Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor said yesterday at the COP17 climate-change conference that South Africa wanted to advance scientifically and use the latest technology in the fight against global warming.
"South African scientists have begun developing institutional technology to develop responses to climate change impact.
"It is important that South Africa be a player in a clean technology hub."
Pandor announced that a R9-million fund has been made available to enable 50 young African scientists to participate in a summer school that will run from next year to 2013 to tackle climate change.
Edna Molewa, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister and the leader of the South African delegation to COP17, said yesterday that the host country wanted to breathe life into the Green Climate Fund.
Countries agreed in Cancun, Mexico, last year to create the fund to channel up to $100-billion a year by 2020 to developing countries to help them mitigate, and adapt to the effects of, global climate change.
The setting up of the fund, which is by no means certain, would be one of the most significant outcomes of the summit.
The fund was agreed to as part of the Copenhagen Accord that emerged from COP15 in the Danish capital in 2009. The idea was given further impetus at COP16 in Cancun last year.
A transitional committee was established to determine how the fund could be made operational.
Molewa said it was expected that the fund would start operating in 2018.
"We believe that a lot of good work has been done [at COP17].
"We are confident that we are on track with regards to the operationalisation [sic] of the fund," Molewa said, "[and it is] not only the fund that we want to operationalise, but all other Cancun decisions as well."
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