Melanie Gosling
Environment Writer
SOUTH Africa’s lack of ambition in cutting greenhouse gas emissions has come under fire for setting the country up to fail in meeting its international obligations to keep the global temperature increase below 2ºC.
Environmental groups have said the country had already overshot the date on which it ought to have reached a peak in carbon emissions, and be on a path of decreasing them.
They say the government’s latest statement of intent regarding cutting emissions was “vague and defensive”.
Tasneem Essop, head of the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) international delegation on climate change, said it was understandable that South Africa wanted to leave “negotiating flexibility” for the upcoming UN climate talks in Paris in December, particularly as developed economies such as Canada, Australia and Japan were failing to do their bit in cutting emissions.
“But other developing countries, who can ill-afford it, are doing more. It is time for Africa’s powerhouse to do the same,” Essop said.
As a signatory to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), South Africa is required to submit its target to the international body well before the crucial Paris climate talks.
Louise Naudé, of WWF South Africa, said since South Africa had first tabled its greenhouse gas reduction targets in 2010, there had been a steady erosion of the amount the country was aiming at.
The country should have restricted itself to emitting only 17.8 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 2010 and 2050. However, the national policy had already increased to 23 billion tons. “And even that is being contested domestically,” Naudé said.
To keep below the 2ºC, South Africa’s global share of emissions should not go above 14 billion tons.
“Having already overshot our path to ‘peak’ emissions, we need to come down faster and more sharply, not to keep on giving ourselves more slack (or) let it conveniently be recalculated, allowing big emitters and other special interest groups to avoid their obligations.”
Tristen Taylor, of Earthlife Africa, said there was a “big disconnect” between South Africa’s UNFCCC obligations and what the country did on the ground.
“There are nine new coal plants being built by independent power producers. Environmental Affairs, adjudicating the environmental impact assessments, isn’t even asking ‘How does this fit into our carbon budget?’ ” Taylor said.
The Department of Environmental Affairs has yet to respond to requests for comment.