Date: 05/11/2009
Source: The Congress of the People
Title: Cope: Ndude: Speech by Cope Member of Parliament, on Global Warming and Climate Change, National Assembly

Speaker,

To worry about painting a house, when a mighty boulder on a peak is just about to take a tumble in its direction, is to confuse one's priorities horribly?

That is precisely what is happening with us. We are arguing about clinging to untenable technologies to preserve our ailing economy. Yet, we are almost about to lose our very climate, our biodiversity, our natural capital, our low lying coastal regions, our agriculture and our future. The rock is about to tumble.

Speaker, global warming, through the emission of greenhouse gases, is acidifying our oceans. The livelihood of our fishers is at stake. Fish on our tables may soon be a distant memory.

Scientists were projecting that within 20 - 50 years the western part of South Africa will become progressively drier. It is already happening now. Drought, in parts of the western and Eastern Cape has been intensifying for the past few years. However, what we are seeing now - is only the tip of the iceberg. We will experience prolonged and more damaging drought in the western part of South Africa with greater regularity. Life as we know it, is about to change in a terrible way.

So too is the landscape. The deserts in South Africa are annually encroaching onto arable land at an alarming rate. Speaker, it will come as a shock to our nation to know that the UN Environment Programme classifies more than 90 % of South Africa as arid, semi-arid or sub-humid. That leaves us with only 10% of our territory for major economic activity and we are even stressing that small portion of our common inheritance. It's a shame.

Equally alarming is a report by South Africa's National Botanical Institute suggesting that land in 25 % of all magisterial districts in South Africa is already severely degraded. Tiny climatic changes in such areas will cause a total collapse of agriculture. As the increasing desertification continues, it will reduce the ability of such land to support life, human beings, wild species, flora, domestic animals, and agricultural crops.

It is crunch time.

If our biodiversity suffers, and our biodiversity is worth billions, our present and future prosperity will be imperiled.

Speaker, to have a successful economy, a country has to have natural resources - its natural capital. The greatest resource in this period of climate change is water. Yet water in our country is wasted. Water is polluted. Water is overused. Sadly, many agricultural, industrial and commercial concerns are simply not bothering to implement environmentally sustainable strategies.

Yet, as everyone knows, ecology is everything. Ecology, however, is very fragile. To destroy ecology requires neither knowledge, nor time, nor effort. Once destroyed, it is difficult to re-engineer.

Speaker, in a survey conducted by Terranova Research, more than 40% of the 200 companies surveyed in South Africa did not have, or had no plans to incorporate ways to measure their impact on the environment.

Is the hon. Minister on long leave that such things can happen with such impunity?

Speaker, our entire economy is in jeopardy because this government is not giving centrality to climate change in our economy. Climate change is not peripheral to economic planning. It is pivotal.

COPE is very clear about what needs to be done. COPE recognizes that water is the basis of life and of all activities. We also recognize that climate change is already here. We would therefore, as part of the activist state that we are promoting, support and develop desalination plants all along our shorelines.

Our second priority, as COPE, will be to make the use of solar geysers mandatory throughout South Africa. Poor households, however, will be assisted with solar geysers. A million solar geysers, costing about R20 billion, would help to do away with a new coal burning power station costing R40 billion or more. This, moreover can be done immediately. Besides, each household will be able to slash 50% of its electricity bill. Head or tail, the consumer wins.

COPE's third priority will be to give considerable support for the Joule, the new all South African electrical car. COPE will also immediately standardise battery packs so that it will be possible for manufacturers to achieve cost effective volume production of standard packs. If the cost of the battery pack comes down through volume, so will the cost of the car. This is critical.

COPE will also ensure that car pooling and lift clubs operate to minimise the number of gas emitting cars on the road. This requires no more than political will.

COPE's fourth priority will be to invigorate the production of photovoltaic systems. This can be done through achieving economies-of-scale and the use of manufacturing infrastructure that is already in place. Bringing down the price of photovoltaic systems will be a great boost to our economy seeing that we have so much solar radiation in our country. The only inhibiting factor is the cost. Achieving economies-of-scale will alter that scenario instantly and induce more people to go the photovoltaic route.

COPE's fifth priority will be to press ahead with wind turbines. Tardy members of our government may be interested to know that 365 giant wind turbines are in the process of being installed in the desert around Lake Turkana, in northern Kenya. Projected to be completed in 2012, this will become the biggest wind farm in Africa with a staggering capacity of 300MW. It will supply one quarter of Kenya's current installed power.

COPE's sixth priority would be to legislate for green housing and building development. In Kolkata, India, the first completely solar-powered housing development has come into existence. Each home in the complex has the capability to generate 2kW of power. The surplus is sold to the grid.

Speaker, I will say again and again that more than our present economy is at stake on account of climate change. Unfortunately, our natural habit is always to do too little, too late. Let us not make that fatal mistake in respect of climate change because it may be a one way trip. If our climate changes, as is predicted, this government will be changed also if it does not take climate change seriously. Certainly, it will not be able to withstand the social upheaval that will follow. COPE is very clear about what needs to be done. Can the government Cope?

Thank You