The eThekwini municipality, local and national businesses and the United Nations signed a partnership declaration at the climate change summit in Durban, last week, committing themselves to adapting their practices to reduce carbon emissions, which are the major causes of global warming.

The summit was hosted by the Durban Investment Promo-
tion Agency, the United Nations Industrial Development Organis-ation and the National Business Initiative.

The declaration is a first for a municipality in Africa, which is not party to the Kyoto Protocol. The protocol commits developed countries to specific carbon 
dioxide (CO2)outputs to limit worldwide CO2 emissions to 450 parts per million (ppm).

While South Africa has signed the protocol, like other developing countries, it has not committed itself to reducing its carbon emissions, as it believes the problem has been caused by developed countries, which should, therefore, shoulder the responsibility for slowing down global warming.

However, recent data suggests that the target of 450 ppm is too high and that the CO2 level needs to return from its current 383 ppm to 350 ppm – a level that scientists believe is safe for humanity.

Under the protocol, businesses 
in countries that are signatories to the Kyoto Protocol have specific carbon allowances and, when they exceed these, they can buy carbon credits from developing countries, whose carbon output is low. 


Speaking at the summit, Dr Zoe Lees, an associate director at KPMG and a former business representative on the National Climate Change Committee, said the carbon market would be worth $30-trillion by 2010 and that business could not ignore such significant opportunities.

“There are major opportunities for South African businesses, but not enough of the businesses are taking advantage of these opportunities,” she said.

While South Africa has been very proactive in lobbying the case for developing countries, pressure is expected to be put on the country at the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, in December, to set limits on its carbon emissions, as it has a very high carbon output.

Lees said that South Africa produced 495-million tons of CO2 in 2007, 53% of it from coal.

“Eskom, which relies on coal to produce power for the national grid, is a major contributor to this and needs to eventually change its energy mix,” she said. “South Africa’s emissions are higher than those of most countries in the world and very close to China’s.”

However, she said it was 
unlikely that targets would be 
imposed on South Africa until sometime between 2020 and 2025, as huge capital projects with enormous energy demands would 
become nonviable if they were not allowed these long lead times.

“The saving grace for Africa, if South Africa’s nuclear projects do not get off the ground, could be hydroelectric projects, such as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, although there are major challenges across Africa to bring them on stream,” she said.

Xolisa Ngwadla, a specialist adviser on climate change and adaptation at the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs, said government’s role was to provide a policy framework to guide the country’s climate change 
response.

“The department is undertaking a climate change response policy process, with a draft 
expected to be ready for comment by the end of August,” he said. 
“The Green Paper, which will take heed of the comments, should be ready by April 2010 and, once this has been com-
pleted, it will be evaluated against existing policy frameworks. 
The deadline for the finalisation of the White Paper is December 2010, after which it will go to Parliament to be gazetted.”

However, he said the instruments used in the climate change response will be further determined by the outcomes of the Copenhagen negotiations, in December.

“What we need to do now is to raise public awareness about the seriousness of the problem and how behaviour can be changed to slow down global warming,” he said.

Government’s long-term mitig-ation scenarios include 15 steps to reduce South Africa’s excessive CO2 emissions. These include providing subsidies for renewable energy and biofuels, promoting and supporting the use of electric vehicles and encouraging afforestation.


While some companies are still adopting a head-in-the-sand 
approach, others are taking 
steps to reduce their carbon footprint.