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Lance Greyling, the ID spokesperson for environmental affairs, says Cabinet's decision not to accept a target for greenhouse gas reductions ‘should not be used as an excuse to delay domestic action to mitigate climate change.

‘While the ID agrees with Cabinet on the principle that developed nations must not be allowed to shift their responsibilities for large emission cuts on to developing countries, high emitting countries like South Africa must in turn demonstrate concrete policies and action that will put us on to a low carbon growth trajectory,' Mr Greyling says.

‘South Africa must recognise that climate change poses a serious challenge to our developmental objectives and that we can reap huge benefits from fast-tracking measures that will reduce our high emissions.

‘A comprehensive energy efficiency campaign, for instance, will save our country money, alleviate our energy crisis, create jobs, build up new industries and drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,' says Greyling.

‘It is therefore unacceptable that we have not made more progress on this issue and government needs to urgently commit the necessary resources and policy measures to drive this campaign.

‘Likewise, building up our capacity in renewable energy could also position us as a world leader in what has become the fastest growing industry in the world,' Greyling says.

‘The ID's approach is therefore threefold.

'Firstly, on an international level our message to industrialised nations needs to be that they must live up to their global responsibilities and sign up to deep emission cuts, in the order of 25 to 40%, over the next 12 years.

‘Secondly, however, on our side we need a real commitment towards embracing a new model of development that is not reliant on the old polluting forms of economic growth,' says Greyling.

‘Thirdly, South Africa must ensure that the agreement reached at Copenhagen at the end of the year includes substantial financial commitments from industrialised countries that will aid us and other developing nations in making the transition to a low carbon growth path.'