House Chair, grandstanding will never delay the ANC from giving the land to our people. South Africa has a youthful population. About 20% of the population is aged between 10 and 19
years old. As of 2019, with the growing population now seated around
58 million, youth population between the ages of 18 and 40 years old is estimated around 17 million.
In 2019, a team of researchers from the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, and the SA Medical Research Council, published a report that indicated how young people in South Africa will inherit a world left hazardous by green gas emissions. The same report indicated that those responsible for the climate change will be spurred the full brunt of their effects.
Is it what is meant by ... Okay, my apologies. [Interjections.] Yes! Is it what is meant when they say the kids will be punished by the sins of their parents? [Interjections.] [Laughter.] One of the ways in which we can help deal effectively with climate change is through legislative mechanisms put in place. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure that the systems are put in place to ensure that everyone has access to safe and healthy living and working conditions.
With punitive legislation in place, the state should ensure that those who have harmed the environment and have harmed the health of our people are held accountable for this. It is a practice in other
several countries for young people to use litigation to hold their governments and private sector to account. South Africa has one best commendable pieces of legislation around climate change in the world.
Our national environmental management amendment laws are well designed to help advance responsible role as a nation in issues of environmental protection. The National Environmental Management Act is meant to establish and review the land use guidelines, examine the land patterns to use to determine the impact of inequality and quantity of the natural resources and carry out the service which will assist proper management and conservation of the environment.
South Africa's disaster risk reduction management legislation serves as a model for other countries and considered to be one of the advanced institutional frameworks for disaster management in the world. There can never be doubt, but in terms of the legislative readiness, South Africa is not wanting.
Climate change is the responsibility of the entire globe and each and every country is expected to contribute in reducing the effects of climate change in our society. This requires a collective effort of each and every citizen in each and every country. We need a
global social compact in dealing with climate change on a global scale.
The United Nations defines early warning system as an imperative measure for climate change, using integrated communication systems to help communities to prepare for hazardous climate-related events. It further said that successful early warnings system will help to save lives and jobs, line infrastructure support and long term sustainability.
We are not founding as South Africa in terms of our level of preparedness in relation to climate change. We have a clear and well-crafted national legislation to help with negative impacts of climate change. SA Weather Services is mandated by the Weather Services Act of 2001 to produce weather and climate change information, as well as providing early warning alerts.
The SA Weather Services is the main source of information and collaborates through social compacts with other private institutions and community research organisations and provide severe warning and advisories to National Disaster Management Centre. These weather advisories are important in ensuring our state readiness of emergency.
It has been reported that South Africa is amongst 12 largest carbon dioxide emitting countries in the world. Our economies are reliant on coal resources to generate power and liquid fuels and these places are among the highest per capita emissions in the developing world. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Paris Accord places the responsibility on South Africa as a signatory member to take active steps in dealing with climate change.
As a nation, we must effectively deal with air pollution. It is reported by researchers at the International Growth Centre that the developing countries like South Africa have a heavy reliance on fossil fuels, resulting in productivity losses and mortality due to high concentration of pollution.
Droughts are associated with climate change and this is the effect of human behaviour on the planet's temperature. Our provinces, like the Free State, Northern Cape, North West and Eastern Cape are some of the provinces hard hit by devastating impacts of climate change. Our small and emerging farmers are experiencing challenges and some of them had to close their farm enterprises because of climate change related to drought.
Throughout the corners of South Africa, there are increased levels of anxiety to climate change. Young people are uncertain about the future impact of climate change and nervous in terms of how the world they are going to inherit will be looking like in two decades to come. Like I earlier indicated, they are interested in their action being taken by the government and would like some reassurance that the world they will inherit will be habitable, with less risk of human extension. Young people are asking if indeed senior citizens are conscious of apocalyptic nature of climate change that they face on a daily basis. The impact of climate change is felt by young people in a classroom where they cannot even concentrate due to high temperatures risk hazards and the floods that destroy the bridges that they pass on their way to go educational institutions.
In conclusion, we have seen in South Africa and around the globe young people taking to the stage and becoming climate change activists. They are in numbers appealing to the government of the world to save the environment and reduce carbon emissions with devastating impact on the environment. They are eagerly waiting to hear the reassuring voices that are needed, that indeed, senior citizens of the world care about them and will strive hard to live in a world with a clean environment and sufficient natural resources for their continued livelihood.
As a voice of millions of young people in this country, I would like on behalf of the youth to welcome the finalisation of the Climate Change Bill, which will provide regulatory framework for the effective management of the inevitable change impact by enhancing adaptive capacity strengthening of resilience.
The introduction of green economy initiative is most welcome and young people stand ready to become agents of green economy. We are encouraged by the establishment of the Presidential Commission on Climate Change's move towards a low carbon growth trajectory green economy on our lifetime.
Just for the record, there is a learner who passed away last week in Tlholetsang Primary School because he ate a chocolate with few friends. The ANC would like to pass a word of condolences to the family.
Sesotho:
ANC, e leka hore ho lelapa la habo Mokgadi: Ha moya wa hae o robale ka kgotso.
English:
The four remaining are still in ICU. Again ...
Sesotho:
Ho lelapa la habo Maloka: A robale ka kgotso.
English:
To the rest of Fees Must Fall activists, like Mcebo Dlamini: The youth of this country is with you. Thank you very much. [Applause.]