OPINION
For the past 24 global leaders have met to discuss climate change only to come up with policies and resolutions with different acronyms. Right now, the excitement is about the Paris Rule book, which we hope will be a guideline for Paris Agreement implementation. But should we as young people have the same kind of excitement?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 1.5 special report warns that we have only 12 years before we het to a point of climatic changes that will be irreversible, meaning they become permanent. As a young person in my 20s I would be worried because the number 12 is very key for out livelihood.
12 years from now if you are in your 20s you will be around 30 to mean some will have started families or probably settled down in jobs in various sectors like the government, the private sectors and the CSO sectors. But I cannot help to wonder how "Climate Resilient" our young people are. Do they know that the fact that the world has admitted that it may not meet the 100 billion dollar target will affect them far much beyond than they can imagine.
The confession by the Standing committee on finance to only meet the 60% of the funds translated that there will be more hardships for your people up ahead. It is evident that the climatic conditions will get worse but it is also evident that the kind of decisions the young people will have to make as the next decision makers in the next 12 years will be even harder.
Mr. Antonio Guterres the Secretary General to the UNFCCC said as I quote, "The older generation are behaving badly" while this should not deter the efforts being made but it is clear that the pattern we have been using over the past 24 years are clearly not working. As a young person I fell it is time for not just action but double climate actions.
The older generation has had the luxury of banking on the principle of "Common but differentiated Responsibilities" where our developing world claims not to be at par with the developed world thus more responsibility falls on the developed world. I feel we need to look at this principle from a youth perspective where the older generation irregardless of whether or not are developed or not need to own up to the fact that they have more responsibility to sefaguard a future for we the younger generation. More responsibility because they have longer experience and they were present when things were abit better therefore they ought to have safeguarded the environment. As a young people "Double Climate Action" need to not only protect the environment but buffer us from the foreseen tough decisions that wait us ahead.
OPINION
For the past 24 global leaders have met to discuss climate change only to come up with policies and resolutions with different acronyms. Right now, the excitement is about the Paris Rule book, which we hope will be a guideline for Paris Agreement implementation. But should we as young people have the same kind of excitement?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 1.5 special report warns that we have only 12 years before we het to a point of climatic changes that will be irreversible, meaning they become permanent. As a young person in my 20s I would be worried because the number 12 is very key for out livelihood.
12 years from now if you are in your 20s you will be around 30 to mean some will have started families or probably settled down in jobs in various sectors like the government, the private sectors and the CSO sectors. But I cannot help to wonder how "Climate Resilient" our young people are. Do they know that the fact that the world has admitted that it may not meet the 100 billion dollar target will affect them far much beyond than they can imagine.
The confession by the Standing committee on finance to only meet the 60% of the funds translated that there will be more hardships for your people up ahead. It is evident that the climatic conditions will get worse but it is also evident that the kind of decisions the young people will have to make as the next decision makers in the next 12 years will be even harder.
Mr. Antonio Guterres the Secretary General to the UNFCCC said as I quote, "The older generation are behaving badly" while this should not deter the efforts being made but it is clear that the pattern we have been using over the past 24 years are clearly not working. As a young person I fell it is time for not just action but double climate actions.
The older generation has had the luxury of banking on the principle of "Common but differentiated Responsibilities" where our developing world claims not to be at par with the developed world thus more responsibility falls on the developed world. I feel we need to look at this principle from a youth perspective where the older generation irregardless of whether or not are developed or not need to own up to the fact that they have more responsibility to sefaguard a future for we the younger generation. More responsibility because they have longer experience and they were present when things were abit better therefore they ought to have safeguarded the environment. As a young people "Double Climate Action" need to not only protect the environment but buffer us from the foreseen tough decisions that wait us ahead.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (PAMACC News) - The green energy sector, water, climate smart food systems and low carbon constructions for human settlements are some of key priority areas for private sector investments that will support South Africa’s climate change outcomes, according to new study released on 10th January 2019 on the sidelines of the Partnership for Action on the Green Economy (PAGE) Ministerial Conference.
The study released by the Southern Africa Climate Finance Partnership (SACFP), with support from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) further points out that investment in waste recycling and management, where the waste materials are converted into energy such as biogas is also another priority area for investment for positive climate outcomes.
“[This] study is important because it seeks to build on the existing body of knowledge pertaining to the mobilisation of private sector finance for climate change action,” said Mohamed Allie Ebrahim, the lead author of the study on’ the potential private sector investment priorities that support South Africa’s climate change outcomes.’
“Moreover, [the study] provides broad recommendations on how to enhance efforts to mobilise private sector finance at scale through leveraging the concessionality of the Green Climate Fund’s financial instruments within South Africa,” said Ebrahim in a statement.
The importance of private sector funding in achieving national climate change response actions is further recognised in South Africa’s National Climate Change Response Policy (NCCRP).
However, appropriate and innovative climate finance mechanisms are required to catalyse and scale private sector finance for low-carbon climate-resilient development.
The 123 page document points at the use of market aggregator mechanism to create scale, pool risk, reduce costs and improve project viability as one of the selected innovative climate finance mechanisms and/or concepts that can be used.
Another innovative mechanism identified is the use of funding solutions that address the upfront infrastructure finance gap, by introducing credit-worthy third-party owners and or operators of infrastructure who, in turn, enter into long-term contracts with end-users - among many other mechanisms.
It further explored the possibility of establishing a South African Climate Finance Lab, similar to the Brazil Lab or India Lab, which serves as a mechanism for identifying and incubating standalone high-impact, transformative projects.
It called for a sustained capacity building with respect to project development, project finance and project implementation, especially at the sub-national level (municipalities, local project developers and financial institutions), including enabling environment support, policy advocacy and technical assistance including understanding the role of Executing Entities under the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
In South Africa, the energy sector is the single largest contributor to the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions (81.7% in 2012). Despite the significant increase in renewable energy to the national energy mix from 2000 to 2012, the overall carbon intensity of the national energy system remained fairly constant.
However, the government has committed to its shared responsibility for responding to climate change, through the ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
In terms of South Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions, South Africa has committed to a GHG emission trajectory that peaks between 2020 and 2025, plateau for approximately a decade (until 2035) and begin declining in absolute terms thereafter.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (PAMACC News) - The green energy sector, water, climate smart food systems and low carbon constructions for human settlements are some of key priority areas for private sector investments that will support South Africa’s climate change outcomes, according to new study released on 10th January 2019 on the sidelines of the Partnership for Action on the Green Economy (PAGE) Ministerial Conference.
The study released by the Southern Africa Climate Finance Partnership (SACFP), with support from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) further points out that investment in waste recycling and management, where the waste materials are converted into energy such as biogas is also another priority area for investment for positive climate outcomes.
“[This] study is important because it seeks to build on the existing body of knowledge pertaining to the mobilisation of private sector finance for climate change action,” said Mohamed Allie Ebrahim, the lead author of the study on’ the potential private sector investment priorities that support South Africa’s climate change outcomes.’
“Moreover, [the study] provides broad recommendations on how to enhance efforts to mobilise private sector finance at scale through leveraging the concessionality of the Green Climate Fund’s financial instruments within South Africa,” said Ebrahim in a statement.
The importance of private sector funding in achieving national climate change response actions is further recognised in South Africa’s National Climate Change Response Policy (NCCRP).
However, appropriate and innovative climate finance mechanisms are required to catalyse and scale private sector finance for low-carbon climate-resilient development.
The 123 page document points at the use of market aggregator mechanism to create scale, pool risk, reduce costs and improve project viability as one of the selected innovative climate finance mechanisms and/or concepts that can be used.
Another innovative mechanism identified is the use of funding solutions that address the upfront infrastructure finance gap, by introducing credit-worthy third-party owners and or operators of infrastructure who, in turn, enter into long-term contracts with end-users - among many other mechanisms.
It further explored the possibility of establishing a South African Climate Finance Lab, similar to the Brazil Lab or India Lab, which serves as a mechanism for identifying and incubating standalone high-impact, transformative projects.
It called for a sustained capacity building with respect to project development, project finance and project implementation, especially at the sub-national level (municipalities, local project developers and financial institutions), including enabling environment support, policy advocacy and technical assistance including understanding the role of Executing Entities under the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
In South Africa, the energy sector is the single largest contributor to the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions (81.7% in 2012). Despite the significant increase in renewable energy to the national energy mix from 2000 to 2012, the overall carbon intensity of the national energy system remained fairly constant.
However, the government has committed to its shared responsibility for responding to climate change, through the ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
In terms of South Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions, South Africa has committed to a GHG emission trajectory that peaks between 2020 and 2025, plateau for approximately a decade (until 2035) and begin declining in absolute terms thereafter.
