Transcript The role of Women Parliamentarians in Climate Change

Presentation to the South African Parliament
Multi-Party Women’s Caucus : A Preparatory
Workshop for the
COP 17 CONFERENCE
Theme: The role of Women Parliamentarians in
Climate Change
Presenter: Buyelwa Sonjica
19 October 2011
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Introductory Remarks
• Climate change is the biggest challenge facing humanity in the
21st century
• Dealing with climate change requires all of us to know about it
and to participate in the management thereof;
• However, the inequalities between men and women still make
women more vulnerable to the effects od climate
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Climate Change Contextualised
• Climate change refers to any change of the state in the climate that
can be identified by changes in the average of variability of its
properties e.g. (precipitation, temperature that can persist for an
extended period typical decades or longer)
Causes:
• Could be Natural
• Human activities : Carbon emissions or Greenhouse gas emissions –
fossils, electricity generation, cars and industrialisation
Global warming: Is slightly different although it is used interchangeably even by some scientists.
• It also refers to documented historical warming of the earth’s
surface based upon worldwide temperature records that have been
maintained by humans since the 1800s
• It is the combined result of anthropogenic (human caused
emissions of greenhouse gasses and changes in solar irradiance)
•
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Cont: Climate Change Contextualised
• Global effects of global warming (change of climate: rising
temperatures of the oceans leading to catastrophes-hurricanes,
drought, melting ice etc)
What is the status quo?
The temperatures are rising at an alarming rate leading to sea
temperatures rising almost at three degrees Celsius
The effect of that could be catastrophies like floods, droughts etc.
The scientific report informs us that the sea temperatures should be
controlled to remain at two degrees Celsius
Impact on Africa
Food: drought/floods
Water, death from catastrophes
Africa is very vulnerable despite the fact that it contributed and
benefited less – approximately 40%, 20% RSA : This impacts on the
economy one way or the other.
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Strategic Perspective
(a) Global initiatives
(b) Differs from country to country mainly determined by the socioeconomic conditions prevailing in that country e.g. level of
development, strength of the economy, sophistication of
society
Global Initiatives
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions that will then hopefully reverse
global warming – rising sea temperatures needs all nations to
mitigate their actions (use less fossils etc.)
• The negotiations are about that;
• Looking for a regime that will share the responsibility equitably –
just and fairly – v benefitted more responsible and are now fully
developed the reverse is true about other countries (developing)
• Mobilise global action – global resources- global programmes for
mitigation and adaptation
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Cont; Strategic Perspective
Nationally:
Build capacity to deal with catastrophies
Adopt programmes/ policy, legislation to mitigate climate
change
Build capacity to adapt to climate change to deal with
disasters
Educate the nation
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Global achievements to date
i)Globally
• UN Resolution on climate Change;
• Development / Establishment of Institutional Framework
(Committees and Structures: Science and Finance sectors)
• Policy Framework : United Nations Framework convention o Climate
Change (UNFCC)
• Kyoto Protocol
• Bali action Plan
• Fourth Report of the International Panel on Climate Change
(ii) In Africa
• AU adopted a common position for Climate Change
• 52 African countries signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol
• We participate in the UN led negotiations for a globally binding
climate change regime
• Many countries in the continent are developing National
programmes and legislation
• Africa has established an agency for climate change
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South Africa’s Achievements
• Environmental legislation programme designed to deal with;
• To reduce carbon emissions
• Legislation for water resource management
• Biodiversity legislation: To protect the species
• Air quality measuring carbon released into our skies and doing
something about it.
• Disaster Management
• Agriculture legislation
• Strategy on public transport
• Energy mix policy
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STRUCTURE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS
(a) Legal framework: (UNFCC,KYOTO Protocol, Bali Action
Plan and Fourth Assessment Report)
(b) Organisation and structure: Under the auspices of the
United Nations
• Formal Parties for Negotiations: G77+China, Developed
Countries
• Informal Parties: Major Economies Forum comprising of
17+ countries: ( including the following ; Germany, India,
China,
Italy,France,USA,UK,Australia,Russia,Poland,Indonesia,Japa
n, Spain, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland, South Africa
etc.) seen as biggest emitters and SA the only African
country in this category
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Cont.; STRUCTURE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS
• BASIC group: Brazil, South Africa, India and China
• African Ministers Committee on Environment
(AMCEN): 34 Least developed countries, SA being the
highest emitter in Africa
• OPEC countries in Africa
• South Africa: Cabinet which leads the Climate Change
negotiations, Parliament passes legislation, ratifies
conventions and treaties, oversight on the
implementation of legislation
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Processes Guiding Negotiations
• Negotiations are a multilateral process pursued under the auspices
of the United Nations
• They are led by Ministers of Environment with a technical team of
negotiators
• The highest body is the conference of the parties and CMOP7 and
COP17
• These two bodies seat once a year to decide on the outcome of the
negotiations for that current year
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Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages: Brings together all countries to work together as a
collective to find a lasting solution to dealing with a the biggest
common challenge facing humanity in the 21st century
Countries share responsibility of combatting climate change.
Smaller countries find a voice within the negotiations as they are
grouped with bigger and stronger countries.
All nations acknowledge that climate change exists and they are
committed to do their best in mitigating the effects of climate change.
Disadvantages : Countries are always reluctant to compromise their
national interests.
Developing countries have much more serious social economic and
political problems that need prioritisation over climate change.
The grouping of the countries is unfavourable for weaker countries as
they are expected to conform to a similar regime to their stronger
counterparts, e.g. China in the G77
It is difficult for the OECD countries to compromise in a way that give
space for development to the developing countries.
Financial, Technological capacity is skewed in favour of the developed
world.
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Key political and legal Issues
• Effects of Climate Change affecting us today are a
consequence of emissions that occurred over the era
of industrialisation which happened a 150 years ago. A
few countries benefitted;
• Consequences of which are ; global warming and rising
temperatures
• Africa contributed the least while it remains the most
vulnerable to the vagaries of climate change
• All countries have a responsibility to contribute
towards reversing that situation
• Those contributions guided by the principle of
common but differentiated responsibilities and
capabilities
• Developed countries have to take targets in mitigating
against climate change while developing countries
must commit to actions to mitigate
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Cont.; Key political and legal Issues
Complexities;
• All countries go into negotiations wanting to protect
their national interest
• Developed countries see combatting the effects of
climate change as a major priority while developing
countries see poverty alleviation as their major priority
• Because of their vulnerability developing countries
think that adaptation should take precedence over
mitigation and with developed countries the opposite
is true
• There is an expectation from the developed world
that, developing countries especially the emerging
economies must carry a bigger burden in mitigation.
• Within the developed world the countries that are
signatories to the Kyoto Protocol are opposed to its
second commitment
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Cont.; Key political and legal Issues
Complexities;
• International Trade Competition between the
developed and developing countries:
(a) The issue of DOHA round are surfacing in the
climate change debate; technology; and the
transfer and intellectual property
• Combatting climate change would impact on
the national development plan(e.g. energy,
agriculture)
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South Africa’s Principled Position
(i)An international Legal Instrument
To protect the weaker countries being muzzled –out with
no bargaining powers
(ii) National Mandate for our National Interest;
A balance between adaptation and mitigation and a
balance between climate change imperatives and
development imperatives
(Iii) Consolidation of the African Agenda
It is also important that South Africa plays a significant role
in pursuing the continent’s common position
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Topical Issues
• Second commitment of the Kyoto Protocol will have to
be balanced with what comes out of the negotiations
(Bali Action Plan 1b1 Mitigation Targets by the USA and
1b2 Mitigation actions by developing countries)
• Adaptation at the centre of ensuring support for
developing countries
• Implementation/establishment
finances technology etc.
of
institutions
• Establishment of adaptation committee
• Establishment of the Green Climate Fund
on
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The role of women
Gender is a forgotten element especially in climate change debate;
• Although there is a mention of women in the convention, not enough
work has been done by the world to map-out the role of women.
• It was only on the 2 March 2011 that a resolution was sponsored by the
UN Commission on the Status of Women on Gender Equality and
Climate Change. This resolution is designed to mainstream gender
equality and promote the empowerment of women in climate change
policies and strategies.
I will explore the role of women in climate change under the
following categories; namely
• The Impact of climate change on women given their vulnerability
• Participation of women in the climate change programmes including
the UN WWAP
• Empowerment f women to deal with or adapt to changing climate
conditions
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Cont: The role of women
The Impact of climate change on women given their
vulnerability
• According to the UN Report on Human Development
70% of the illiterate are women
• This places under them under the most underdeveloped
areas in their countries e.g. informal settlements, favelas,
rural areas
• It manifests itself in catastrophes and the majority who
suffers the consequences are women
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Cont: Role of Women
Participation of women in the climate change programmes including
the UN WWAP
• There is almost no participation of women globally and nationally
yet if there was it would be a matter of survival for them
• It would have an impact on food production, water resources, health
all of those areas need to be led by women
• Women have to participate in all the structures that deal with
climate change as a special group or category to bring a unique
debate on what should be done in accommodating women in
programmes dealing with climate change
• Political parties should have gender and climate change desks to
deliberate on the aforementioned matters
• The multi-party caucus could consider establishing a sub-committee
on climate change and gender
• Participation at COP17 formulating a resolution calling for the
conclusion of the deal as a matter of urgency and also calling for the
robust participation of women in all the climate change conferences
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Cont : Role of women
Empowerment f women to deal with or adapt to changing
climate conditions
• Training and education programmes be developed to enable
women to take leadership positions
• Legislation on climate change be gender sensitive
• Women must be empowered with information so as to access
economic opportunities from the climate change global
programmes
Should there be a global Women’s Movement on Climate
Change?
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Conclusion
I thank you for the opportunity
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