Seven months in the past, elements of our nation skilled a lethal pure catastrophe that confirmed how weak South Africa is to the consequences of climate change.
Read all our COP27 protection right here.
The floods that lashed elements of KwaZulu-Natal, North West and the Eastern Cape in April this yr had been of such depth that they laid waste to just about all the things of their path.
Homes had been swept away by the rising waters and landslides. Businesses and properties had been waterlogged, inflicting tens of millions of rands in harm. Key infrastructure – like ports, rail traces and roads – was broken or destroyed, leading to substantial losses to the financial system. Worst of all, greater than 400 folks misplaced their lives.
It has lengthy been established that there’s a clear connection between the frequency of maximum climate occasions and climate change. It can be well-established that climate change has elevated the chance of such occasions recurring.
According to 1 examine, excessive climate occasions that had been as soon as anticipated each 40 years, now occur each 20 years. Extreme climate like flooding can be rising in depth.
During the April floods, the town of Ethekwini obtained the equal of 110 days of rainfall in simply someday.
This week I shall be attending the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt, also referred to as COP27.
The convention is going down at a time when creating financial system nations are coming beneath elevated strain to contribute extra to lowering world warming.
South Africa shall be chairing a high-level roundtable on simply transition, the place we shall be making the case for developed economies to do extra to help creating ones to satisfy their climate change commitments.
Although South Africa is taking part in its half within the world climate change effort, we now have been constant in emphasising our proper to growth. We should be certain that the transition to a low-carbon, climate change-resilient financial system doesn’t jeopardise our developmental targets. The transfer from fossil fuels to greener, cleaner vitality sources can’t happen on the expense of financial development and job creation.
We go to COP27 in a powerful place.
We lately adopted a Just Transition Framework to information our nationwide strategy to this course of. Last week we launched the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan for public remark. It lays out the investments which might be wanted for us to grasp our decarbonisation targets.
Read:
How South Africa plans to spend R152.15bn of climate funding
South Africa says it wants R1.5trn for vitality transition in subsequent 5 years
As COP27 looms, Africa receives a tenth of climate financing it wants
Africa traditionally bears the least accountability for climate change, however it’s Africa that’s feeling its results most.
Seven years because the Paris Agreement was adopted at COP21, nations with developed economies have largely didn’t honour their commitments to offer substantial monetary help for climate actions in creating economies.
One of the problems we shall be highlighting at COP27 is that multilateral monetary establishments must decrease the associated fee for creating economies to borrow cash to fund their climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
Many folks might imagine that the discussions going down in Egypt at COP27 are far-removed from their on a regular basis lives. This is much from the case. We all have a transparent stake and an abiding curiosity within the outcomes of COP27.
The flooding earlier this yr, the wildfires within the Table Mountain vary, the locust plague outbreak in elements of the Northern Cape, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, are all related to climate change.
They have an effect on our well being and security, our social and financial infrastructure and our nation’s meals safety.
As a rustic we shall be outlining our personal contribution to the worldwide climate change effort, however on the similar time [we will] be making a transparent name for developed financial system nations to satisfy their obligations.
It is simply with this substantial help that we can construct the resilience that’s wanted to guard our nation and safeguard our financial system. It is simply with important further funding that we are able to be certain that future generations of South Africans dwell in an surroundings that’s clear, conducive to well being and well-being, and that has not been destroyed due to the inaction of in the present day’s leaders.
