The National Climate Change Response Policy

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The National Climate Change Response Policy The
Policy Development Process
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Presentation Overview

• The early days 1994 to 2005
• The first national climate change conference,
  October 2005
• Building the science-policy interface 2005 to
  2008 the LTMS case study
• Cabinets 2008 policy directions
• The national climate change response policy
  conference, March 2009
• The policy development process from 2009 to
  November 2010
• The Green Paper and the policy finalisation
  process Nov 2010 to October 2011

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The early days 1994 to 2005

• The 1st IPCC Assessment Report published in 1990
  presented sufficient scientific evidence of
  climate change to elicit world wide concern and
  the negotiation of the United Nations Framework
  Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• In 1994, in response to the growing international
  concerns around climate change, the Department of
  Environmental Affairs and Tourism established the
  National Climate Change Committee (NCCC)
• The 2nd IPCC Assessment report published in 1995
  demonstrated that the actions outlined in the
  UNFCCC were insufficient and this motivated the
  negotiation of the Kyoto Protocol which was
  finalised in 1997
• In response to the findings of the IPCCs 2nd
  Assessment Report and supported by
  recommendations from the NCCC, the South African
  Government ratified the UNFCCC in August 1997.

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The early days 1994 to 2005 (Continued)

• By 2001, South African researchers had also
  started taking a serious look at climate change
  and its implications.
• Arguably, climate change rose up the political
  agenda when, in 2002 the Heads of State of over
  180 countries met at the World Summit on
  Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. In July
  of 2002 the South African Government acceded to
  the Kyoto Protocol.
• By 2003, South Africa had concluded its Climate
  Change Country Studies and 1990 and 1994
  greenhouse gas inventories and had submitted
  these in the form of its Initial National
  Communication (INC) to the UNFCCC Secretariat. In
  compiling and finalising the INC it became clear
  that South Africa was not only a potentially
  significant victim of the negative impacts of
  climate change, but was also a significant
  contributor to greenhouse gases.

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In 2005, with the 3rd IPCC Assessment Report, it
also became clear that South Africa, along with
other more advanced developing countries (e.g.
China, India, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and
Saudi Arabia), would have to start seriously
considering its responsibility for climate change
and, that, as a fossil-fuel-powered nation, this
would have important policy implications.By June
2005 the departments of environment and science
and technology starting organising a unique
climate change conference consisting of two
components The 1st, starting on a Monday, was
a Climate Change Science conference involving the
top South African and African scientistsThe
2nd, starting one day later, was a Climate Change
Policy conference with its programme aligned
with, and informed by, the Climate Change Science
conferenceAt the time, this concept was
regarded as revolutionary and a real initiation
of pragmatic science-policy dialogue

• In 2005, with the 3rd IPCC Assessment Report, it
  also became clear that South Africa, along with
  other more advanced developing countries (e.g.
  China, India, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and
  Saudi Arabia), would have to start seriously
  considering its responsibility for climate change
  and, that, as a fossil-fuel-powered nation, this
  would have important policy implications.
• By June 2005 the departments of environment and
  science and technology starting organising a
  unique climate change conference consisting of
  two components
• The 1st, starting on a Monday, was a Climate
  Change Science conference involving the top South
  African and African scientists
• The 2nd, starting one day later, was a Climate
  Change Policy conference with its programme
  aligned with, and informed by, the Climate Change
  Science conference
• At the time, this concept was regarded as
  revolutionary and a real initiation of pragmatic
  science-policy dialogue

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The 2005 National Climate Change Conference

• Held in Midrand from17 to 20 October 2005 under
  the banner of Climate Action Now.
• Over 600 representatives from government,
  business, the scientific and academic
  communities, and civil society
• Opened by the Deputy President and involving the
  active participation of 5 Cabinet Ministers and
  Deputy Ministers, the gathering was broadly
  considered a reflection of Governments
  commitment and determination to act on climate
  change and to shape policy informed by the
  best-available science.
• The conference unanimously agreed that climate
  change was a reality
• Amongst the many commitments outlined in the
  Midrand Plan of Action
• Initiating a detailed scenario building process
  to map out how South Africa could meet its UNFCCC
  Article 2 commitment to greenhouse gas
  stabilisation whilst ensuring its focus on
  poverty alleviation and job creation
• Initiating a participatory climate change policy
  development process

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The LTMS

• In March 2006, Cabinet mandated a national
  process of building scenarios of possible
  greenhouse gas emission futures, informed by the
  best available research and information, to
  define not only South Africas position on future
  commitments under international treaties, but
  also to shape the countrys climate change policy
  for the longer-term future.
• This process became known as the Long-Term
  Mitigation Scenarios (LTMS) development process.
• Government appointed the Energy Research Centre
  at the University of Cape Town to project manage
  the entire process and they convened and
  contracted the process specialists and set up the
  personnel of four focussed Research Support Units
• The multi-stakeholder Scenario Building Team
  (SBT) was established in August 2006 to carry out
  the technical aspects

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The LTMS (Continued)
Government DEAT Environment DME Minerals
Energy DST Science Technology DoT Transport
Treasury Foreign Affairs DTI Trade
Industry DPE Public Enterprises DWAF Water
Affairs Forestry Presidency SAWS Weather
Service CEF / SA Natl Energy Research
Institute NERSA Energy Regulator W Cape Province
(DEADP) City of Johannesburg Dept of
Agriculture ARC
Business SASOL Eskom EIUG Energy Intensive Users
Group Engen Grain SA Anglo Coal BHP
Billiton Chamber of Mines Aluminium AFSA
Kumba Resources Chemical CAIA Engen Forestry
SA AgriSA Business Unity SA Sappi Envirotech
(Waste)
Civil society EcoCity/CURES Groundwork SESSA Labo
ur (COSATU) SEA SACAN COSATU SALGA WWF-SA Earthli
fe Africa NEDLAC
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The LTMS (Continued)

• On 24 October 2007, after a year of intense work,
  the initial technical work of the LTMS was signed
  off by the SBT at their sixth meeting. This work
  is reflected in the following documents
• The Long-Term Mitigation Scenarios - Strategic
  options for South Africa, a 27 page document
  that synthesizes the findings of the technical
  research into a tool for informed decision-making
• The Long-Term Mitigation Scenarios Technical
  Summary, a 17 page document that provides the
  technical basis, in abridged form, for the
  Long-Term Mitigation Scenarios - Strategic
  options for South Africa document
• The Long-Term Mitigation Scenarios Technical
  Report, a 153 page report on the LTMS research.
  This document is also supported by technical
  reports on Energy emissions Non-energy
  emissions Macro-economic analysis and Climate
  impacts.

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The LTMS (Continued)
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The LTMS (Continued)

• The SBT consensus
• Growth Without Constraints is an unacceptable
  trajectory
• Current Development Paths will not
  significantly change the unacceptable Growth
  Without Constraints trajectory
• Required By Science should be our
  aspirational goal
• The LTMS was a broadly supported piece of
  research with findings that are policy relevant
  not policy prescriptive
• The LTMS process has been peer-reviewed by
  international experts and its methodology is
  considered robust and has been replicated
  internationally
• During the LTMS process, apart from an
  accelerated upswing in climate change related
  research, another extremely significant
  policy-related development was the ANCs strong
  climate change resolution made at its 52nd
  National Conference in Polokwane at the end of
  2007.

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Cabinets 2008 Policy Directions

• South Africas response to climate change was
  considered during Cabinets July 2008 Lekgotla
  and Cabinets decisions were presented to the
  public on 28 July 2008
• Apart from agreeing a process and timetable for
  the development of a national climate change
  response policy, Cabinet also directed, among
  others, that
• Climate change mitigation interventions should be
  informed by, and monitored and measured against
  the following plateau and decline emission
  trajectory
• Greenhouse gas emissions stop growing (start of
  plateau) in 2020-25
• Greenhouse gas emissions begin declining in
  absolute terms (end of plateau) in 2030-35.

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Cabinets 2008 Policy Directions (Continue)

• The Socio-economic transition - Transition to
  climate resilient and low-carbon economy and
  society
• balance our mitigation and adaptation response
• In the long-term, 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
• Adapt to the inevitable - Continue to
  pro-actively build the knowledge base and our
  capacity to adapt to the inevitable impacts of
  climate change, most importantly by enhancing
  early warning and disaster reduction systems and
  in the roll-out of basic services, infrastructure
  planning, agriculture, biodiversity, water
  resource management and in the health sector

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The 2009 Climate Change Summit

• From 3-6 March 2009, nearly 900 representatives
  from government, business, the scientific and
  academic communities, and civil society and over
  150 virtual participants linked through the
  Internet came together in Midrand to initiate a
  consultative process to develop the South African
  Climate Change Response Policy.
• Areas of consensus
• Pursue required by Science
• Transition to low carbon economy in the context
  of equity, sustainable development and poverty
  eradication
• A strengthened science-policy interface
• Balance adaptation and mitigation integrate
  adaptation into development planning
• Build local level climate resilience and access
  to energy for the poor
• Scale up renewables and energy efficiency

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The 2009 Climate Change Summit (Continue)

• Areas of consensus (cont.)
• Energy efficiency standards
• Government coordination and policy alignment
• Price on carbon mix of instruments requires
  further work
• Fast track CDM tax incentives
• Massively upscale public awareness
• Gender mainstreaming
• Mobilise resources including for RD
• Efficiency
• Areas of divergence
• Energy mix
• Transparency in energy planning and decision
  making
• What economic instruments and how

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From 2009 Summit to the Green Paper

• UNFCCCs 2009 COP 15 in Copenhagen
• Round Table on 17 May 2010
• Provide key climate change response stakeholders
  with an update on the National Climate Change
  Response Policy development process
• Provide a platform for key climate change
  response stakeholders to respond to, and discuss,
  the most recent Climate Change Policy Discussion
  Document
• Draft Green Paper compiled and initial
  discussions initiated in July 2010
• Final Draft Green Paper approved for publication
  and published in November 2010

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From 2010 Green Paper to 2011 White Paper

• Following Cabinets approval to publish for
  public comment, the National Climate Change
  Response Green Paper was published in the
  Government Gazette, departmental web site and in
  a hard copy version on 27 November 2010.
• A Green Paper web site was established to
  facilitate access to all the relevant
  documentation, provide updates on the process and
  to provide an electronic means for submitting
  comments (www.climateresponse.co.za)
• Productive and fruitful public workshops on the
  Green Paper were held in each and every province
• A series of focussed stakeholder workshops were
  held on specific policy themes identified during
  the policy development process including Climate
  Finance Human Resource and Technology
  Adaptation Mitigation and Governance
• Further policy relevant research on the above
  themes was also commissioned to feed into and
  inform the discussions at the focussed workshops
  
• The department formally engaged on the policy
  within the National Economic Development and
  Labour Council (NEDLAC)

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From Green Paper to 2011 White Paper (Continued)

• The department conducted many bilateral
  engagements and made numerous policy
  presentations at various forums, seminars and
  conferences.
• Parliament hosted a public hearing process on the
  draft policy stretching over three weeks of
  stakeholder presentations and robust discussions
  and debates.
• The inputs during this period that raised over
  4,000 individual issues on the Green Paper, were
  captured in a detailed comment/response database
• The department hosted a drafting retreat from
  13-15 April 2011, where the Intergovernmental
  Committee on Climate Change (IGCCC) members had
  an opportunity to review the emerging issues and
  comments (Rev 1)
• Following the drafting retreat, a working draft
  of the White paper was compiled (Rev 2),
  circulated and presented to the IGCCC on 27 and
  31 May 2011 respectively and departments were
  requested to submit comments on the document by
  17 June 2011.
• By 24 June 2011, comments had been received from
  the departments of Energy, Environment, Health
  (food and malaria control sections) and Trade and
  Industry the Ekurhuleni and eThekwini Metros
  and the Western Cape Provincial environment
  department.

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From Green Paper to 2011 White Paper (Continued)

• A drafting team meeting was held on 27 June 2011
  to agree on the final proposed response to the
  various comments received as well as to propose a
  policy finalization process (Rev 3).
• A further iteration of the draft White Paper was
  completed on 21 July 2011 and received a senior
  management edit from 25 to 27 July 2011 (Rev 4)
• Continued intensive intergovernmental engagements
  through IGCCC to mid-September 2011
• High-level (DG to DG and CEO) consultations from
  August to September 2011.
• Forum of South African Directors-General (FOSAD)
• Presented to FOSAD Social Protection Community
  Development (SPCD) Cluster on Wednesday 24
  August 2011
• Presented to FOSAD Management Committee (MANCO)
  on Monday 5 September 2011
• Tabled at FOSAD Economic Sectors Employment
  (ESE) Cluster for approval to submit to Cabinet
  on Wednesday 7 September 2011

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From Green Paper to 2011 White Paper (Continued)

• Cabinet
• Rev 5 tabled in the Cabinet Committee for the
  Economic Sectors and Employment and
  Infrastructure Development (ESEID) for approval
  to submit to Cabinet on Wednesday 28 September
  2011
• Rev 6 tabled and approved by Cabinet on Wednesday
  12 October 2011
• White Paper to be formally published in a special
  Gazette on Wednesday 19 October 2011
• White Paper launched by the Minister of Water and
  Environmental Affairs on Tuesday 18 October 2011

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Thank You for your kind attention