Chairperson of the session,
President of the Senate of the Mexican Congress,
Fellow Speakers and Presiding Officers from G20 Parliaments,
Distinguished delegates and guests.
The impact of Climate Change, Green Economy, Sustainable Water Management for Industrial Development, Food Security and Energy Generation is global and therefore global solutions must be found. In finding such solutions, due consideration should be given to regional and national conditions.
As the Parliament of South Africa we view climate change as a development issue. This is because it causes poverty, affects food security and has a severe impact on the global economy.
Given our responsibilities in legislative, oversight and budget allocation processes, we as public representatives can foster collaboration among stakeholders towards achieving a coordinated national response to climate change.
In the period leading up to the COP 17, which we had the privilege to host in 2011, our Parliament facilitated a national consultative seminar for climate change engagements with the Executive, civil society, business, traditional leaders and other relevant stakeholders. Among other things, the seminar supported the role of legislatures in representing the interests of citizens, more especially the poor, vulnerable, rural communities, and women in particular.
In addition to charting the way forward on reducing greenhouse gases in the global context, COP 17 resulted in an agreement on the full implementation of the package to support developing nations, agreed at the COP 16 in Cancun, here in Mexico, in 2010.
This was given impetus by the COP 18 agreement in Doha last year, on a new work programme to:
- Build capacity through climate change education and training,
- Create public awareness; and
- Enable the public to participate in climate change decision-making.
It is encouraging that almost every country, both inside and outside of the G20, is already doing something on climate change. Worth noting are the reported positive developments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in scaling up various sources of renewable energy to reduce oil consumption. Other countries, including Mexico and South Korea, already have climate legislation.
This is indeed commendable as it demonstrates a serious and meaningful response to the challenge posed by climate change and the need for legislatures to play a key role.
At the moment South Africa has no specific legislation for managing the threats of climate change per se. However, we have a plethora of interventions consisting of policies, strategies, programmes and an assortment of legislation. For example, our laws include: The National Environmental Management Acts (focusing on Protected Areas, Biodiversity and Air Quality).
Our National Climate Change Response Policy White Paper requires the review and alignment of existing legislation that affect climate change management. The White Paper identifies a number of priorities, which include:
- Risk reduction and management
- Policy and regulatory alignment
- Integrated planning
- Technology research, development and innovation; and
- Facilitated behaviour change
In promoting Green Economy, in the short term we want to ensure the protection of the natural environment and mitigate the effects of climate change. While in the long term, the aim is to manage the transition to a low-carbon economy at a pace consistent with government’s public pledges, without harming jobs or competitiveness.
Practically, in 2015 we will start the implementation of a carbon tax.
Further, government would construct infrastructure to import liquefied natural gas and increase exploration to find domestic gas feedstock (including investigating shale and coal bed methane reserves) to diversify the energy mix and reduce carbon emissions. There is a plan:
- to procure at least 20 000 Megawatts of renewable electricity by 2030,
- to import electricity from the region, and
- to decommission 11 000 Megawatts of ageing coal-fired power stations and step up investments in energy-efficiency.
We are committed to moving away from fossil-intensive energy sources toward cleaner, renewable energy.
Another pressing matter in the coming decades is the impact of climate change on world food production capacity. As a country, we need to streamline our policy regime regarding food security. However many of the policy objectives of the G20 declaration are echoed in South African policies. This suggests that the current policy focus is correct.
Our Parliament needs to focus intensely on a number of issues which include policy alignment, better implementation of current interventions and improvement of oversight over ailing agriculture development and support programmes.
The availability of water is central to food security. Water use in South Africa is dominated by:
- agriculture (i.e. irrigation ) – about 62%
- domestic and urban use - about 27%
- mining, large industries and power generation – about 8%
- commercial forestry plantations – about 3%.
In respect of water management, South Africa has entered into a number of bi- and tri-lateral trans-boundary water agreements. This is necessary given that South Africa is regarded as a dry country, consisting of some parts that have higher rainfall than others – with average rainfall at about half the global average of 860 millimetres per year.
Infrastructure development and investment is a critical component of water security and the developmental water management paradigm.
To address the challenges of sustainable water management, climate change, energy generation etc, the G20 Parliaments need to share knowledge, complement and co-ordinate their efforts. In so doing we will meaningfully support and inform the decisions and programmes of our country governments.
Thank you!
