South Africa
Content
Committee
: UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
Topic
: Issue of Climate Change---Kyoto Protocol and Effort towards Doha Amendment
on Kyoto Protocol 2015
Country
: South Africa
This time climate changes was being the biggest challenges for the world. Climate
changes causes by direct or indirect human activities that changed the global atmosphere pattern
and natural climate variables that observed during some periods. For example, likes releasing the
CO₂ continuity to the atmosphere with the fuel from fossils (the greenhouse gases emission).
There is a glance about climate changes, that happen this time is the greenhouse effect
had bigger, there is increasing the air and sea temperature that makes Arctic continent warmed,
that makes decreasing of snow and glacier had melted that makes the rises of the global sea
surfaces and the precipitation was uneven.
And the impact on the future is the increasing of temperature that will bring more of risks
(disaster), there is a bad change on the hydrologic cycles, the increasing of health risks, the
increasing of sea surface, and the poorest community will be susceptible with the impact of
climate changes.
The South African government regards climate change as one of the greatest threats to
sustainable development. If unmitigated, Government believes that climate change has the
potential to undo or undermine many of the positive advances made in meeting South Africa’s
own development goals and the Millennium Development Goals.
Government is committed to address climate change and is in the process of drafting the
White Paper on the National Climate Change Response. The Paper would, among others:
Map a socio-economic transition to a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy and
society;
The transition to a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy and society will involve a
balance between our efforts to reduce greenhouse gases (mitigation) and our efforts to
build our resilience to the impacts of climate change (adaptation);
In the long-term, we will redefine our competitive advantage and structurally transform
the economy by shifting from an energy-intensive to a climate-friendly path as part of a
pro-growth, pro-development and pro-jobs strategy;
The South African climate response policy will be informed by what scientists believe
is necessary to limit global temperature increase to below 2°C above pre-industrial
levels;
South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions must peak, plateau and decline and stop
growing at the latest by 2020-2025, stabilize for up to ten years, then decline in
absolute terms;
Our efforts will constitute a fair and meaningful contribution to the global efforts,
demonstrating leadership in the multi-lateral system by committing to a “substantial
deviation from baseline”, enabled by international funding and technology.
The South African Government also acknowledges the following:
The stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that
prevents dangerous human interference with the climate system will require the efficient
international implementation of an effective and binding global agreement on, among
others, greenhouse gas emission reductions;
That, together with all the other countries responsible for significant greenhouse gas
emissions and considering its developing country status, South Africa, as a responsible
global citizen, is committed to reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions in order to
successfully facilitate the agreement and implementation of an effective and binding
global agreement on, among others, greenhouse gas emission reductions;
That, notwithstanding the impact of any global agreement, South Africa will have to
adapt to the unavoidable impact of climate change through the management of risk and
the reduction of vulnerability; and
That although there will be costs associated with South Africa’s greenhouse gas
emission reduction efforts, there will also be significant short and long-term social and
economic benefits, including improved international competitiveness that will result
from a transition to a low carbon economy. Furthermore, that these costs will be far
less than the costs of delay and inaction.
Government will continue to engage actively and meaningfully in international climate
change negotiations, specifically the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) negotiations and Kyoto Protocol also Doha Amendment, in order to secure a
binding, multi-lateral international agreement that will effectively limit the average global
temperature increase to at least below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and that is:
A credible outcome that is equitable, fair and inclusive;
Has a balance between adaptation and mitigation responses;
Has an appropriate development – climate response balance and is based on the
recognition that solving the climate problem will only be possible if it is undertaken
within the context of developing countries' priority of achieving poverty eradication
and promoting development.
Has REDD+ program (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest
Degradation).
: UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
Topic
: Issue of Climate Change---Kyoto Protocol and Effort towards Doha Amendment
on Kyoto Protocol 2015
Country
: South Africa
This time climate changes was being the biggest challenges for the world. Climate
changes causes by direct or indirect human activities that changed the global atmosphere pattern
and natural climate variables that observed during some periods. For example, likes releasing the
CO₂ continuity to the atmosphere with the fuel from fossils (the greenhouse gases emission).
There is a glance about climate changes, that happen this time is the greenhouse effect
had bigger, there is increasing the air and sea temperature that makes Arctic continent warmed,
that makes decreasing of snow and glacier had melted that makes the rises of the global sea
surfaces and the precipitation was uneven.
And the impact on the future is the increasing of temperature that will bring more of risks
(disaster), there is a bad change on the hydrologic cycles, the increasing of health risks, the
increasing of sea surface, and the poorest community will be susceptible with the impact of
climate changes.
The South African government regards climate change as one of the greatest threats to
sustainable development. If unmitigated, Government believes that climate change has the
potential to undo or undermine many of the positive advances made in meeting South Africa’s
own development goals and the Millennium Development Goals.
Government is committed to address climate change and is in the process of drafting the
White Paper on the National Climate Change Response. The Paper would, among others:
Map a socio-economic transition to a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy and
society;
The transition to a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy and society will involve a
balance between our efforts to reduce greenhouse gases (mitigation) and our efforts to
build our resilience to the impacts of climate change (adaptation);
In the long-term, we will redefine our competitive advantage and structurally transform
the economy by shifting from an energy-intensive to a climate-friendly path as part of a
pro-growth, pro-development and pro-jobs strategy;
The South African climate response policy will be informed by what scientists believe
is necessary to limit global temperature increase to below 2°C above pre-industrial
levels;
South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions must peak, plateau and decline and stop
growing at the latest by 2020-2025, stabilize for up to ten years, then decline in
absolute terms;
Our efforts will constitute a fair and meaningful contribution to the global efforts,
demonstrating leadership in the multi-lateral system by committing to a “substantial
deviation from baseline”, enabled by international funding and technology.
The South African Government also acknowledges the following:
The stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that
prevents dangerous human interference with the climate system will require the efficient
international implementation of an effective and binding global agreement on, among
others, greenhouse gas emission reductions;
That, together with all the other countries responsible for significant greenhouse gas
emissions and considering its developing country status, South Africa, as a responsible
global citizen, is committed to reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions in order to
successfully facilitate the agreement and implementation of an effective and binding
global agreement on, among others, greenhouse gas emission reductions;
That, notwithstanding the impact of any global agreement, South Africa will have to
adapt to the unavoidable impact of climate change through the management of risk and
the reduction of vulnerability; and
That although there will be costs associated with South Africa’s greenhouse gas
emission reduction efforts, there will also be significant short and long-term social and
economic benefits, including improved international competitiveness that will result
from a transition to a low carbon economy. Furthermore, that these costs will be far
less than the costs of delay and inaction.
Government will continue to engage actively and meaningfully in international climate
change negotiations, specifically the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) negotiations and Kyoto Protocol also Doha Amendment, in order to secure a
binding, multi-lateral international agreement that will effectively limit the average global
temperature increase to at least below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and that is:
A credible outcome that is equitable, fair and inclusive;
Has a balance between adaptation and mitigation responses;
Has an appropriate development – climate response balance and is based on the
recognition that solving the climate problem will only be possible if it is undertaken
within the context of developing countries' priority of achieving poverty eradication
and promoting development.
Has REDD+ program (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest
Degradation).
