Transcript Global Change Grand Challenge & the Climate Change

Briefing to Portfolio
Committee on Science and
Technology
Global Change Grand Challenge &
the Climate Change Negotiations
16 September 2009
1
Two-part briefing
• Introduction to the Global Change grand
challenge and its implementation
• Department of Science and Technology an
the climate change negotiations
2
Key issues to cover
• 10-year Research Plan
• Interventions that support the
implementation of the research plan
• Areas for accelerated technology
development and innovation
3
Understanding a
changing
planet
Reducing the
Human
Footprint
1. Observation,
1. Waste
monitoring and
minimization
adaptive
methods and
management.
technologies
2. Dynamics of
2. Conserving
the oceans
biodiversity and
around
ecosystems
southern Africa.
services
3. Dynamics of
3. Institutional
the complex
integration to
internal earth
manage
system.
ecosystems
4. Linking the
and the
land, the air,
services they
and the sea.
offer
5. Improving
model
predictions at
different scales.
Adapting the way
we live
Innovation for
Sustainability
1. Preparing for
rapid change
and extreme
events
2. Planning for
sustainable
urban
development in
a South African
context
3. Water security
for South Africa
4. Food and fibre
security for
South Africa
1. Dynamics of
transition at
different scales
- mechanisms
of innovation
and learning
2. Resilience and
capability
3. Options for
greening the
developmental
state
4
Understanding a
changing planet
1. Observation, monitoring and adaptive
management.
2. Dynamics of the oceans around southern Africa.
3. Dynamics of the complex internal earth system.
4. Linking the land, the air, and the sea.
5. Improving model predictions at different scales.
5
Reducing the Human
Footprint
1. Waste minimization methods and
technologies
2. Conserving biodiversity and ecosystems
services
3. Institutional integration to manage
ecosystems and the services they offer
6
Adapting the way we
live
1. Preparing for rapid change and extreme
events
2. Planning for sustainable urban
development in a South African context
3. Water security for South Africa
4. Food and fibre security for South Africa
7
Innovation for
Sustainability
1. Dynamics of transition at different scales
- mechanisms of innovation and learning
2. Resilience and capability
3. Options for greening the developmental
state
8
Key Performance Indicators
for Grand Challenge
• Human Capital Development and
Transformation
• Development of knowledge base and
assets
• Making an impact on the economy and
society
• Enhancing South Africa as a science
destination
9
Global Change Performance and Investment Council
Space Agency
(Global Change
Monitoring
Network)
South African
Environmental
Observation Network
(SAEON)
Africa Earth
Observation
Network (AEON)
programmes
Inkaba ye Africa/
Ikhure Africa
SA Polar
Research
Entity
Centre of
Excellence
Applied Centre for
Climate and Earth
Systems Studies
(ACCESS)
Knowledge
Brokering
Support Unit
Global
Change,
Society, and
Sustainability
South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas (R&V Atlas)
Bureau on Global Change Science
10
ACCESS
• Globally significant inter-disciplinary Centre of
Excellence (CoE) focusing mainly on knowledge
theme 1 at this point in time
• In addition to research, a big focus on building
human capital development and knowledge
transfer
• Ambition to make ACCESS globally recognised
• Recently formalised and work will start in earnest
11
Earth System Masters
• Flagship programme under ACCESS
• Number of universities collaborating to develop
new human resources with a well-rounded
Masters programme
• Growing need for people with this orientation and
skills set
• Intending to kick off the programme at the start of
the 2010 academic year
12
Global Change
Monitoring Network
• Together with our plans on Space and
Earth observation, South Africa needs to
enhance in observation and monitoring
capacity
• Well-advanced in terms of developing a
long-term plan in this regard
13
Global Change, Society
and Sustainability
• Development of long-term research
programmes that support knowledge
themes 2, 3 and especially 4
• This research work will support the
process of long-term planning envisaged
by the Ministry of Planning
14
Bureau on Global
Change Science
• Initiative that will bring together leading
scientists with other policy and decisionmakers to systematically look at the
research findings and to ensure that this
research is supporting policy and decisionmaking at the national level
15
Risk and Vulnerability
Atlas
• Project initiated in January this year
• Information systems and tools that will support decisionmaking at localised levels (mainly)
• Working closely with users
• Integration of information from a variety of sources
(climate change projections, demographic changes, other
environmental pressures) to provide more usable
information for local decision-makers for planning and
decision-making
• First version of Atlas to be released early next year
16
Risk and Vulnerability
Assessment Centres
• Physical centres located in rural
universities that would use the Atlas to
provide information, support, and
assistance to local municipalities and other
decision-makers
• Planning to roll-out 5 such Centres over
the next 3-4 years. The first Centre should
be launched by June 2010
17
Technology
Development
• Supporting the development of the
Environmental Goods and Services sector
(‘green industries)
• Energy grand challenge
• Other areas of focus will include waste
technologies, water, agriculture, environmental
monitoring, built environment, and coastal
protection and management
18
Part 2
The Climate Change Negotiations
19
Essential Background
• United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• Kyoto Protocol - more powerful with binding
measures.
• Kyoto Protocol was for a five-year period from
2008-2012
• COP is the "supreme body" of the UNFCCC.
– SBI and SBSTA
• COP-15 in Copenhagen
20
Replacing Kyoto
• COP-11 in Canada (2005) initiated an adhoc two-track process to start the process
of looking at the future climate change
regime beyond 2012
• The two-track process was a compromise
to keep the US in the negotiations where
the one-track was focused on the
Convention and the other on the Protocol
21
Bali Road Map
• COP-13 (2007) - Bali Roadmap agreed
• Mitigation measures must be balanced with
adaptation requirements
• Both mitigation and adaptation require effective
‘means of implementation’
– Finance, technology, and capacity development
• The need for an appropriate shared vision
• Introduction of the concept of MRV’s
22
Bali Road Map
Shared Vision
Mitigation
Adaptation
Finance
Technology
23
Current status of
overall negotiations
• Negotiations happening on all fronts at the
same time
• Draft negotiating text formulated over the
last few months
• However, progress has been slow and
there are growing concerns about what can
be achieved by COP-15 in Copenhagen
24
South Africa and the
global framework
• Adaptation and mitigation both crucial for South
Africa
• On mitigation, DST was involved in the
development of Long-Term Mitigation Scenarios
(LTMS) for South Africa
• The LTMS proposes a peak and decline scenario
for South Africa
• Our ability to achieve this will either be supported
or hampered by the international framework
25
Need Business Unusual
on Technology
• Current institutional arrangements are
insufficient to deliver immediate and
urgent technology development,
deployment, diffusion, and transfer to
non-Annex I Parties
– Executive Body on Technology
– Multilateral Climate Technology Fund
– Technology Action Plan
26
Way forward
• Negotiations is extremely dynamic at the
moment with discussions happening within
formal negotiating structures and outside of
them,
• Intense lobbying on individual countries and
nations on mitigation measures including South
Africa,
• What happens over the next few months are
difficult to predict
27
Thank You
Imraan Patel and Mac Makwarela
Department of Science and Technology
[email protected]; [email protected]
012 843-6430, 012 843-6530
28