Chairperson, global climate change presents the most significant challenge of all the world's environmental challenges. It will have a dramatic impact, not only on the environment, but also on economic and social development and it needs to be dealt with urgently and holistically.
At the previous Conference of the Parties, COP 16, the debate was mainly about climate debt. In Africa, this issue has taken on proportions similar to decolonisation. Yes, Africans do have the right to be at the front of the queue in respect of compensation for the environmental damage caused by developed countries, and to claim equity from the west by virtue of historical responsibility.
Ask the layman in the street what he understands by climate change, and he will probably say that it is something about the hole in the ozone layer. It is very possible that the average South African is experiencing ecofatigue. This refers to our inability to support or sustain environmentally sensitive practices, even though we know that we disregard them at our peril. Have you ever seen a sign, "The world is coming to an end"? I have, and many times in the past I have laughed and turned my head away at the thought, thinking, "How silly!" The truth is, however, that if we continue to use nonrenewable resources at the rate we are doing and pollute air and water at the rate we are doing, the world as we know it is going to come to an end.
The man in the street is overwhelmed. Often, when we cannot solve a problem, we give up and have a "that's life" attitude, believing that there is nothing we can do to prevent global warming. Hence, our ecofatigue. Can the ordinary South African citizen contribute to reducing his carbon footprint? Yes, most definitely. "Reduce, reuse, and recycle" should become a daily mantra.
Colleagues, as legislators we have a responsibility to do more. Let us look at our own carbon footprints. It is estimated that a Member of Parliament from outside of the Western Cape has a carbon footprint four times higher than the average South African. The parliamentary programme is designed in such a way that a plenary lasts for a total of approximately eight hours per week. If we had a more intense programme for longer hours on fewer days, we would be able to reduce our carbon footprints.
While I acknowledge that an ideal situation would be to move towards a paperless Parliament, I can't say that I agree with this ideal at this stage. Many Members of Parliament are not computer literate, and those of us with visual disabilities are not well catered for. But there are ways in which we could cut down on paper. For example, do we need an 18-page committee meeting booklet every day? One detailed copy once a week would be fine, and a single-page addition could be sent out daily, if necessary. Do we need a 10-page Order Paper every day? Why not a detailed one once a week, and a one-pager every day?
Don't get me started on Parliament's labelled bottled water. The bottles that are used are not biodegradable and therefore add to the waste delivered to the landfill site. The quality of potable water in Cape Town is very good, and what is wrong with drinking water out of a glass?
Government-driven policy is the step to creating change. The possibility of a carbon emission tax, alluded to by the Minister of Finance, may be one way of forcing people into making correct choices. We all remember the plastic bag legislation and the initial resistance to it, but look at how well we have adapted to it.
The Green Paper on climate change is a step in the right direction and it is being processed in order to prepare for COP 17. However, is South Africa ready for COP 17? The Department of Environmental Affairs seems to think so; I don't. Let me tell you why. We heard in the committee last week that neither the costing, nor the business plan for the 17th session of the COP is in place, and that is with seven months to go. The National Treasury has indicated that funds are available, but it is waiting for the submission of the business plan. The director-general told the committee that she didn't quite know when the plan would be finalised.
Minister, your department needs to take this matter seriously, or else we are going to land up being embarrassed. The department has no clue how many delegates will be attending, or what security will be provided - with seven months to go. The current COP 17 website merely features eThekwini's tourist attractions. COP 16 was not a great success. We need to debate that report in Parliament and learn from it.
South Africa has the opportunity to shine at COP 17. While it is indeed an honour to host this, great responsibility comes with it. We need to pick up the momentum and run with it, or else the advocates of "Kill the Kyoto Protocol" will win. Nothing short of a legally binding agreement is good enough. The DA pledges its full and unreserved support for COP 17 and firmly believes a new climate change agreement is possible. [Applause.]