Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs on Thursday started its public hearings on the Climate Change Green Paper, in Cape Town.

Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa released the draft climate change policy late last year.

During the public hearings, there will be input from experts on scientific data and statistics relevant to climate change and a presentation from the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) on the challenges which have arisen since the consultation process.

The public hearings will run until the end of the month.

The DWA earlier called on industry to comment on the Green Paper, and in particular, to highlight vulnerabilities of infrastructure that could be compromised by climate change impacts.

Energy-intensive companies that form part of South Africa’s Industry Task Team on Climate Change (ITTCC) submitted comments on the Green Paper in February and is working with Business Unity South Africa, the Chamber of Mines and Business Leadership South Africa to engage government on these issues.

Through these engagements, business is likely to seek a consistent signal on any future carbon price.

Former Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) deputy director general Joanne Yawitch, who has since joined the National Business Initiative, said earlier that there would be a content analysis and review period between February and April, based on all the public comments and written submissions received.

It was also hoped that there would be a final national conference in March, where government would give feedback on its reading of what should be included in the White Paper, and consider responses. This would be the final step before submitting the draft White Paper to Cabinet in May or June.

The White Paper would inform the country’s climate change policy, and the DEA, which partners the DWA, has indicated that it would have a legislative, regulatory and fiscal package dealing with climate change by 2012.

South Africa would host the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2011.