Provincial public consultation workshops will be hosted on South Africa’s draft National Climate Change Response Green Paper, which was released in November, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) announced at the weekend.

The workshops, which would kick off in the Western Cape on January 17 and conclude in Gauteng on February 4, formed part of a public participation process that would help inform the final policy, which was anticipated by mid-2011.

South Africa’s Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs would also host its own hearings into the proposed policy during late February, or during early March. The committee has asked that interested stakeholders submit their comments by February 15, while the DEA has set a submissions deadline of February 11.

The DEA said that, upon receiving comments, it would move to draft the final White Paper, which would outline South Africa’s official policy response to the stabilisation of global greenhouse-gas concentrations and to climate-change mitigation and adaptation.

Those wishing to attend the provincial workshops have been requested to register at www.climateresponse.co.za, or by contacting Irene Koenze, on 012 310 3679, or at ikoenze@environment.gov.za.