Zuma speaks of COP 17 duty

Delegates in Durban are duty-bound to find sustainable solutions to climate change, which is "a matter of life and death" in the developing world.
CLIMATE change posed a serious risk to humanity, said President Jacob Zuma at the official opening of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

International Relations Minister and COP17 President Maite Nkoana Mashabane and President Jacob Zuma at the opening of COP 17International Relations Minister and COP17 President Maite Nkoana Mashabane and President Jacob Zuma at the opening of COP 17 (Photo: GCIS website)COP 17 coincides with the seventh annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP7), which is under way in Durban. Both meetings started on 28 November and will run until 9 December.

Over 20 000 delegates from about 200 countries, among them Hollywood stars, are in the coastal city for the gathering. In his opening address, Zuma said that issues of climate change should no longer be treated as just environmental challenges, but rather as “sustainable development challenges”.

“For most people in the developing world and Africa, climate change is a matter of life and death."

Agricultural output in many African countries was expected to decrease by about 50 percent by the year 2050, leading to food insecurity and a loss of livelihoods if climate change was not adequately addressed and consensus on legally binding policies on the reduction of carbon emissions was not reached urgently, he pointed out.

Delegates should work towards a balanced outcome that would be “fair and credible”.

“You have before you the responsibility to re-affirm the multilateral rules-based system anchored by the Kyoto Protocol and to provide the funding needed to address impacts of climate change through activating the Green Climate Fund."

He said South Africa was contributing to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and was committed to reducing carbon emissions by 34 percent by 2020 and by 42 percent by 2025. “We have gone some way towards implementing this undertaking.”

Carbon neutral
South Africa aspires to have a carbon neutral economy, which could create new opportunities for enterprise development, job creation and the renewal of commercial and residential environments.

Zuma said the government and other stakeholders were committed to creating about 300 000 green jobs by 2020 as part of finding a sustainable solution to climate change.

Delegates in Durban were duty-bound to reach consensus on emission reduction targets and legally binding policies. “Durban must take us many steps forward towards a solution that saves tomorrow today,” said Zuma.

Joburg’s director of air quality and climate change, Barney Kgope, said COP 17 sought to find workable solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to achieving a carbon free economy.

It is also an opportunity for Johannesburg to exhibit its climate change initiatives and forge international networks, which could yield future investment partnerships.

Linda Phalatse, the City’s deputy director for climate change, said COP 17 was a great opportunity for South African municipalities to participate in and help the country achieve its commitments on climate change.

COP 17 has been convened in an attempt to reach a legally binding agreement to stabilise global greenhouse gas emissions to try to stop climate change. The Conference of the Parties meets each year; this is its 17th meeting.

For more information on the conference and its agenda, log on to its website.