House Chair, Deputy Chairperson and members present, as our country is preparing to host the Conference of the Parties in Durban, it becomes very important, as South Africans, to reflect upon this. As the South African Parliament we saw fit to organise a national consultative seminar which sought to build national consensus and advance unity amongst all of us and also to reinforce working relations with Parliament, organised civil society, government and the intelligentsia.
The debate about climate change concerns changes in the state of the climate that can be identified by changes in the average of variability of its properties. Normally, these changes occur either naturally or are caused by human activities. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Third Assessment Report climate change is already happening, and will continue to happen even if global greenhouse gas emissions are curtailed significantly in the short to medium term.
There is now more confidence that global climate change is a threat to sustainable development, especially in developing countries, and could undermine global poverty alleviation efforts and have severe implications for food security, clean water, energy supply, environmental health and human settlement.
Climate change is mainly about sustainable development which can be defined as development which meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It encompasses the social, environmental and economic dimensions of development. Concerns relating to climate change offer a signal example of the tension that exists between two different views on the relation between economic growth and resources. For example, the South African economy is highly dependent on income generated from the production, processing, export and consumption of coal, which therefore means that our economy is vulnerable to the possible response measures which might be implemented by developed countries. It also means that our economic growth and resources might be highly affected since our economy is mainly focused on this particular sector - the mining sector.
Secondly, as a country, we need to ask ourselves how we should balance climate change priorities without working against our own national development priorities which, in the main, would entail fighting poverty, unemployment and diseases. For example, as a country, we are still faced with many serious socioeconomic conditions that seem to impact negatively on our developmental objectives. We need to ask ourselves how we are going to introduce new paradigm shifts in the development of our country through addressing challenges of climate change without falling prey to responding in a nonproductive way, where government would be forced to come up with short-term, irrational policies that would not even assist us in terms of our long-term priorities.
Lastly, as we are moving towards hosting Cop 17, we need to speak with one voice because surely climate change has serious ramifications for all of us.
It was therefore thought necessary that Parliament, from 28 to 29 October 2011, should convene a national consultative seminar. This seminar was underpinned by the following objectives: to obtain insight into the collective expectation on the form and content of an agreement at Cop 17; to receive an update on the subsidiary bodies so as to ascertain progress on the Kyoto Protocol, long-term consultative action under the convention, the subsidiary body for scientific and technological advice and the subsidiary body for implementation; to look at ways in which South Africa can use this platform to advance the case for developing countries generally, and Africa specifically; to receive inputs from Parliament, civil society, business, organised business and government in reaching consensus on a climate change agreement; and to draft and adopt a declaration on expectations of technical and other details to be contained in a global agreement.
I would therefore say that the national consultative seminar was a success as it managed to strengthen our relations with civil society and other important sectors of South African society. Moving forward, we need to nurture our relationships so that they do not end with Cop 17, but continue even after the conference has ended. In this regard the seminar resolved that one of the things that we need to look at is to have an annual assessment seminar led by Parliament.
As a country, let us busy ourselves with finding sustainable ways of building both our communities and the economy. It is our responsibility, as noted by the seminar, that we need to ensure that as we mitigate and adapt to these conditions, it is not at the expense of the developing world and of course the economies of Africa in particular.
Forward to the Durban second commitment, forward! Forward to the defence of and commitment to the Kyoto Protocol! I thank you.
Debate concluded.
Question put: That the Report be adopted.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
Report accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.