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Climate Change Response Strategy - Coherent Action for Growth and Development

Comments on the Green Paper by Stephen Law (Director) and Thabang Ngcozela (Project Manager) from the Environmental Monitoring Group. This strategy emphasizes the need for interdepartmental cooperation and coherent regulation of business and industry to address climate change. It highlights the importance of binding targets, taxing climate change "bads" and subsidizing "goods", promoting renewable energy and efficient public transport, building community resilience, ensuring equitable and affordable access to water, supporting low-impact agricultural practices, and monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of climate change policies. The strategy also emphasizes the importance of wide-scale stakeholder participation and dialogue in the legislative process.

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Climate Change Response Strategy - Coherent Action for Growth and Development

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  1. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING GROUPClimate Change Response StrategyComments on Green Paper Stephen Law (Director)Thabang Ngcozela (Project Manager)

  2. Interdepartmental co-operation Responding to the challenge is not just another "environmental issue“. It is deeply linked to how we understand growth and development. Coherent action is required from all spheres, especially Treasury, dti, Energy, Mineral Resources and Economic Development. Coherent regulation of businsess and industry

  3. The “Safe” Limit • A global average temperature increase of 2 Deg C is an absolute limit. Less would be better. • We are currently heading for 3 to 4 Deg C with unthinkable consequences internet:http://www.emg.org.za

  4. International Negotiations and CoP17Binding targets are needed… • Some countries (the US included) are doing all they can to prevent the adoption of legally binding emissions targets. • Our government must do all it can to resist this pressure. internet:http://www.emg.org.za

  5. Tax and trading • Taxing climate change “bads” and subsidising “goods” is essential … but the poor are most vulnerable -- to both climate change and to our mitigation efforts • Tax must be offset with appropriate subsidies • No investment in setting up a carbon trading regime until hardproof is available that it actually leads to a reduction in emission levels internet:http://www.emg.org.za

  6. Mitigation…these surely need no further debate! • Greater investment and political will in renewable energy R&D • Greater investment in efficient public transport • Promote efficiencyelectricity use… and remove conflicts of interest • Eskom - No moresweetheart business deals internet:http://www.emg.org.za

  7. Adaptation…building resilience of communities is at the core • Adapting is about more than just ensuring the robustness of our institutions and infrastructure – roads and bridges, flood control, disaster relief, etc. • An essential elements is building social and political resilience – including robust service delivery, public participation in decisions, free flow of information and knowledge, education, etc. internet:http://www.emg.org.za

  8. WaterOur key development constraint… • Equitable, affordable, quality water for all is already a challenge – climate change scarcity will exacerbate this. • Water tariffs must… • Unambiguously encourage conservation and discouragewasteful or hedonistic use. • Cross-subsidise from wealthy to poor households. internet:http://www.emg.org.za

  9. WaterOur key development constraint…. • Scarcity will put increasing pressure on available resources • Investment in maintenance of waste-water treatment plant is essential • Upgrading to incorporate biogas digestion • New plant should be low-carbon design internet:http://www.emg.org.za

  10. Agric and land-useAgriculture and land-use is a major GHG contributor. • Policy must ensure more support forlow-impact agricultural pracitices, appropriate extension services, revival of LandCare programmes, etc. • Policy must focus on production for food security over export. internet:http://www.emg.org.za

  11. Monitoring and evaluationIs policy making a difference? • Process must be multi-stakeholder. • MPs have a key role to play in assessing whether the final policy makes a real difference. • Paper makes no mention of M&E of Adaptationefforts. internet:http://www.emg.org.za

  12. Legislative processResponse to climate change is complex and involves many stakeholders. • Policy success is premised on wide-scale participation and buy-in. • Future consultation must be as wide as possible. • Multi-stakeholder dialogue is critical to manage a painful transition internet:http://www.emg.org.za

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