A year ago, as the Covid-19 pandemic was just unfolding, few could have anticipated that it would remain our most urgent challenge today.
Now at least, thanks to the brilliance of scientists around the world, including here in SA, and to the unprecedented investments poured into vaccine development and into an international mechanism, Covax, to buy and distribute vaccines, we have reason to hope that we can learn to manage in a world with Covid-19.But the bigger long-term challenge, which we still need to come together and deal with, if our children and grandchildren are to enjoy a secure future, is climate change.
When the UK chaired the UN Security Council last month, we elected to put the climate emergency at the top of the agenda.
Sir David Attenborough was one of the speakers invited to join a special session, where he warned the Security Council that the next big UN climate change gathering, the so-called COP 26, which the UK will host in Glasgow in November, is perhaps “the last opportunity to make the necessary change” to save the planet.
The good news is that the world did not press pause on climate action in 2020. On December 11, the leaders of 75 countries came forward at the virtual Climate Ambition Summit hosted by the UK and France with new commitments. Carbon neutrality targets now cover countries representing 65% of global CO emissions, and 70% of the world’s economy.
The UK committed to reduce emissions by at least 68% by 2030 on 1990 levels. But as the UN secretary-general warned last week, we are still not collectively doing enough to keep us on track to achieve the goal set in Paris in 2015 of limiting the average global temperature rise to 1.5% by the end of this century. So as we approach Glasgow, we hope to see more countries, like SA, coming forward with new, more ambitious, commitments.
The global context is more promising. The new US administration has rejoined the Paris Agreement. Investors are looking for green growth projects, and the race is on to benefit from the global green transition. China installed more than 70GW of new wind power last year.
Vietnam installed 9GW of solar power in 2020, and India is busy developing 450GW of renewable energy by 2030. The private sector is also committing in an unprecedented way. Jaguar and Ford are among the latest manufacturers to pledge to electrify their full range of vehicles.
Over 1,400 companies have joined “The Race to Zero”, a global club of companies committing to zero emissions. Here, we welcome President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership on climate action. In his state of the nation address, he confirmed that SA is “working to fulfil our commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement, which include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions”, and highlighted Eskom’s commitment to become a net zero company by 2050.
We welcome President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership on climate action. In his state of the nation address, he confirmed that SA is 'working to fulfil our commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement'
We welcome the formation of the Presidential Commission on Climate Change, and the submission of SA’s Low Emissions Development Strategy, which refers to a journey towards a net zero target.
We look forward to the launch of the next round of the renewable energy independent power production programme. And we are proud to support the National Business Initiative’s work with leading CEOs to map out “Just Transition” pathways for SA’s economy, which can help it remain internationally competitive as the world changes.
The UK wants to support SA along this journey. We’re convinced SA has the potential to compete successfully for new international investments in the green economy. The renewable energy sector alone presents an enormous opportunity to attract investment and to plug SA’s energy gap at least cost and greatest speed.
November’s UN conference in Glasgow is a great opportunity for SA to present a sustainable vision for its future to the global development and investment community.
The UK is providing R4bn in international climate finance to SA, supporting big projects like Eskom’s battery storage rollout and the repurposing of coal-fired power plants decommissioned in the coming years.
We’ve established a new technical assistance, our new R680m UK Partnering on Accelerating Climate Transition programme (UK PACT) to help support green jobs in Mpumalanga; build just transition pathways; work with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to prepare local innovation for investment; grow the potential of green finance; prepare the ground for electric vehicle development; and support the nascent hydrogen economy.
We are far from being alone in offering this sort of practical and financial support to SA, with many other European friends of this country doing the same. It may be a long walk to a carbon-neutral future, but SA will not walk it alone.
• Casey is British high commissioner to SA
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