Input by South Africa on responses to climate change Seminar of Governmental Experts

Input by South Africa on responses to climate change

• Seminar of Governmental Experts

• 16 & 17 May 2005, Bonn

SA’s vulnerability to climate change impacts

• SA & the poor, in particular, extremely vulnerable

• Climate change impacts threaten to undermine sustainable development

• SA’s response strategy centers on sustainable development

• Most vulnerable sectors in SA

• Water, e.g. reduced average rainfall in west half of the country
• Health, e.g. more people at risk from malaria
• Agriculture, e.g. subsistence farmers more marginal
• Biodiversity, e.g. up to 60% loss of endemics in succulent Karoo

Key Issues

• CC happening and will continue

• SA contributes only 1.4% CO 2 to global total and therefore needs a global multi-lateral solution which

• Balances adaptation and mitigation
• Supports local and global sustainable development

• In SA adaptation measures a priority to address the vulnerability of the poor to CC effects

• The major potential for mitigation in SA relates to energy (currently, 93% of electricity generation from coal)

• Electricity generation and supply
• Transport fuels
• Mining, industry & household energy use & efficiency

Current Adaptation PAM’s

• Sectoral programmes focused on poverty

• Landcare – transforms unsustainable agricultural practice
• Working for Water – alien plant removal to restore water
• Working for Wetlands – restoration of water sources
• Working on Fire – Fire control

• Rural economic diversification – ISRDS

• Adaptation technology research and development

• Potential for the use of LULUCF & sink strategies for mitigation are limited – LULUCF is a vulnerability & adaptation issue

Current Mitigation PAM’s: Energy efficiency

• Energy efficiency contributes to sustainable development at the local and global scale

• Strategy: a national target for energy efficiency of 12% by 2015

• Mix of economic instruments and regulatory tools, as well as energy management programmes

• Build on practical measures already in place

• Avoid 2300 MW by 2020 through efficiency measures (327000 tons of CO2 was saved between 2001-2003)
• Efficient lighting initiative
• Energy efficiency in low-cost housing (CDM project validated)
• Demand-side management programme

Current Mitigation PAM’s: Renewable energy

• Policy: voluntary target of 10 000 GWh renewable energy contribution to final energy consumption by 2013

• to be produced mainly from biomass, wind, solar and small-scale hydro, bio-fuels etc. (both power generation & non power generation technologies)

• Equivalent to approximately 4% of projected electricity demand by 2013

• Existing projects: off-grid solar, wind, Solar Water Heating

• Needs to be scaled up with additional R&D bulk renewables
• Need international support to meet incremental costs of implementation –
• contribute to new industries, create jobs, and assist in poverty reduction

Current Carbon Finance PAM’s: CDM in South Africa

• Policy developed and published

• Established Designated National Authority in the Dept of Minerals & Energy (http://www.dme.gov.za)

• 9 CDM projects submitted to the DNA
• 21.9 MtCO2 over the period 2005 to 2012

• Actively engaging in carbon markets

• Emissions derivative trading

• Markets need certainty to secure carbon as a long term tradable commodity ie. Second commitment period for Kyoto (article 3.9)

Current Research & Development

• Technology Needs Assessment in progress

• National Energy Research Institute being established

• Research on clean coal & in situ gasification

• Solar thermal bulk renewable

• Long term sector level emission, adaptation & mitigation research and modelling

• Bio-fuel RD&D

• GHG inventory process

• Participation in the GEOSS programme

Future National PAM’s:

• Finalising a Cleaner Production Strategy

• Air Quality Act passed in 2004

• provides a regulatory framework to set emission standards for both priority pollutants including greenhouse gases
• regulates reporting

• Investigate Public Transport measures. Eg.Taxi Recap & incentivise bio-fuel programme

• Clean fuel standards (eg. Euro 3 by 2008 & 4 by 2010)

• Building standard regulations to improve efficiency

• Energy Bill – legislation to regulate energy efficiency & renewable energy

Future multi-lateral process

• Climate change is a global problem and requires a unified global response and action

• SA committed to the multi-lateral process under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol

• Future Climate Change regime must include a strengthened Kyoto

• Future Climate Change regime must support sustainable development in all countries and:

• Emphasises the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities
• Requires Annexe 1 (developed) countries to take the lead
• Recognizes the unique circumstances and challenges faced by developing countries.

The way forward

• All nations to join and support the international effort to reduce greenhouse gases emissions

• Given the vulnerability of the poor, largest emitters need to reduce emissions
• Annex I Parties need to take stronger action
• Full funding of agreed incremental costs (Art 4.3)
• NA1 actions designed to support sustainable development

• All nations accept responsibility to deal with climate change within an inclusive multilateral regime balancing adaptation & mitigation

• SA committed to engage in the development of the future CC regime

• Need Montreal Mandate to map out next few years of negotiations and to prevent stalling & add urgency

Thank you