Chairperson and hon members of the National Assembly, global climate change, often referred to as global warming, possibly poses a greatest challenge facing mankind this century. It emanates from the build-up of human emissions of heat-trapping gases in the earth's atmosphere, intensifying the greenhouse effect, thus engendering changes in our climate.
This increase in volume of CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases released by burning fossil fuels, land clearing for agriculture, logging and other human activities are the primary sources of the human-induced component of global warming.
The climate change issue has been growing in seriousness since the middle of the twentieth century and consequently became the focus of international strategies to minimise greenhouse gas emissions in order to prevent warming of the earth's surface.
The Kyoto Protocol, which is the instrument of the United Nations framework on climate change, becomes operational for the first commitment period 2008 - 2012.
Global warming poses a serious threat to sustainable development in developing countries and could well undermine global poverty alleviation efforts and have serious implications for food security, clean water, energy supply, environmental health and human settlements.
Global warming does not occur by default. Human activity creates the problem and every bit of coal, oil and gas that we burn adds to the load of gases in the atmosphere trapping heat and smothering people and the natural world alike. I raised the issue of climate change in this department's Budget Vote in 2006 and therefore am greatly encouraged that the programming committee has slotted in this debate during this session of Parliament.
International best practice strategies aimed at preventing or the abatement of climate change incorporate action on both mitigation and adaptation strategies. Mitigation refers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions or removing them from the atmosphere and embracing energy efficiency, so that less fuel is used. It embraces sources of energy that emit no greenhouse gases such as renewable energy.
Mitigation initiatives globally would incorporate the following practices: Implementing sustainable development; adopting cleaner energy technologies; promoting and implementing renewable energy technologies; and promoting and implementing energy-efficient practices. The concrete examples of mitigation initiatives include CDM or the Clean Development Mechanism and carbon emission trading.
The National Climate Change Response Strategy developed by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism puts forward a number of mitigation strategies for South Africa. These initiatives form an integral part of sustainable development and cleaner technology usage such as the Vehicle Emissions Strategy, aimed at reducing emissions from motor vehicles. The mitigation option project is investigating possible mitigation options that could be implemented, viz, renewable energy sources and energy sources such as nuclear energy.
Successful climate change abatement strategies would use a mix of mitigation and adaptation, as adaptation will become increasingly more difficult and costly, the less mitigation appears on the radar screen. Mitigation measures should remain in focus, receive priority as source- diverse impacts such as loss of rare species and melting of glaciers cannot be reversed. Moreover, mitigation goes to the root of the problem of climate change, viz, emissions from human activities precipitating changes in our climate.
Even if all the greenhouse gas emissions were stopped today, the greenhouse gases that are already in the atmosphere would be enough to cause climate change. Further, CO2 emissions are likely to rise in the coming decades. The changes in the climate are already happening. The world must therefore be prepared to adapt to the effects of global warming.
Some adaptation strategies would include better flood defences or relocation mechanisms that can be used to deal with rising sea levels; avoiding more vulnerable areas for building houses; agricultural production can adapt to the decreasing availability of water through better water management; urban areas could adapt increasingly to severe storms by increasing rainwater storage through the use of domestic water butts, paved gardens, etc, and increasing capacity of storm water systems so that overflows do not contaminate rivers.
Measures should be enforced to ensure food security in the face of less reliable agricultural yields, particularly in areas where drought take centre stage.
Our Minister, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, stated in 2005:
If South Africa did not immediately adapt to the effects of climate change, it would cost the country 1.5% of the GDP by 2050, roughly equivalent to the total foreign investment in South Africa at present.
I dare say that there are much more serious consequences for South Africa and the African continent than the rest of the world. Whilst adaptation would appear to be the most useful and least economically disruptive response to climate change variability, this would probably be a very short- sighted approach.
Focusing on adaptation to local impacts of change is not a responsible position for any country to adopt. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that mitigation strategies have additional, extremely valuable, benefits that are often overlooked. These include improvements in local environmental quality, public health and wellbeing and the stimulation of the local economy. Last Friday 27 members of the EU meeting in Brussels signed an agreement which commits EU to, firstly, 20% reduction in carbon emissions from 1990 levels by 2020, and secondly to generate one fifth of its energy needs from renewables.
Greenpeace hailed the initiative as the biggest such decision since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the same meeting: "There is still time to reduce global warming and by so doing avoid a human calamity."
I hope the United States, Australia, Japan and India are listening and taking note. So far the government has committed a very small amount of its resources to renewable energy for the next decade.
To quote Andre Fourie and Kuzene Dlamini of the National Business Initiative:
South Africa and Africa have played a marginal role in this debate. Yet climate change poses a serious threat to peace and stability in Africa more than political conflicts have done since the advent of independence.
The recurring floods in Mozambique and the drought in most Southern African countries are some of the visible signs of the effect of climate change on the ground. Urgent action is therefore needed now and not later.
It is increasingly becoming a key strategic imperative that businesses, government, civil society and academia collaborate in shaping the global debate on climate change rather than only following or responding, as we often do, to a debate whose parameters are increasingly being set elsewhere.
It is clear that a balanced approach in dealing with climate change is imperative. This implies that both mitigation and adaptation are necessary strategies to deal with this phenomenon. It is incumbent upon all of us to leave no stone unturned in our quest to stem the tide of the dangers that are looming large on our horizon and to take steps to protect this generation and all future generations to come from the catastrophic consequences to humanity if we fail to respond urgently and aggressively to the effects of global warming and climate change. I thank you very much. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.