas, due to lower rainfall and higher air temperatures, could affect the optimal areas for the province’s major tree crop species, and raise the marginal costs associated with planting in sub-optimal areas.
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The geographic range of malaria could more than double in the next 50 years, putting almost eight million people at risk of whom five million did not previously live in areas at risk from malaria in Southern Africa.
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Mortalities and increased incidence of infectious diseases and respiratory diseases due to increased surface temperatures.
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The incidence of malaria could increase with the expansion of habitats suitable for mosquitoes that transmit malaria.
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Climate change may also alter the magnitude, timing, and distribution of storms that produce flood events.
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Climate change could affect the frequency and spatial extent of livestock disease outbreaks, such as foot and mouth disease.
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An increase in pests and diseases attributed to climate change would also have a detrimental effect on the agricultural sector, and invasive plants could become a greater problem.
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Climate change scenario modelling indicates that the area in South Africa covered by the current biomes will decrease by 38 to 55% by the year 2050.
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The rise in sea levels resulting in developed and built areas being reclaimed by the sea and submerged under water surface.
Leadership for sustainable economic development
This summit presents a wonderful opportunity to discover a new leadership that will champion South Africa’s Climate Change diplomacy.
As the international community argues about the type of leadership needed to deal with Climate Change challenges, I am always reminded of what former state president Tata Madiba once said: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
What does this mean: It means that all of us here have the opportunity to influence the global agenda.
Therefore, as we start this Summit my message to you is very simple: the global agenda can only be influenced by dedicated leaders who lead from the front.
The primary responsibility of such leaders is to make a positive impact in their communities. What distinguishes these leaders from others is that they have a sense of urgency.
South Africa’s smooth transaction to democracy and our ability to successfully host international events has given this country international recognition as a serious player of note.
While we appreciate and celebrate this international recognition we must not rest on our laurels.
We must channel our energies towards programmes that will ensure that we create a new world order. We must continue to search for solutions to global challenges. This is what we are attempting to do with this summit.
Between 1970 and 2004, global greenhouse gas emissions increased 70 per cent, from about 29 to 49 billion tonnes. Concentrations of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere have increased from a pre-industrial level of about 280 to 379 parts per million in 2005.
Most emissions come from burning fossil fuels - coal, oil, natural gas - to produce energy. That means producing electricity, heating, powering industry and fuel for transport.
In fact, the largest growth in greenhouse gas emissions between 1970 and 2004
- 145 per cent - came from the energy supply sector.
Energy is critical to virtually every aspect of the economic and social development, contributing to about 15% to the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
Access to energy is critical for economic growth and poverty alleviation in the region; no country in the world has developed without adequate power supply.
Depending on the manner in which it is produced, transported and utilised, it can contribute to environmental degradation, such as air pollution, impact of biodiversity, and global warming and other related environmental problems, principally effecting climatic change.
KwaZulu-Natal can reap considerably from climate change.
Climate change has altered the way in which countries view economic growth, in that nations are increasingly being held accountable regarding their carbon emissions and thus must explore cleaner sources of energy. The province needs to position itself to take advantage of the opportunities presented by moving towards a green economy.
The province does not currently produce its own electrical power and the economy has energy intensive coal based nature.
The growth and development of KwaZulu-Natal require that the province becomes more self-sufficient in its electricity production as well as to use its unique environment towards the production of electricity form alternative and more renewable resources.
The province has some of the highest hydro-electrical potential within South Africa due to the velocity of the water flow in its rivers as well as the escarp of the Drakensberg providing the best localities.
Both Macro and micro hydro-electricity production has a significant potential in the province. Other forms of alternative energy production such as Wind, Solar and Biomass generation have also shown potential within the province and could further be explored as part of the solution to climate change.
At this stage I want to focus briefly on another largest source of global emissions which is caused by humans - the land clearing, deforestation and forest fires.
Recent studies have further revealed that KwaZulu-Natal is both largely dependent on its natural resources for growth and development. In addition, KZN is rated as one of the two provinces within South Africa with the most serious levels of land degradation.
Erosion in KwaZulu-Natal province
The area of eroded land in the Province increased by 57% from 1994 to 2000, a problematic situation caused largely by poor land management and overgrazing.
By and large, the long term integrity of the Environmental Landscape of KwaZulu-Natal is dependent on addressing the anticipated impacts of not only the strategic growth and development interventions envisaged by the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, but also the existing unsustainable practices and survivalist strategies employed by communities.
Compared to most of the central and western provinces of South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal has more productive land. It is unfortunate that land productivity is however constantly being affected by land use change and land degradation resulting in long term threats to food security.
Food security is not just about having enough food in a country or region; it is also about people being able to access that food and about the nutritional status of the food that people eat.
In southern Africa, it is expected that climate change will diminish productivity of cereal crops and livestock. There may be local extinctions of various species of fish in rivers, lakes and coastal areas that near to the edge of where they naturally occur.
Other marine resources will also be negatively, such as those associated with coral reefs (on the east coast of Africa). Thus communities dependent on fish and other aquatic resources will be impacted.
The province however still has the potential to ensure food security for its vulnerable rural communities as well as its growing urban populations through effective and sustainable land management. These are the issues that this Summit must focus on.
Impact of climate change to water
By mid-century, 50 to 100 million people in Southern Africa may experience water shortages. Sea-level rise will cause increasing salinisation of groundwater and estuaries, leaving less freshwater for humans, for agriculture and for ecosystems.
The rivers, dams and freshwater sources within KwaZulu-Natal accounts for almost 40% of all the water within South Africa. However, the quality and availability of these water resources to communities and economic activity is a challenge.
The demand for the province’s water resources further increases with the demand for improved standards of living envisaged within the provinces growth and development agenda.
This implies that planning for the development of the province, need to be balanced with the improvement and management of water resources as well.
Especially the riverine areas area anticipated to hold the key to improved water management within KwaZulu-Natal. It is along the 400 000 km of river frontage within the province where the largest impact on the extraction and pollution of water occurs.
An evaluation of the status of the river eco systems revealed that all of the major rivers within KwaZulu-Natal are vulnerable, including the Mzimkulu, Mkomazi, Mgeni, Tugela and Pongola Rivers and these will need to be rehabilitated and managed as key environmental corridors within the province.
Apart from the vulnerability of the major rivers, the Slang / Bivane river (between Volksrust & Utrecht ) as well as the Mzinene, Wya & Nyalazi rivers flowing into Lake St. Lucia are recorded as the most endangered river eco systems within the province and will require intervention.
Impact of Climate Change Biodiversity
On the other hand, the biodiversity of KwaZulu-Natal represents some of the most unique systems in the country and need to be protected for countless potential benefits in terms of food security, environmental health, variability resilience as well as the vast economic potential it holds for all sectors of the economy from agriculture to tourism.
There exist a fine interaction and interdependency between development and biodiversity and as the demand for development increase, so too does the need to better manage the province’s biodiversity.
Although various public and private role-players are actively dedicated to protecting and managing the balance between biodiversity and development within KwaZulu-Natal, these efforts are still widely un-coordinated and will need to be addressed to achieve a singular effort towards integrated sustainable development. This is what this summit must focus on.
As a number of the eco-systems of the province crosses its borders, it is vital that effective partnerships towards sustainable development is forged not only by internal role-players, but with the provinces of the Eastern Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga as well as with the three international neighbours of Swaziland, Mozambique and Lesotho.
The further strengthening and management of the existing Trans Frontier Conservation Areas (TMCAs) could play a vital role in this regard and provide a vehicle for such international co-operation and partnerships.
Earlier on I attempted to highlight, briefly, some critical areas that we need to consider during this summit.
As we share ideas and technical information, we need to begin a process that will enable us to learn from other countries that are making real progress in addressing the three challenges of climate resiliency, reduced carbon emissions and increased agricultural productivity.
Consider lessons from other countries; China for example. It has 250 million farm families most of whom have one hectare or less. China has limited land and water resources, and likely to face increasing water stress and rising temperatures over the coming decades.
Yet China manages to feed its people, and has a strategy for climate resilient, low carbon emitting agricultural sector.
For two decades China has supported comprehensive programs of landscape restoration, focusing on its hilly areas. The Loess Plateau program is among the most famous.
These include large-scale erosion control and restoration of stream beds, together with grazing control, agro-forestry and agricultural innovation. As a result, productivity has grown, ecosystems have been restored, the landscape is more resilient to floods and drought, and has become a “net sequesterer” of carbon in the soils and plants rather than an emitter.
Half a world away in Brazil there are also emerging successes. Unlike China, Brazil has abundant land and water resources, and these days is an agricultural exporting superpower. But while its overall carbon emissions are quite low for a country of its income nearly three quarters of these emissions come from agriculture, land use change and forestry. In addition its water resources are unevenly distributed, much of its soil is poor, and climate change is likely to increase water stress in key parts of the country.
For nearly 40 years Brazil has invested in research and technological innovation to increase the fertility of its soils with great success. It is now supporting land management techniques which protect stream-beds, conserve vegetation and carbon in the soil. We’ll be looking at the impressive results from these programs this week.
Its not just large middle income countries that are showing success. A number of African countries are taking action. In Kenya for, example, 40% of the population earn less than US$ 2 per day, and issues of food security, better yields, and greater resilience to floods and droughts are urgent priorities.
Kenya is thus piloting triple-win investments. For example its famous Greenbelt Movement is benefiting from carbon finance for reforestation and soil management.
And community led programs in the west of the country are investing in sustainable land management in coffee and maize farming systems with the objective of increasing carbon sequestration in the soil while increasing productivity and resilience.
A robust accounting methodology has been developed allowing emissions reductions to be documented, thus potentially drawing in carbon finance. There is a great deal we can learn from Kenya.
Future programme for future activities in KwaZulu-Natal – a partnership between provincial and local government associated the spread of information.
The imperative of the new growth path require that we take advantage of the opportunities of the “green economy” as a way of creating more jobs, fighting poverty and ensuring food security.
We intend to forge partnership with civil society and business fraternity to help our country reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change.
The Province has embarked on a programme to encourage the creation of gardens through the programme of One Home, One Garden and One Tree. We are also encouraging schools, churches and business to create their own gardens which do not only add to the greening programme but respond to challenges of starvation and focus on agriculture and agri-processing as a sector to be developed for the future,.
We have launched a grassroots mobilisation campaign of waste collection focusing on recycling industries of various materials such as plastic, bottles etc.
We are also encouraging the utilisation of biodegradable material. We have partnered with the Wildland Trust and non governmental organisations to mobilise a large number of people to get jobs through the rehabilitation of the environment.
We are finalising a proposal for the cleaning of river banks which have been badly polluted especial though industrial pollution as well as unplanned informal settlements and uncontrolled waste disposal causing river contamination. We shall soon be announcing the first six districts where this programme will be initiated.
We are also seeking to upgrade land which is affected by serious erosion in the different parts of the province. We are a programme for reforestation and the planting of one million indigenous trees and fruit trees in the next five years extending to all districts in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The main objective is to create many jobs through tree-pruners.
This programme has received a major boost when a further 30 000 trees were planted by His Majesty during the recent Reed Dance in Nongoma and in so doing bringing the awareness of our youth around the importance of tree planting and greening.
Many municipalities have started a programme of using solar heaters for geysers, rain water harvesting especially in rural areas where water is scarce.
The Provincial Planning Commission is analysing the wind channels in the province as well as sunlight intensity and has started a number of pilot programmes to encourage independent power producers using wind and solar energy production.
We are inviting investors on the alternative power production to come and partner with our province in this focus. We trust that they will come forward to showcase technologies as part of the promotion of the green economy.
We are joining in a partnership between the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the George Tech in the United States in the creation of a Solar Energy institute in the province build intellectual capacity in this area.
We are also working hard in support of sugar industry in the utilisation of biomass thermal production of energy to be integrated in the local electricity supply grid.
The challenge delaying the conclusion of this matter is the determination of the buy-back tariffs. This matter is on top of the agenda of the provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal and there are negotiations with the affected national departments.
We are also looking forward to the necessary legislative framework for creating the integrated bio-ethanol quota to encourage agricultural production of bio-fuel which the province will be very keen to participate on.
The Provincial Planning Commission has been instructed to re-designate the province into three areas to guide the issuing of Environmental Impact Assessment certificates. These includes areas where development is highly needed and environmental disturbance is minimal; in areas where development is needed and a degree of environmental impact evaluation is necessary; and lastly areas where environmental sensitivity will be enforced strongly to protect the environment and discourage any possibility of the destruction of the environment. We believe this approach will create necessary balance between developmental imperatives and environmental conservation.
During the period leading up to 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) we are planning to create a Blue Line to guide a community march led by various leaders. The Blue Line will represent a possible future beach line in the event that sea level rises in the future. We want to bring home the fact that climatic change will have a devastating effect on the current built environment and developed areas unless action is taken to mitigate it.
We also hope to design an ark to bring the point akin to the biblical Noah’s ark as part of the message.
We have already experienced tidal forms in 2008 which reclaimed sand under parking area and restaurants in Ballito. The beachline in Amanzimtoti was altered and Zimbali had debris of grass and sticks to show the flooding area. There are changes in property boundaries and planning for the future.
We will also participate in business global summit on the side-lines of the COP 17 summit – hosting international investors, governors, mayors and representatives of major business centres around the world.
On behalf of South Africa, KZN looks forward to hosting COP 17 in Durban with optimism. We are looking forward to ground-breaking decisions that will generate hope and optimism about the future global climatic situation. We do not wish for Durban to be the place of death and burial of Kyoto Protocol.
We wish Durban to be a world landmark for decisive action and a global giant leap from Cancun into a positive future for mankind. We want Durban to be remembered positively such as its role in the World Conference against Racism, Non Aligned Movement Summit, formation of the African Union and many other international conferences.
We need leaders who are able to galvanise unprecedented efforts to start a new agenda on climate change.
I thank you
