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South Africa: Long road to Copenhagen

10 August 2009, Business Day
URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/200908070321.html

Johannesburg:   South Africa contributes 1,4% of world emissions while the UK, six times more industrialised, contributes 1,5%.

An adviser on climate change to the Cabinet told a conference yesterday SA was three years away from being able to put a detailed plan on the table for reducing carbon emissions, despite the closeness of the Copenhagen climate change talks in December.   SA is regarded by many as the United States of Africa when it comes to carbon emissions. It contributes 1,4% of world emissions while the UK, six times more industrialised, contributes 1,5%. Politicians and nongovernmental organisations are looking to SA to lead the continent in reducing its emissions.

It is for this reason that Ed Miliband, UK secretary of state for energy and climate change, arrived in SA yesterday on a one-day visit to meet Environment Minister Buyelwa Sonjica and Energy Minister Dipuo Peters.

Stefan Raubenheimer, who contributed to the long-term mitigation scenario commissioned by the Mbeki cabinet on climate change, yesterday told an editors conference on climate change organised by the University of Cambridge in Johannesburg that SA would need at least another year, if not three years, to put a plan on the table.  The government has set a deadline of 2030 to reduce emissions 30% below levels in 2000 -- which would bring it to 380 megatons a year. At present, Sasol contributed 70 megatons and Eskom 220 megatons annually, Raubenheimer said.

"Government is committed to the idea, but it's not ready to say, the plan looks like this, (or) if we had another year we would be in a better position to speak like the Brazilians or China," he said.

Raubenheimer said SA had agreed to the broad concept but had "missed out a bit on specifics". "The country has been preoccupied with politics the last two years," he said. "It needs to sit down with Sasol, Eskom, and people like the liquid fuel industry and mining, and see what can be done to make a real difference.  I think SA needs to go to Copenhagen and say we are serious, we have a band in which we want to play, put us in the third tier and give us three years to develop a proper plan. We won't come up with rubbish."

Raubenheimer said SA would not be able to reduce emissions without commitment internally and help externally with finance, as projects needed large funding.  He was not in favour of taxes for companies with carbon emissions, saying it was a blunt instrument. "I would rather see a big tax in 15 years' time which can be imposed on companies which have not complied," he said.

Sputnik Ratau, spokesman for the energy minister, yesterday confirmed that a plan would not be ready for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.  "The intention is to put forward in Copenhagen the position taken by African ministers in Nairobi a few months ago. There is a planning process and it's not clear how long it will take, although the minister would like a plan by the middle of next year."

Miliband said he did not believe developed countries could contribute the proposed 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) to help developing countries fight global warming.  SA, and countries such as India and China, have called for the 1% contribution to fund technological development.  "Personally, I think 1% of GDP will be hard but the UK has set aside 100bn, which we think is a good amount," Miliband said. " What we need is ... an automatic stream of funding ... that will be predictable and sustainable rather than a pledging system which ... does not work. Some countries pledge money but do not deliver."

He said the UK was looking for ways to co-operate with SA and other countries on carbon capture and storage projects.   On Copenhagen , Miliband said: "We won't get a perfect agreement but we will get a significant agreement."