CEO of the National Research Foundation, Dr Albert van Jaarsveld
Deputy CEO of the HSRC, Dr Themba Masilela
CEO of ASSAf, Professor Roseanne Diab
Senior officials of national, provincial and local governments and public entities
There is a particular significance to this event, given the urgency of addressing what is undeniably one of the greatest, and certainly one of the most immediate, crises to threaten the continued existence of humankind, with poor communities in Africa particularly vulnerable to its effects. Climate change is an ominously and relentlessly ticking time-bomb that needs to be defused by not just the delegates at this event, but by every person on earth.
This conference brings together about 250 national global change stakeholders, including researchers, policy-makers, and members of the private sector and civil society, to exchange ideas and to deliberate on the latest developments in global change research and technology development. The list of delegates we have gathered here today is impressive and encouraging.
This event will focus on the latest research findings and innovation initiatives emerging through programmes funded or supported under Department of Science and Technology (DST’s) Global Change Grand Challenge Plan. It will provide an ideal opportunity for the forging of new partnerships and networks. And it will drive the process of building the next generation of young scientists by providing a forum for them to present their research to, and interact with, more experienced scientists.
The conference will address three main issues. Firstly, the central role of science and technology in addressing climate change, as part of a broader response to dealing with environmental challenges. Secondly, this event will highlight the contribution the Department of Science and Technology is making to strengthen science and technology capacity in this area. And finally, this gathering of like-minded individuals and organisations will re-iterate the importance of building stronger links between the research and policy communities to ensure the effective and speedy conversion of research findings into policy and action.
Ladies and gentlemen, as the temperature inches upwards around the world, there is a high degree of consensus that we are already experiencing various forms of consequential global environmental change. Weather patterns are changing, with some parts of the world facing devastating and prolonged droughts and floods, while low-lying parts, particularly the small island states, may be submerged as sea levels inexorably rise due to the rapidly melting polar ice. Destroyed habitats will result in accelerated species extinction, and there will be a calamitous loss of biodiversity and total disorder for delicate ecosystems. The need to act is a no-brainer, and in order to act effectively we need to constantly deepen our scientific understanding of the drivers of global change and its impacts in the various regions of the world.
It is also clear that the looming catastrophe of climate and environmental change gives rise to a range of economic and societal challenges. Environmentally friendly development models; building resilient societies and economies; moving to a low-carbon economy; introducing better ways of managing and organising our living spaces, improved communication and transport networks and rapid responses to disasters are all important issues to focus our minds on. It is incumbent on the scientific community to reflect on and to use the tools and discipline of scientific thinking to identify appropriate and effective actions..
Globally, it is of the utmost importance to intensify efforts to find new and cleaner ways of generating and using energy. Through its Global Change Plan, the DST provides direct support to the Department of Environmental Affairs’ (DEA) mandate of ensuring sustainable management of resources and protection of the environment. Recognising the need to improve the scientific understanding of global change and to build strong technological innovation capabilities to support our responses, the Plan outlines key areas of focus that will be pursued. The Plan also seeks to facilitate a strong science-policy interface by ensuring increased use of evidence generated through research in decision-making.
Initiatives aimed at improving our understanding of global change include the South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas initiative, which was launched in 2009 to aid decision-making processes at various levels. The Atlas was conceptualised as a multi-phase initiative with Phase 1 focusing on developing an operational spatial database system and
Phase 2, running until 2014, looking at operationalising the system.
Another DST programme involves building resilience to the impacts of global change by stimulating large-scale technology development and innovation in key sectors of the economy. A Resilience Innovation Programme is being scoped, with waste and water as priority sectors for the next two to three years. The DST has finalised a contract with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to conduct a feasibility study to inform a national Waste Innovation Programme.
The National Sustainable Development Strategy, which was approved by Cabinet in November last year, recognises that South Africa needs to ensure that a green economy is supported by initiatives to move towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon and pro-employment growth path. In response to this, our programmes in renewable energy technologies and fuel cells help us to identify, grow and sustain a portfolio of high-potential science, technology and innovation capabilities that will support sustainable development and the greening of society and the economy.
The green economy has been identified as a priority in Government’s New Growth Path, and is an important component of the National Development Plan. Government’s 20-year Integrated Resource Plan sets the target for renewable energy to make up 42% of all new power generation by the year 2030. This illustrates governments determination to honour its responsibility of converting our longer term vision into a living reality. Our pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will demand a decisive shift away from our current carbon-intensive, resource-based economy to a more resilient low-carbon, knowledge-based economy – an economy backed up by sound environmental practice and clean, renewable sources of energy.
The DST has forged strong collaborations and strategic partnerships with the Department of Environmental Affairs and other government departments. These include:
- A bilateral agreement with DEA, which will allow the Department to influence some of the policy and strategic direction which the DEA takes in key areas under its mandate.
- A joint focus on the Green Economy, with the Department of Economic Development leading the process of developing national strategies and plans for a green economy for South Africa. The DST’s contribution is to ensure the mainstreaming of science and technology and innovation in the green economy plans, and
- An initiative with the Department of Trade & Industry– This partnership is key to ensuring increased private-sector involvement and investment in research activities, technology development and industrial development.
A number of governance structures and management tools have been established for effective and efficient implementation of the plans outlined in the Global Change Grand Challenge. An implementation architecture has been developed, outlining roles and responsibilities of various role-players and how they interface with one another. Many of the elements of this architecture are now in place. These include:
- The establishment of a dedicated unit at the National Research Foundation, which is now fully operational and staffed. Its creation allows DST team to concentrate on policy and strategic issues, including the mobilisation of more resources.
- The establishment of a Performance and Investment Council that advises the DST on strategic issues relating to global change and. This Council has been in place for the past three years; and
- A Global Change Grand Challenge Fund, which has been created at the National Research Foundation (NRF) to support all global change-related activities.
At this point, I would like to briefly share with you a few notable achievements in our quest to improve the scientific understanding of global change.
- This year, a 10 Year Global Change Research Plan was finalised. The aim of the Plan is to focus global change research and channel the required investment. Research in various research thematic areas of the Plan is progressing well. To address the socio-ecological research thrust of the global change research, a large-scale research programme on Global Change, Society and Sustainability was introduced last year. I am particularly pleased that the programme has attracted proposals from historically disadvantaged universities. This is most welcome in our effort to nurture the full potential of emerging scientists at all our Universities. Eleven projects are currently being funded under this programme.
- The Global Change Research Plan has facilitated collaboration between our global change research networks – in particular through the Applied Centre for Climate and Earth System Science (ACCESS). A cooperative agreement between the DST and the Japanese Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology made it possible for ACCESS to be involved in collaborative research in seasonal climate forecasting and prediction. Under this agreement, the South African research community received research equipment, including “super computers”. A number of researchers and students will benefit from an exchange programme between the two countries.
- You probably know that three additional South African Research Chairs in global change were approved in 2011/12 and are ready for implementation. These include Energy and Climate Change Policy, Resilience Innovation and Social Learning Systems.
- A number of environmental observation and monitoring platforms are fully operational – the South African Earth Observation Network (SAEON) now has a full complement of six operational nodes, while the South African National Space Agency is now fully functional.
We also have a few achievements to share with you when it comes to putting science into policy and practice.
- Phase 1 of the Risk & Vulnerability Atlas has enjoyed a noticeable increase in usage, and new strategic partnerships have been forged to serve the interests of different users. The spatial database system of the Atlas is now fully operational. The partnership forged with the National Business Initiative shows strong interest from business in the capabilities of the Atlas electronic database system.
- Three pilot Risk and Vulnerability Science Centres have been established at the rural universities of Limpopo, Walter Sisulu and Fort Hare. The centres will have the capacity to provide risk identification and analysis services to local users, including local municipalities and farmers. We plan to formally launch these centres in March next year.
Over the next three years, we aim to strengthen existing elements of the Grand Challenge Implementation Architecture. We will work to facilitate the establishment of a national polar research entity, and we intend to increase the extent of research across the four knowledge areas of the Global Change Research Plan by considering new focused global change research activities. Within the economic constraints that we face, we aim to double post-graduate student support, which is currently at 200 students per year, and to introduce more global change-related research chairs and Centres of Excellence.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Department of Science and Technology is proud to host this seminal event along with the National Research Foundation and the Department of Environmental Affairs. Our sincere wish is that this will be a productive and informative conference. Life on earth has been around for 3.5 billion years, and we have been around for just 200,000 years, yet it could be this short period of Homo sapiens dominance that sees greater species extinction than has ever occurred. Let’s all do what we can to ensure that we do not become the architects of our own demise. We, in South Africa, certainly have no excuse for not taking a lead in efforts to combat climate change – our country is, after all, blessed with an abundance of renewable energy potential, with some of the world’s best conditions for solar and wind-energy.
To conclude, allow me to leave you with these profound words from the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon: “Climate change affects us all, but it does not affect us all equally. The poorest and most vulnerable – those who have done the least to contribute to global warming – are bearing the brunt of the impact today".
It is surely time for us to stop hoping for the best and to start planning for the worst.
Thank you.
