The British High Commission in Pretoria teamed up with a European Union (EU) delegation‚ German‚ Danish‚ French and US embassies‚ on Wednesday to mark Climate Diplomacy Day‚ and to promote their core climate messages to a South African audience.
The event was hosted by University of South Africa (Unisa) and attracted a full crowd looking to engage on the theme of "Why We Cannot Fail: Road towards a Climate Change Agreement in Paris".
Unisa’s vice-principal Prof Divya Sinch emphasised the importance of climate action from a societal and business standpoint. She stressed the need for urgent action to prevent dangerous climate change: “the future is now”.
EU‚ French and German representatives used the platform to stress the need for global climate action‚ the importance of the Paris Conference of the Parties and to convey EU unity on the agenda.
In her speech‚ British High Commissioner to South Africa‚ Judith Macgregor‚ called for an ambitious deal in Paris‚ explained the steps being taken by the UK (including on renewables)‚ and highlighted the UK’s climate-related projects in South Africa‚ including via the Prosperity Fund.
A subsequent panel discussion included Simon Cardy from the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation‚ Louise Naude from the World Wildlife Fund‚ Xolisa Ngwadla from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and a postgraduate student from Unisa.
Cardy positioned SA as the leading African nation (and one of the leading emerging economies) pressing for an ambitious deal‚ with a strong emphasis on a deal being legally binding: there could be no place for a “go it alone system”.
Naude was moderately positive about South Africa’s climate credentials but urged SA to match rhetoric to reality and decommission all coal plants‚ as well as rule out shale gas and nuclear.
RDM News Wire.
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