Presentation to the South African Parliament Multi-Party Women

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Presentation to the South African
Parliament Multi-Party Womens Caucus A
Preparatory Workshop for the COP 17 CONFERENCE
Theme The role of Women Parliamentarians in
Climate Change Presenter Buyelwa Sonjica19
October 2011
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Introductory Remarks

• Climate change is the biggest challenge facing
  humanity in the 21st century
• Dealing with climate change requires all of us to
  know about it and to participate in the
  management thereof
• However, the inequalities between men and women
  still make women more vulnerable to the effects
  od climate

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Climate Change Contextualised

• Climate change refers to any change of the state
  in the climate that can be identified by changes
  in the average of variability of its properties
  e.g. (precipitation, temperature that can
  persist for an extended period typical decades or
  longer)
• Causes
• Could be Natural
• Human activities Carbon emissions or Greenhouse
  gas emissions fossils, electricity generation,
  cars and industrialisation
• Global warming Is slightly different although it
  is used inter-changeably even by some scientists.
• It also refers to documented historical warming
  of the earths surface based upon worldwide
  temperature records that have been maintained by
  humans since the 1800s
• It is the combined result of anthropogenic
  (human caused emissions of greenhouse gasses and
  changes in solar irradiance)

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Cont Climate Change Contextualised

• Global effects of global warming (change of
  climate rising temperatures of the oceans
  leading to catastrophes-hurricanes, drought,
  melting ice etc)
• What is the status quo?
• The temperatures are rising at an alarming rate
  leading to sea temperatures rising almost at
  three degrees Celsius
• The effect of that could be catastrophies like
  floods, droughts etc.
• The scientific report informs us that the sea
  temperatures should be controlled to remain at
  two degrees Celsius
• Impact on Africa
• Food drought/floods
• Water, death from catastrophes
• Africa is very vulnerable despite the fact that
  it contributed and benefited less approximately
  40, 20 RSA This impacts on the economy one
  way or the other.

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Strategic Perspective

• Global initiatives
• Differs from country to country mainly determined
  by the socio-
• economic conditions prevailing in that
  country e.g. level of
• development, strength of the economy,
  sophistication of
• society
• Global Initiatives
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions that will then
  hopefully reverse global warming rising sea
  temperatures needs all nations to mitigate their
  actions (use less fossils etc.)
• The negotiations are about that
• Looking for a regime that will share the
  responsibility equitably just and fairly v
  benefitted more responsible and are now fully
  developed the reverse is true about other
  countries (developing)
• Mobilise global action global resources- global
  programmes for mitigation and adaptation

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Cont Strategic Perspective

• Nationally
• Build capacity to deal with catastrophies
• Adopt programmes/ policy, legislation to mitigate
  climate change
• Build capacity to adapt to climate change to deal
  with disasters
• Educate the nation

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Global achievements to date

• i)Globally
• UN Resolution on climate Change
• Development / Establishment of Institutional
  Framework
• (Committees and Structures Science and
  Finance sectors)
• Policy Framework United Nations Framework
  convention o Climate Change (UNFCC)
• Kyoto Protocol
• Bali action Plan
• Fourth Report of the International Panel on
  Climate Change
• (ii) In Africa
• AU adopted a common position for Climate Change
• 52 African countries signed and ratified the
  Kyoto Protocol
• We participate in the UN led negotiations for a
  globally binding climate change regime
• Many countries in the continent are developing
  National programmes and legislation
• Africa has established an agency for climate
  change

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South Africas Achievements

• Environmental legislation programme designed to
  deal with
• To reduce carbon emissions
• Legislation for water resource management
• Biodiversity legislation To protect the species
• Air quality measuring carbon released into our
  skies and doing something about it.
• Disaster Management
• Agriculture legislation
• Strategy on public transport
• Energy mix policy

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STRUCTURE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS

• (a) Legal framework (UNFCC,KYOTO Protocol, Bali
  Action
• Plan and Fourth Assessment Report)
• (b) Organisation and structure Under the
  auspices of the
• United Nations
• Formal Parties for Negotiations G77China,
  Developed Countries
• Informal Parties Major Economies Forum
  comprising of 17 countries ( including the
  following Germany, India, China,
  Italy,France,USA,UK,Australia,Russia,Poland,Indone
  sia,Japan, Spain, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil,
  Switzerland, South Africa etc.) seen as biggest
  emitters and SA the only African country in this
  category

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Cont. STRUCTURE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS

• BASIC group Brazil, South Africa, India and
  China
• African Ministers Committee on Environment
  (AMCEN) 34 Least developed countries, SA being
  the highest emitter in Africa
• OPEC countries in Africa
• South Africa Cabinet which leads the Climate
  Change negotiations, Parliament passes
  legislation, ratifies conventions and treaties,
  oversight on the implementation of legislation

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Processes Guiding Negotiations

• Negotiations are a multilateral process pursued
  under the auspices of the United Nations
• They are led by Ministers of Environment with a
  technical team of negotiators
• The highest body is the conference of the parties
  and CMOP7 and COP17
• These two bodies seat once a year to decide on
  the outcome of the negotiations for that current
  year

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Advantages and Disadvantages

• Advantages Brings together all countries to
  work together as a collective to find a lasting
  solution to dealing with a the biggest common
  challenge facing humanity in the 21st century
• Countries share responsibility of combatting
  climate change.
• Smaller countries find a voice within the
  negotiations as they are grouped with bigger and
  stronger countries.
• All nations acknowledge that climate change
  exists and they are committed to do their best in
  mitigating the effects of climate change.
• Disadvantages Countries are always reluctant to
  compromise their national interests.
• Developing countries have much more serious
  social economic and political problems that need
  prioritisation over climate change.
• The grouping of the countries is unfavourable for
  weaker countries as they are expected to conform
  to a similar regime to their stronger
  counterparts, e.g. China in the G77
• It is difficult for the OECD countries to
  compromise in a way that give space for
  development to the developing countries.
• Financial, Technological capacity is skewed in
  favour of the developed world.

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Key political and legal Issues

• Effects of Climate Change affecting us today are
  a consequence of emissions that occurred over the
  era of industrialisation which happened a 150
  years ago. A few countries benefitted
• Consequences of which are global warming and
  rising temperatures
• Africa contributed the least while it remains the
  most vulnerable to the vagaries of climate
  change
• All countries have a responsibility to contribute
  towards reversing that situation
• Those contributions guided by the principle of
  common but differentiated responsibilities and
  capabilities
• Developed countries have to take targets in
  mitigating against climate change while
  developing countries must commit to actions to
  mitigate

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Cont. Key political and legal Issues

• Complexities
• All countries go into negotiations wanting to
  protect their national interest
• Developed countries see combatting the effects of
  climate change as a major priority while
  developing countries see poverty alleviation as
  their major priority
• Because of their vulnerability developing
  countries think that adaptation should take
  precedence over mitigation and with developed
  countries the opposite is true
• There is an expectation from the developed world
  that, developing countries especially the
  emerging economies must carry a bigger burden in
  mitigation.
• Within the developed world the countries that are
  signatories to the Kyoto Protocol are opposed to
  its second commitment

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Cont. Key political and legal Issues

• Complexities
• International Trade Competition between the
  developed and developing countries
• (a) The issue of DOHA round are surfacing in the
  climate change debate technology and the
  transfer and intellectual property
• Combatting climate change would impact on the
  national development plan(e.g. energy,
  agriculture)

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South Africas Principled Position

• (i)An international Legal Instrument
• To protect the weaker countries being muzzled
  out with no bargaining powers
• (ii) National Mandate for our National Interest
• A balance between adaptation and mitigation and a
  balance between climate change imperatives and
  development imperatives
• (Iii) Consolidation of the African Agenda
• It is also important that South Africa plays a
  significant role in pursuing the continents
  common position

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Topical Issues

• Second commitment of the Kyoto Protocol will have
  to be balanced with what comes out of the
  negotiations (Bali Action Plan 1b1 Mitigation
  Targets by the USA and 1b2 Mitigation actions by
  developing countries)
• Adaptation at the centre of ensuring support for
  developing countries
• Implementation/establishment of institutions on
  finances technology etc.
• Establishment of adaptation committee
• Establishment of the Green Climate Fund

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The role of women

• Gender is a forgotten element especially in
  climate change debate
• Although there is a mention of women in the
  convention, not enough work has been done by the
  world to map-out the role of women.
• It was only on the 2 March 2011 that a resolution
  was sponsored by the UN Commission on the Status
  of Women on Gender Equality and Climate Change.
  This resolution is designed to mainstream gender
  equality and promote the empowerment of women in
  climate change policies and strategies.
• I will explore the role of women in climate
  change under the following categories namely
• The Impact of climate change on women given their
  vulnerability
• Participation of women in the climate change
  programmes including the UN WWAP
• Empowerment f women to deal with or adapt to
  changing climate conditions

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Cont The role of women

• The Impact of climate change on women given their
  vulnerability
• According to the UN Report on Human Development
  70 of the illiterate are women
• This places under them under the most
  underdeveloped areas in their countries e.g.
  informal settlements, favelas, rural areas
• It manifests itself in catastrophes and the
  majority who suffers the consequences are women

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Cont Role of Women

• Participation of women in the climate change
  programmes including the UN WWAP
• There is almost no participation of women
  globally and nationally yet if there was it would
  be a matter of survival for them
• It would have an impact on food production, water
  resources, health all of those areas need to be
  led by women
• Women have to participate in all the structures
  that deal with climate change as a special group
  or category to bring a unique debate on what
  should be done in accommodating women in
  programmes dealing with climate change
• Political parties should have gender and climate
  change desks to deliberate on the aforementioned
  matters
• The multi-party caucus could consider
  establishing a sub-committee on climate change
  and gender
• Participation at COP17 formulating a resolution
  calling for the conclusion of the deal as a
  matter of urgency and also calling for the robust
  participation of women in all the climate change
  conferences

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Cont Role of women

• Empowerment f women to deal with or adapt to
  changing climate conditions
• Training and education programmes be developed to
  enable women to take leadership positions
• Legislation on climate change be gender sensitive
• Women must be empowered with information so as to
  access economic opportunities from the climate
  change global programmes
• Should there be a global Womens Movement on
  Climate Change?

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Conclusion

• I thank you for the opportunity