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The DA welcomes the Global Stocktake Agreement of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), which for the first time speaks specifically to the need to transition away from fossil fuels.

It is now essential that nations across the globe take urgent and decisive steps to transition away from fossil fuels and towards greener and more sustainable energy sources as quickly as they can do so.

As South Africans, we must do all we can to diversify our own energy mix, which at present still relies primarily on coal. This will enable us to transition away from fossil fuels faster and create much-needed jobs.

In provinces such as the DA-led Western Cape we are already working to roll out ambitious rooftop solar projects, which serve to not only augment our existing energy supply, but also allow businesses and homeowners to generate additional revenue by selling electricity back into the grid. It is vitally important that Government works to expand the existing grid infrastructure in the Northern Cape to allow for more large-scale solar projects to come online and feed more clean energy into the system.

The reference in the agreement towards ensuring effective financing mechanisms for adaptation should also be welcomed. South Africa, along with the rest of the continent is already at major risk of catastrophic shocks and ongoing stresses as our climate changes. The KZN floods and ongoing droughts across South Africa have shown how vulnerable we are to fluctuations in the climate and we must place a renewed focus on ensuring that we are able to adapt. If we are to succeed in this task we will require significant financial investment.

None of this will be possible though, if we continue with a government that is unable to speak with one voice. For far too long key decision makers in the ANC have appeared to be at odds with one another, and have failed to see the bigger picture regarding climate change. We simply cannot allow for politicians with conflicted vested interests to dictate the collective future of our climate and our economy any longer.

Issued by Dave Bryant MP - DA Shadow Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment