Transcript Mthobeli Kolisa: CLIMATE CHANGE AND MUNICIPALITIES

North-South Local Government
Co-operation Conference
24th- 27th November 2009,
Mwanza Tanzania
CLIMATE CHANGE AND MUNICIPALITIES
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About SALGA
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The Structure of the SA
governance system
• Three spheres of government
– National Government
– 9 provincial Governments
– 283 local governments
• SALGA an institutional embodiment of the
local sphere of government; recognized in
terms of the constitution
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Mandate
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Represent LG (Voice) on policy matters that will
affect municipalities – e.g. SALGA is part of the
IGR committees on climate change and will be
part of the country’s delegation to COP15
Advisor to municipalities
Employer role
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limited to representing municipalities in collective
employer processes
Does not employ on behalf of municipalities
Profiling LG
SALGA
• A platform for:
 Consolidating and communicating local government
perspectives
 Sharing experiences and practices among
municipalities
 Facilitating national and provincial government
consultation and communication with municipalities
 Accountability of municipalities???
 To the association i.e. to each other as members of
the association
• However SALGA currently an association
municipalities not an authority of LG
SALGA’s ROLE
SALGA IN THE CONTEXT OF ALL OTHERS
National
•Parliament
•NCOP
•Departments
Provincial
•Legislatures
•Departments
SALGA
283 Municipalities
Other
DBSA
FFC
Donors
World Bank
Civil Society
UCLGA
CLGF
Etc...
Climate Change
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BACKGROUND
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Human activities cause
climate change
•The pink band - Models using both “natural” and anthropogenic forcing
•The solid line – Observed temperatures
•The blue band - Models using only “natural” forcing
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Human activities cause
climate change
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EFFECTS OF GLOBAL
WARMING
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Major changes in climatic patterns
– Wind direction, speed and cloud formation
– Resulting in changes in rainfall patters (drought, floods)
– Floods in areas that are adapted to low rainfall
– Drought in areas that are adapted regular rainfall
– Increase in the frequency and intensity of both floods and droughts
Effects
– Extinction and changes in the distribution of plant and animal species
– Increased damage to infrastructure
– Sea level rise and related increased erosion of coastal areas
– Decreased food security
– Decreased water availability
– Increased heat stress
– Higher energy consumption
– Increased economic losses
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HOW TO RESPOND?
• Need to ADAPT to the impacts and MITIGATE (reduce) greenhouse
gas emissions and we have to do it NOW
– even if we could stop all GHG emissions now, temperature will
continue to rise – so we have to adapt to changes
– There will come a time when we cannot “adapt” our way out of the
problem – so we have to mitigate to avoid unimaginable impacts
• No country, region or continent can go it alone – Climate Change
adaptation and mitigation need global action
• The key economic and equity challenges that the climate change
negotiations face is “how to share the little remaining carbon space”
while at the same time “giving developing countries a fair chance in
the development space”.
• Countries have different historical responsibilities for emissions in the
past but share a common responsibility for the future.
• The developed world must take the lead with deep emission cuts and
provision of finance for developing country adaptation and mitigation
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International negotiations
processes
• The legal framework for the climate change
negotiations is the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
which sets out the principles, objectives and
provisions for dealing with global warming
• The aim of the negotiations is to reach an
agreement on the future of the international
climate change regime beyond 2012, at the
15th session of the UNFCCC Conference of the
Parties (COP-15) in Copenhagen, Denmark in
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December 2009
International negotiations
processes
• The UNFCCC’s objective has 2 parts:
– Stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations (at a level
which prevents dangerous anthropogenic interference with
the climate system); and
– Ensuring that this takes place within a time frame sufficient
to:
• allow natural ecosystems to adapt to climate change;
• ensure that food production is not threatened; and
• enable sustainable economic development.
• The United Nations Climate Change Conference 2007 in
Bali, Indonesia determined a Roadmap for Nations
towards a post-Kyoto Framework on Climate Change for
the period after 2012 which will be negotiated at the. 15
International negotiations
processes
• The Convention distinguishes between:
i. developed countries and economies in transition (Annex I
Parties); and
ii. developing countries (Non-Annex 1 Parties).
• The Bali Roadmap and Action Plan sets up a balanced
negotiation of:
a) legally binding quantified emission reduction commitments for developed
countries that are Party to the Kyoto Protocol (the Kyoto Track);
b) comparable binding emission reduction commitments for developed
countries that have not joined the Kyoto Protocol (specifically the
USA); and
c) further measurable, reportable and verifiable (MRV) action by developing
countries on condition that technology, finance and capacity building
support is provided by Developed Countries that is also MRV (the
Convention track).
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International negotiations
processes
• Negotiations under the Convention track focus on long-term
cooperative action, now up to and beyond 2012, and address 5
elements namely; adaptation, mitigation, financing, technology
transfer and a shared vision.
• Given that the USA has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, the USA
mitigation commitments will be negotiated in this forum, and
must be comparable with the mitigation commitments by
others under the Kyoto Protocol.
• Negotiations under the Kyoto Protocol track are mandated to
reach an agreement on quantified legally binding mitigation
targets for the second and subsequent commitment periods for
Annex I Parties, as well as improvements to the Kyoto market
mechanisms and rules.
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The Political
dynamics
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Web of political conditionalities that underpin the negotiations
The EU cannot make further mitigation commitment above the unilateral 20%
emission reduction below 1990 levels in 2020 they have already announced,
without the USA making a mitigation commitment that is comparable and in
line with the science
The USA will not make any commitment without its major economic
competitors in the developing world taking on some binding commitment
(specifically identified countries are China, India, Brazil and South Africa)
These countries, in turn, will not be separated from other developing
countries in the Group of 77 & China and consequently the political priorities
of development, poverty eradication and adaptation to the impacts of climate
change are central in the negotiations.
Developing countries have contributed very little to the current climate crisis,
and consider that the developed countries, who are historically responsible
for the emissions, are the ones that must make the ambitious, quantified,
legally binding commitments to absolute emissions reductions, in line with the
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requirements of science.
The Political
dynamics
• Developing countries will continue to take mitigation action, resulting in
reductions relative to baseline, if provided with the necessary technology,
finance and capacity building support.
• The Group of 77 is also divided, with OPEC countries on the one extreme
delaying progress, small islands developing states on the other extreme
with positions that go beyond what is required by science, Africa and
other Least Developed Countries focussing on poverty eradication,
development and adaptation
• Year 2009 has therefore, been characterised by low political optimism and
widening of the gap in trust between developed and developing countries.
– The global financial crisis,
– Fading hopes for leadership from the USA and a lack of leadership from other
developed countries,
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Developing countries
initial position
• Two track approach
– Kyoto Track – amendment
– Convention track - a supplemental legally binding
instrument interpreted with UNFCCC & KP
– Legal linkage between Kyoto & convention legal
instruments to address the USA (as non-Kyoto Party) &
who must take legally binding target comparable to
Kyoto Parties
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Developing countries initial
position
• Deal must:
– be inclusive, fair and effective;
– balance between adaptation and mitigation
– balance development and climate
imperatives.
• Shared vision that solving the climate
problem only possible if in the context of:
– Developing countries' priorities of food
security, poverty eradication and
promoting development.
– Equity & differentiated responsibility for the
past but common responsibility for the future 21
Developing countries
initial position
• On Adaptation:
– A comprehensive international program on adaptation,
– Prioritise Africa - immediate & future impacts
– Upscaled finance, technology and capacity building.
• On Mitigation:
– legally binding emission reduction commitments for
developed countries under the Kyoto Protocol
– USA-comparable, binding reduction commitment &
compliance under the Convention.
– framework for mitigation action by developing countries,
supported and enabled by finance, technology and
capacity building i.e. No legally binding targets
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Developing countries
initial position
• On Finance, Technology, Capacity building
– Essential to build resilient economies and to
“leapfrog” to low carbon growth and development
– Integrated means of implementation mechanism
– Massively scaled up, predictable & sustainable
flows (1% of Global GDP – i.e. approx $400 bn by
2020 of which 25% for adaptation)
– Mobilised from multiple sources – including:
assessed contribution, carbon market, bilateral,
IFI’s & private sector
– Governance – needs and country driven, direct
access, equitable distribution
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Climate change and municipalities
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A “Glocal” challenge
• Although climate change is a global problem that
knows no political boundaries its impacts will differ
locally
• Influenced by a community’s vulnerability to climate
variables and its ability to respond to the new
stresses
• The ‘adaptive capacity’ of a local area, is influenced
by economic resources, information and skills,
infrastructure, institutions and equity levels
• Resource-poor or marginalized communities (most
African communities!) are often the most vulnerable
to climate change impacts.
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Climate change and the
functions of municipalities
• In SA municipalities have executive authority in
respect of, among others:
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air pollution (and related data capture)
building regulation
electricity and gas reticulation
fire-fighting services
water and sanitation services
municipal public transport
domestic waste
storm-water management
disaster management
local governance and community participation
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Climate change and the
functions of municipalities
• Many of the interventions to curb climate change and adapt
to its impacts fall within the ambit of local government
responsibilities.
• These include:
– energy efficiency (efficient lighting, thermally efficient buildings,
efficient heating and ventilation, water consumption reduction,
efficient industrial motors),
– transport modal shifts,
– community awareness and behaviour change
– new planning approaches to urban development
– renewable energy consumption (solar water heating, wind farm
development, landfill gas to energy, ‘green’ electricity purchase,
biogas digestion)
– infrastructure development (water, waste, storm water, energy)
– disaster management.
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Different roles for
municipalities
• Larger towns have an important role to play in
supporting national commitments to emissions
reductions.
• For all African municipalities, though on differing
scales, the pressing issues of poverty and
growth need to be met with new, low carbon,
sustainable development approaches.
• In the prevalent context of dwindling revenue
bases, this is enormously challenging.
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Issues for consideration
from a LG perspective
• Many of the mitigation and adaptation
activities in response to climate change
require implementation at the local level.
• Local government must therefore be
acknowledged as a key partner in a country
role as a global citizen.
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Issues for consideration
from a LG perspective
• The concept of climate change is new to many
local government players (politicians, officials
and the general public)
• The subject of climate change and its
relationship to municipal service delivery
needs to be effectively communicated in order
to obtain the important local response.
• Political time horizons are at odds with the
longer-term planning and decision making
required by the climate change challenge
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Issues for consideration
from a LG perspective
• The municipal service delivery in a context of
dwindling revenue and resource bases and climate
change presents an additional burden to already
overburdened municipal staff and resources
• It is critical that mandates relating to climate
change response are clear and adequately funded.
• Municipal rates and service charges should not
solely carry the burden of expensive adaptative
action and investment in mitigative technology
• Establishment of national climate change fund
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Issues for consideration
from a LG perspective
• Local governments of developing countries,
especially in Africa, have not been participating in
the carbon trading linked to the clean
development mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol.
• This is largely due to lack of knowledge and the
transaction costs
• Countries need to establish capacities to assist
their municipalities to register projects and benefit
from carbon trading – it is crucial that the Kyoto
Protocol carbon trading mechanism continues
into the future
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Proposed way forward for
the co-operation
• The likely failure of COP 15 to result in a binding
agreement will not diminish the need to act now
• Local governments will be faced with pressures to
act now, especially in respect of adaptation and
sustainable development
• Need finance, technology and capacity building
• North-South co-operation should consider building
capacity of associations to support municipalities
in climate mitigation and adaptation, especially in
respect of facilitating participation on carbon
trading and technology transfer
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ASANTE - ENKOSI
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