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Cape Town - Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa will in the coming week present cabinet with South Africa's climate change plan ahead of the United Nations convention on climate change to be held in Paris, France from November 30 to December 11.
The climate change plan is South Africa's contribution to a new climate change deal to be agreed in Paris. The new agreement will come into effect in 2020 and will force countries to lower their greenhouse gas emissions.
Speaking at a climate change lecture at the University of Johannesburg on Monday night, Molewa said the country is finalising a consultation process with labour, business and civil society on the climate change plan and would make a submission to the convention before the October 1 deadline. She said she would present the plan to cabinet in the coming week.
"The multilateral agreement that will be concluded at the Paris negotiations in December must be ambitious, fair and effective, and must facilitate the transition to a low carbon and climate resilient future," she said.
As countries put final touches to their respective plans, commonly known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, the polarised position between developing and developed countries has come to the fore.
Developing countries such as South Africa are calling on the developed world - the US and Europe - to play a bigger role in curbing climate change.
Developed countries should not only take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also spearhead support for climate change activities in developing countries, said Molewa.
She said it is worrisome that there is no indication of the support developing countries would receive for their climate change steps after 2020.
"On the matter of post-2020 scale of support, we believe that as a minimum, developed countries should communicate their support undertakings for the period 2020 to 2030, even if only at indicative levels at this stage," Molewa said.
In 2009, South Africa committed to lower carbon emissions by 42% by 2025.
