National Assembly 5th November 2009

Just like poverty, AIDS and international conflicts, global warming and climate change are threatening human existence on an unprecedented scale. Whatever the outcome, South Africa and its leadership should be seen to be among the nations that are waging the war to minimize the effects and impact of global warming and climate change on human and planet life.

The question is what we are doing to keep this issue on the public agenda and ensure that a global sustainable agreement is forged.

South Africa is responsible for about 60% of the African continent's carbon dioxide emissions and almost 1,5 percent of the amount produced globally.

Though we can claim that this amount is small, this is a significant contribution and it requires our national government to take the lead to ensure that the provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto protocol are implemented.

The responsibility for coordination and implementation has been delegated to the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs. In addition, the government established the Department of Minerals and Energy as designated authority for the clean development mechanisms under article 12 of the Kyoto protocol.

Communication and public education about climate change must be improved especially to the rural poor and farmers whose lives and livelihood will be harshly affected by its impact.

On the other hand, due to its ugly past of apartheid and gross inequalities, South Africa needs to provide houses, hospitals, schools, roads and other infrastructural developments in many working class communities.

Our country cannot afford to abandon its developmental commitments while countries of the north primarily have benefited from decades of development based on fossil fuels.

President Jacob Zuma at the recent UN General Assembly correctly put it that "there needs to be an agreement on new, additional, sustainable and predictable financing for adaptation. This should be for programmes that reduce the vulnerability of developing countries to the effects of climate change."

Industrialised countries therefore face the biggest responsibility and burden for action to address climate change. They therefore must support developing nations to adapt, through financing and technology transfer, for example.

Without additional measures to mitigate climate change global green house gas emissions will continue to grow over the coming decades and beyond. Most of this increase would come from developing countries, where per capita emissions are still considerably lower than those in developed countries.

In December 2009 world leaders will meet in Copenhagen with a view to come up with a solution to climate change. Its success will be measured by whether China and the USA come to the table and agree to reduce their carbon emissions. It cannot be another Kyoto; the planet is running out of time.

The United States plus a few other countries, and many large corporations, have been against climate change treaties due to the fear of the threat to their economy and profits if they have to make substantial changes.

However, as more climate change science has emerged over the years, many businesses are accepting this and even asking their governments for more action so that there is quick clarification on the new rules of the game so they can get on with their businesses.

I want to close off by quoting these famous words from George Monbiot, "The real costs of climate change are not measured in dollars and pounds, the real costs are measured in lives and in ecosystems . . .  immeasurable."

We're now entering an era of consequences, and therefore opportunities to forge a global commitment to fight climate change must be seized.  Now there needs to be a major shift in attitudes to see concrete binding agreements and shared solutions being proposed and implemented.

Contact: Connie Zikalala MP, 083 282 8384.