Date: 09/11/2010
Source: The Department of Transport
Title: SA: Ndebele: Remarks by the Minister of Transport, at the G-8 Ministerial Conference on Global Environment and Energy Transport (MEEtT 2), Rome

Excellency Minister Altero Matteoli, Minister of Transport and
Infrastructure -

Italy;

Honourable Colleagues, Ministers of Transport present here today;

Excellencies, the Ambassadors and Heads of Delegations;

Distinguished Delegates;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

Firstly, let me thank our colleague Minister Matteoli as well as the
Government and People of Italy for inviting us here, and for the hospitality
we have enjoyed since our arrival in Italy. We also want to commend Italy
for their excellent preparation and organization of the Ministerial
Conference on Global Environment and Energy in Transport (MEET 2).

The invitation to South Africa to attend MEET 2 is most welcome, and affords
us an opportunity to engage meaningfully on issues of climate change. Given
the fact that South Africa is a signatory to both the United Nations
Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, it
is fitting to acknowledge the work being done at these forums.

We don't inherit the earth from our parents; we hold it in trust for our
children. Therefore, discussions taking place here must be for the benefit
of the future of our children. For developing countries, economic and social
development as well as poverty eradication are of paramount importance, and
are the first and overriding priorities.

We applaud this initiative to ensure that programmes to address greenhouse
gas and air pollutant emissions from the transport sector are properly
acknowledged and supported.

South Africa has just had the unique privilege and pleasure of hosting the
world's biggest sporting spectacle - the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which we hope
that delegates here and your citizens and teams had the opportunity to
enjoy. The 2010 World Cup has been hailed by FIFA as the best World Cup
ever. What may not be clear in the success is the centrality of transport to
this endeavour.

Our approach to the preparation was that the tournament is more about
Tran-Sport. South Africa invested a lot of time, money and technology into
the transformation and renewal of our transport systems. We developed and
rolled out an integrated rapid public transport system, which included a
high-speed passenger rail service in Johannesburg, new and improved highway
networks supported by intelligent transport systems and the latest
information and communication technologies.

In this context of transforming our passenger and freight transport system
and infrastructure, South Africa is mindful of our commitment to meet the
Millennium Development Goals by 2015, using transport as a catalyst. Key
principles of our Transport Strategy include Access, Efficiency, Safety as
well as fighting against Environmental Degradation.

According to Dr. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
"The issue of climate change that we have come to discuss here today is of
significant importance to the African Continent. Scientific projections
unequivocally indicate that Africa will be hit hardest by the impacts of
climate change as compared to other continents. Among other impacts, climate
change will fundamentally affect agricultural productivity, increase the
prevalence of diseases and poverty, increase water stress and trigger off
conflicts and war.

Africa's development aspirations are at stake unless urgent steps are taken
to address the problem of climate change. It goes without saying that
although Africa is least responsible for global warming, it is however
suffering from the impacts of climate change. Therefore, Africa suffers most
from the problem that it has not created! The climate change challenge
before us is enormous. However, Africa has faced even greater challenges in
the past and I am confident that we shall prevail over this present
challenge.

Over the past three decades, greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from
transport have risen faster than those from all other sectors, and are
projected to rise rapidly in the future.

Africa has taken its destiny in its own hands to address climate change -
one of the greatest environmental challenges presently facing the world.

CLIMATE CHALLENGES - SOUTH AFRICA'S LONG TERM MITIGATION SCENARIO

To understand the challenges we have in reducing carbon emissions in the
transport sector, it is necessary to understand South Africa's geography -
not so much as a geo-physical fate that we simply have to accept, but
rather, as a historical, political, social and economic construct that,
therefore, can (and must) be transformed, however difficult that might prove
to be.

Although there are major challenges for the transport sector, including an
excessive carbon footprint, these are often symptomatic expressions of our
spatial challenges. Transport, however, can also be a catalyst for changing
space and reducing carbon emissions. The Department of Transport (DoT) in
South Africa is focused on moving towards a low carbon economy that entails
all modes of transport.

In the Long Term Mitigation Scenario (LTMS), mitigation actions were
considered in three categories - energy supply, energy use and non-energy
emissions, each including all sub sub-sectors.

ENERGY SUPPLY INTERVENTIONS

In South Africa we phased out leaded petrol since 2006. This initiative is
driven primarily by human health, environmental and air quality criteria, in
line with the global harmonisation of fuel standards. South Africa has
developed, and is implementing, a number of measures in the development and
use of cleaner alternative fuels.

These measures entail high-level coordination with relevant government
departments, investors and development finance institutions, to ensure a
coherent and coordinated approach to the development of the sector.

In line with these initiatives, specific incentives and economic
instruments, such as subsidies for biofuels, have been modelled in the Long
Term Mitigation Scenario to ensure the accessibility of alternative fuel.

EFFICIENT TRANSPORT ENERGY USE

Our automotive sector would be profoundly affected by the long-term shift
from the internal combustion engine to cleaner technologies, such as
electric vehicles. Initiatives to commercialise a domestically developed
electric car have been set out. This project will have broader spillover
effects, including the creation of a legislative and regulatory environment
to allow the operation of electric vehicles, relevant testing infrastructure
for electric vehicles, local manufacturing for domestic and global markets,
initiation of charging infrastructure and educational campaigns on electric
vehicles. In addition to carbon dioxide mitigation, electric vehicles also
have other co-benefits such as the lowering of local air pollution in urban
areas.

In March 2007, the South African government approved the Public Transport
Strategy to implement key projects that will enhance mass public transit
networks. The first phase of implementation has been successful in major
cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay.

Our integrated rapid public transport networks developed as part of the 2010
FIFA World Cup have accelerated improvement in public transport. South
Africa's Public Transport Strategy, which comprises a multi-billion rand
transport infrastructure plan, is reshaping travel in South Africa.
Effective public transport also offers substantial climate benefits, and has
the ability to improve reliability and affordability for the 80% of South
Africans currently dependent on public transport for mobility.

Freight Logistics is the backbone of the country's economic viability.

A road freight strategy is being implemented to optimize freight movement,
encourage appropriate cargo on the right mode and preserve the road network
of the country, and decrease our carbon footprint.

We are also currently facilitating the revival of rail as main mover of
goods will, amongst other benefits, reduce overall transportation costs and
result in the decrease of green house and other air pollutant emissions.

MARITIME TRANSPORT

South Africa is in the process of completing the Maritime Transport Policy,
which entails the development of the coastal shipping systems. The coastal
shipping transport will complement our national land transport system,
giving us options of including shipping in the mix of our domestic
inter-port, multi-modal and intra-regional transportation systems. Together
with rail, these modes should reduce emissions from our transport sector.

South Africa is involved in all key initiatives of the International
Maritime Organisation (IMO), to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through
improved standards and regulatory measures such as efficient ship designs
and operations.

AVIATION

South Africa is also an active member of the International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO), and is fully engaged in efforts to reduce and mitigate
emissions from the aviation sector.

CONCLUSION

Tackling the challenges of global environment and energy in transport is
going to require enormous courage from world leaders, in government, the
private sector and non-governmental organisations. You canâ€^TMt test courage
cautiously.

Together with the rest of the world, South Africa recognizes that transport
is a fundamental factor of economic and social development, with a great
potential for increasing productivity and substantially improving living
conditions. At the same time, we are aware that transport is responsible for
greenhouse gas emissions which impact public health and the environment.

We believe that actions are required to address this issue, with the aim of
identifying more efficient transport solutions while ensuring sustainable
development in a balanced way. To this end, we look forward to constructive
engagement with regards to capacity building, technology transfer and
financing.

THANK YOU.