A view from the ground in South Africa

A country of contrasts

John L Smith, Head, Climate Change Team, British High Commission, Pretoria, gives his view from the ground on climate change in South Africa.

South Africa sits on both sides of the climate equation. Climate change is not South Africa’s ‘fault’ - it is part of a continent that collectively has contributed only around 3% of historical emissions. That said, South Africa is now the world’s 13th largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Without a change of course, her emissions will quadruple by 2050.

Yet it remains very exposed to climate change, directly affecting millions of vulnerable people living on marginal land and threatening the pockets of agricultural production.

Let’s look at some of the stark contrasts within South Africa that help make the case for change. South Africa is affluent relative to the rest of the continent, but over 40% of its citizens live in poverty. South Africa has a vibrant agricultural sector, but only 13% of the land can be used for crop production, consuming almost 50% of its scarce water. Tourism accounts for a hefty 10% of GDP, but loss of habitats and biodiversity and increased malaria means that up to 3% of this valuable source of revenue is at risk.  South Africa has 27 % of the world’s best sunshine, yet its use of solar power is negligible.  Here, coal is still king: disappointingly, South Africa has only realised 4% of its renewable energy target.

These local examples help illustrate why it is in South Africa’s own interest to be part of the solution to addressing extreme climate change.  Internationally, South Africa is an important actor in the Copenhagen negotiations, pushing for high ambition from developed countries, and offering progressive thinking on behalf of the developing world.  At the very least, they are looking to Copenhagen to agree a credible workplan, based on increased trust, to deliver a global agreement.

Domestically, the South African government has adopted a forward-leaning policy stance, engaging stakeholders and recognising publicly its responsibility to deviate significantly from business as usual. But there is not yet universal buy-in across government, business and the general public.

On the one hand, Former President Motlanthe stated at the national Climate Change Summit in March 2009: 'Acting now on climate change presents the best possibility to overcome the challenges of the global economic crisis through investment in pro-poor, job creating and sustainable green growth.'  On the other, we were recently asked by a senior parliamentarian 'why is a climate change person at the Energy Bill hearing.'

The challenge for President Zuma’s Government is to reaffirm its commitment to tackling climate change, leading the way in turning policy rhetoric into tangible practice.