SABS RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THROUGH STANDARDS

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SABS RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND OTHER
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THROUGH STANDARDS
IRMA LOOTS MANAGER SYSTEMS SERVICES STANDARDS
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INTRODUCTION

• Uncertainties certainly exist about future trends
  as a result of climate change. But the
  certainties and near certainties are equally
  important. Today the scientific community agrees
  on three key points
• The earth is heating up
• The primary cause of this warming is fossil fuel
  consumption
• If we dont act now to reduce emissions, this
  problem will only get worse.

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What are the core functions of SABS?

• According to the Standards Act, (Act 8, 2008) The
  objectives of the SABS are to
• Develop, promote and maintain South African
  National Standards
• Promote quality in connection with commodities,
  products and services and
• Render conformity assessment services and
  matters connected therewith.

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Essence of Standards and Standardization

• Improve the quality of life in society through
  enhanced awareness on safety issues, maintenance
  of societal health and environmental
  preservations.
• Improve the quality of South African products,
  services and processes of production.
• Ensure the efficient utilization of existing
  resources through better and improved
  communication.

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PROMISING RAYS OF LIGHT

• Promising renewable energy candidates
• Solar energy is among the most promising
  renewable energy technologies. Water heating is a
  most widely used solar application due to its
  mature technology and low cost.
• Standards should take end use devices into
  account, and consider their integration with
  auxiliary energy sources.
• Standards are also needed for the installation,
  inspection and maintenance of solar systems to
  enhance consumer access and confidence in solar
  technology

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GAPS IN GOVERNMENT RESPONSE CLIMATE CHANGE

• Climate change policies
• Climate change is now a mainstream political
  issue. However, there is no yet a substantive
  framework for policy which offers coherence and
  consistency as to how national governments should
  cope with the long-term political challenges of
  climate change.
• Presently, the public discussion on climate
  change tends to be partial and disparate.
• Loosely connected debates hinge on

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GAPS IN GOVERNMENT RESPONSE CLIMATE CHANGE -
cont

• Evidence that climate change is occurring and
  estimates of its potential impacts
• The prospects for agreeing on an international
  framework for an economic response to, for
  instance, carbon trading.
• Such a debate is often limited in scope and is
  too compartmentalised. In order to come to terms
  with urgent need for mitigation and adaptation, a
  broad policy perspective is required because the
  impact of climate change challenges every corner
  of the 21st century state.

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COMMON THEMES AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

• A portfolio of technologies will be needed to
  drive the absolute reductions of GHG emissions
  necessary to address climate change
• No single technology or policy will be sufficient
  to enable low carbon futures
• All technologies studied so far have the
  potential, but revamped research, development and
  deployment (RD) is necessary in all of them
• Energy efficiency will provide the greatest
  opportunity in the short term and will remain
  important over the long term as well
• While specific technologies are likely to be
  important players, it is important to avoid the
  temptation to pick winners

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COMMON THEMES AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

• A low-carbon technology revolution will require
  both leadership and broad engagement throughout
  society
• Policies should address climate change in the
  context of other societal goals (e.g., clean air,
  energy security) taking advantage of creating
  public/private partnerships
• Clear and unambiguous target setting by corporate
  leaders and governments can have a significant
  positive effect on achieving GHG reductions
• Greater focus is needed on critical energy
  challenges, both in terms of resources and
  innovative technology

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TECHNOLOGY-SPECIFIC POLICIES

• Energy Efficiency
• Energy conservation and environmental protection
  are keys to sustainability and are inter-related.
• The drive for improved energy efficiency and
  renewable energy sources needs to be addressed by
  globally accepted standards.

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TECHNOLOGY-SPECIFIC POLICIES

• Hydrogen in transportation
• Specific policies are needed to address the major
  challenges to hydrogen becoming the
  transportation fuel of the future. Near-term
  policy options to enable future widespread
  deployment of hydrogen and other potentially
  low-carbon transportation technologies include
• Continued and increased state support for
  hydrogen-related RD in targeted areas (e.g.,
  low-carbon hydrogen production, storage, and fuel
  cells)
• National and international harmonization of
  hydrogen codes and standards in the
  transportation field
• Incentives to increase the development and
  deployment of lower-GHG transportation
  technologies (e.g., hybrids), many of which are
  part of an evolutionary path toward the use of
  fuel cells and
• Increased consumer and public education regarding
  transportation, energy use, and GHG emissions.

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TECHNOLOGY-SPECIFIC POLICIES

• Renewables
• Despite significant potential for growth of
  renewables, these resources currently only
  provide a small fraction of commercial energy.
  Closing the gap between the current low level of
  renewables deployment and their high potential
  will require significant and sustained policies
  and standards . Short-term policy options
  include
• Establishment of national standards with
  set-asides for specific generation technologies
  and tradable renewable energy credits

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THE ROLE OF SABS IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

• MAIN FOCUS
• The world is challenged by a changing climate,
  loss of biodiversity, abject poverty and
  environmental degradation.
• WHAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
• Good ideas, creativity, passion, innovation and
  the application of standards in order to achieve
  - in a consistent manner positive change.

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STANDARDS A SOLUTION TO GLOBAL CHALLENGES

• STANDARDS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE
• Means to ensure that our actions lead to a
  better quality of life and a safer evolution of
  human kind.
• Key tools in influencing sustainability.
• Provide avenues toward improved environmental
  performance
• Make a valuable contribution to environmental
  protection (Applicable standard SANS/ISO GUIDE
  64, Guide for addressing environmental issues in
  product standards
• Standards ensure that our products meet the
  highest environmental standards
• Standards help Government in regulating the
  behaviour of producers in order to protect
  consumers.

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STANDARDS A SOLUTION TO GLOBAL CHALLENGES

• Standards are vital towards Energy security
  Oil, coal and natural gas are expected to
  dominate energy supply for decades to come.
  Climate policy must recognize the role these
  critical energy sources play to ensure security
  of supply
• Standards are central to conservation Energy
  efficiency and conservation are the most
  immediate and costeffective sources of "new"
  energy with no GHG emissions. Government programs
  to promote energy efficiency and conservation
  must continue and should be enhanced.
• Standards ensure broad equitable treatment
  Broad and equitable treatment of all sectors of
  the economy is necessary to ensure no sector or
  company is disproportionately burdened.
• Standards enable technology Emerging technology
  and as-yet-unknown technological breakthroughs
  have the potential to significantly reduce GHG
  emissions if they can be developed to commercial
  scale

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STANDARDS A SOLUTION TO GLOBAL CHALLENGES

• Standards encourages transparency The costs,
  risks, trade-offs and uncertainties associated
  with climate policies must be openly
  communicated.
• Renewable electricity standards can positively
  impact the climate by reducing the amount of
  electricity generated from coal, and thus the
  total amount of emissions generated from the
  power sector.
• Secondary benefits of standards include reduced
  reliance on foreign sources of oil and gas (which
  comprise approximately 20 percent of electricity
  generation), stability in the supply and cost of
  electricity, and the creation of high-tech
  green jobs

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THE SANS/ISO 14064 - GREENHOUSE GAS ACCOUNTING
AND VERIFICATION

• The SANS/ISO 14064 standards provide government
  and industry with an integrated set of tools for
  programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas
  emissions, as well as for emissions trading.
• SANS/ISO 14064 comprises three standards,
  respectively detailing specifications and
  guidance for organisational and project levels,
  and for validation and verification.

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SANS/ISO 14064

• SANS(ISO) 14064 part 1 Greenhouse gases
  specification with guidance at the organization
  level for quantification and reporting of
  greenhouse gas emissions and removals.
• SANS(ISO) 14064 part 2 Greenhouse gases
  specification with guidance at the project level
  for quantification, monitoring and reporting of
  greenhouse gas emissions reductions and removal
  enhancements.
• SANS (ISO)14064 part 3 Greenhouse gases
  specification with guidance for the validation
  and verification of greenhouse gas assertions.

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Requirements of the applicable GHG programs or
intended user

• Application of SANS/ISO14001 together with the
  SANS/ISO14064 standards can provide an excellent
  framework for effective environmental management
  addressing the GHG impacts of an organization.
• GHG emission sources should be considered as
  significant aspects within environmental policies
  because of their impact on the environment.
  SANS/ISO 14064 provides tools for effective
  measurement of these impacts and SANS/ISO14001 an
  effective management system to initiate and
  progress improvement or containment actions.

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Implementing ISO 14064 is intended to achieve the
following benefits

• Promote consistency, transparency and credibility
  in GHG quantification, monitoring, reporting and
  verification
• Enable organisations to identify and manage
  GHG-related liabilities, assets and risks
• Facilitate the trade of GHG allowances or
  credits, and
• Support the design, development and
  implementation of comparable and consistent GHG
  schemes or programs.

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SANS/ISO 14065

• SANS/ISO 14065 Greenhouse gases - Specification
  for greenhouse gas validation and verification
  bodies for use in accreditation and other forms
  of recognition.
• ISO 14065 recognizes that a number of GHG
  programs are being used in various jurisdictions,
  underscoring the need for a clear and consistent
  approach.
• Expressly designed as flexible tools for use in
  voluntary or regulatory schemes, ISO 14064 and
  ISO 14065 assist organizations in managing
  GHG-related opportunities and risks, and support
  the environmental integrity of GHG claims.

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The objectives of the ISO 14064 and ISO 14065
standards include

• Developing flexible, regime-neutral tools for use
  in voluntary or regulatory GHG schemes.
• Promoting and harmonizing international best
  practices.
• Supporting the environmental integrity of GHG
  assertions.
• Assisting organizations to manage GHG-related
  opportunities and risks.
• Supporting the development of GHG programs and
  markets.

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CONCLUSIONS

• There are many national and international
  standards which provide the necessary tools to
  help businesses continually improve their
  sustainability performance
• One of those tools is ARP 720, Guide for
  addressing environmental issues in product
  standards
• Building on the well known SANS/ISO 14001,
  Environmental management systems, SABS is now
  developing SANS/ISO 50001, Energy management
  systems Requirements with guidance for use, a
  standard which holds great cost and
  energy-cutting potential for businesses in
  developed and developing countries
• Carbon management will remain a key pressure on
  business throughout the recession, and to assist
  with this ISO TC 207, Environmental management,
  is currently working on carbon footprint
  quantification.

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Conclusions - cont

• Across the board, standards provide the extra
  cost saving, the new customer, the new innovation
  with a range of benefits that can make all the
  difference between sink and swim
• Finally, when times are tough it is natural to
  look for easy savings, but the cost of using
  environmental and sustainability standards can be
  offset against the long-term financial gains.