Hon Chair, I greet everybody in this God's place, House, today. We all speak about climate change and what we need to do. But, what do we do as individuals? We are going to town shop centres and we look at images of dinosaurs that have left us behind millions of years ago, how long will be none of us going into shops to even look at an image of a dog. A simple dog that has died out because we as humans have no respect of the land that God has given us. We are on the same route as these animals. We are put here to protect them. I just leave this so that we can think of what will
happen if we do not do something dramatically towards climate change.
Responding to the urgency to combat the reality of climate change. Climate change is already a reality posing significant social, economic and environmental risks and challenges globally, but also poses a serious threat to the planet and people. Like many other developing countries, South Africa is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and has been identified as one of the countries that need to adopt greater urgency in tackling challenges posed by climate change, which is why South Africa has been tasked with ensuring the balance of economic growth and transformation with the sustainable use of environmental resources and responding to climate change.
Responding to the urgency to combat the reality of climate change offers South Africa a clear pathway towards achieving a more prosperous, inclusive, equitable and secure future, in which national priorities of eradicating poverty and reducing inequality will be addressed. Furthermore, my fellow South Africans, the South Africa's National Climate Change Response White Paper and the National Development Plan are aimed at combating and responding to climate change by addressing and observing threats to the country's
society, economy and environment, as well as to provide the basis for tracking South Africa's transition to a climate resilient society and lower carbon economy.
Responding to the urgency to combat the reality of climate change through the development and implementation of a framework for young people for policy input and decision-making on climate change could strengthen and improve youth participation and involvement in climate change related issues.
My friends and my hon Chair, water, and when I mention water I ask myself why there is so many farmers on this land of ours that do not clean out their dams and who are complaining about water shortage. Water is the primary medium through which the impacts of climate change are being felt in South Africa. The Free State, particularly QwaQwa, is experiencing the worst drought in modern history. Increases in climate variability and climatic extremes are impacting both water quality and availability through changes in rainfall patterns, with more intense storms, floods and droughts; changes in soil moisture no control of runoff water; and the effects of increasing evaporation and changing temperatures on aquatic systems.
Simultaneously curbing climate change and responding to the unavoidable impacts of historic greenhouse gas emissions both timorously and continuously, requires substantial and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions which, together with adaptation, can limit climate change risks. Climate change action presents a clear path towards the shared aim of a healthier, more prosperous and more secure future - our future. The wildlife fire situation has worsened significantly across South Africa. During the past several years, there have been major and catastrophic fires which have resulted in death, damage to infrastructure and loss of property and assets. This has also impacted negatively on the natural environment and has come at an enormous direct and indirect social and economic cost to the country.
The Fynbos Biome is defined by South Africa as the most fire vulnerable in the country and is even more prone to climate change related disaster risks from wild land fire. The Fynbos Fire project is a global environment facility funded initiative established in 2012. It is managed by United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, and implemented by Landworks through the Department of Environmental Affairs in four rural communities within the Fynbos Biome. The project is aimed at developing sustainable interventions to radically reform the approach to managing wildfires and to implement
strategies to reduce wildfire risks. Firewise community concepts aim to build resilience against destructive unwanted wildfires and focus on preventing damage to people's homes life livelihoods and the landscape surrounding them.
However, I ask you, can we identify or ever read the destruction in the hardship and the bruise that it leaves in the minds of the people it affected? What needs to happen? To address climate change, the current energy system must be overhauled. South Africa is officially committed to a 15% renewable energy target by 2020, but progress on the ground is painfully slow. The current financial crisis should provide an opportunity for all societies to shift to a low carbon economy. The global slowdown is causing job losses and hardship to many, but equally, climate change means that it would be reckless to try to go back to fossil fuel based development pathways that will anyway have to be abandoned soon. This is an opportunity to redevelop economies and create a new industrial revolution that develops and is powered by clean energy technologies. Doing so will create new jobs and a secure future for all that one day we don't be like this.
We calculate that a realistic programme to promote renewable in electricity, biogas, solar heating and biofuels could produce an
extra 1,2 million jobs, direct and indirect, by 2020. That will probably have to change or we will have to move forward. Clean energies also hold out much greater hope that communities that lack electricity from the central grid and who struggle to find fuel for cooking will see their energy needs met. However, getting the policy framework right is critical if we are to realise the potential. With the right framework, both the private sector and new community enterprises will take off and rapidly become a big part of the solution of South Africa's power shortage. The National Energy Regulator, Nersa, is to be congratulated for considering a feed-in tariff scheme to support renewable energy - a tried and tested policy tool. I thank you, hon members. God bless this House. [Applause.] [Time expired.]