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OVERALL PROGRESS ON CLIMATE CHANGE: MITIGATION AND

ADAPTATION

OCTOBER 2012

FOR PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE MEETING

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Outline1. BACKGROUND

2. PRIORITIES AND POLICY DIRECTIVES FOR PLANNING ADAPTATION RESPONSE

3. CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMMES

4. PROGRESS: CLIMATE RELATED PROJECTS

5. DAFF NEGOTIATION THEMES AND POSITION

6. CONCLUSION

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Background • Scientific observations indicate that the sector in particular the South African agricultural landscape is facing

considerable impacts from climate change; this situation has far reaching implications on livelihoods, trade, job creation and food security.

• This situation is further compounded by the fact that at household level South Africa remains highly vulnerable to food security

• The sector is one of the more sensitive sectors of the South African economy likely to feel any impacts of climate change – both positive and negative - from both food security and livelihoods perspectives.

• Agriculture – source of Green House Gas [GHG] emissions: 4.6% of total net emissions (GHG inventory 2000) mainly from enteric fermentation and manure management; cropland accounting: 3.7% of total net emissions

• Natural forests and woodland ecosystems provide vital ecosystem services and forest goods for the benefit of society as a whole and in particular to neighbouring communities. In the 2000 GHG Inventory forest lands removed about 13 Million tonnes of CO2 , which makes it the single largest sink of greenhouse gasses in the country.

• Both commercial and small-scale recreational fisheries contribute minimally to the South Africa’s GDP (1.8%), however, aquatic living resources have high nutritional value and harvesting thereof contributes to the livelihood of coastal communities.

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Priorities and policy directives for planning adaptation response

Adaptation:

• Adaptation is essential: we cannot prevent climate change altogether, so we must adapt. That means integrating risk reduction strategies into humanitarian and development strategies.

• Currently developing a Climate Change adaptation strategy for the sector, and become practical in enhancing adaptive capacity to climate change

– Access to means of implementation [finance, technology]– Work Programme to deal with ecosystems, sustainable agriculture and livelihoods– Adaptive research, adaptation programmes, early warning systems and

infrastructure, – Enhanced risk management

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Priorities and policy directives for planning adaptation response

Mitigation:

Agriculture a contributor of greenhouse gas emissions:

• Require support to reduce emissions associated with new or continued development.

• As climate change increases weather and climate related natural hazards, conventional disaster management and risk reduction strategies need to implement climate change adaptation and mitigation measures and vice versa in order to approach truly integrative disaster risk reduction.

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Climate Change programmes

• Awareness programme: on-going activity, raise awareness through DAFF structures such as National Agro-meteorological Committee (NAC), Mentorship Action Programmes (MAP), Farmer Days, Land Care programmes etc

• Policy development – already developed Climate Change Sector Plan (CCSP) (to serve as Baseline) & permission granted by DAFF to gazette the plan.

• DAFF currently developing the sector Mitigation and Adaptation Plan (Strategic deliverable 2012/13).

• DAFF conducted a preliminary investigation on Vulnerability Assessment(VA) to Climate Change in the South Western parts of Free State Province – national VA is being planned

• Identify and co-ordinate Climate Change related research projects – assist DAFF i.t.o vulnerability assessments, inform policy development, adaptation & mitigation measures/strategies – make available to producers.

Progress: Climate related projectsProject title Funder/potential

funder Status Objectives/ success factors

Mitigation and Adaptation Plan

DAFF Service provider appointed and service level agreement signed. Meeting held with the service provider to discuss the inception of developing the plan

To develop mitigation and adaptation in the sector

Climate smart agriculture (CSA) awareness and capacity building workshop

DAFF Planned (April 2013 – March 2014)

To share knowledge and implemented projects on Climate Smart Agriculture; develop CSA strategy

Sensitivity of crop suitability in SA to Climate Change

DAFF Service provider (SP) appointed and service level agreement signed. Meeting organized with SP for update

Analyse an ensemble of present day and future climate simulations with the aim to determine the crop suitability of selected crops for the SA region 7

Mitigation and adaptation to climate variability and change in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district (Free State Province, South Africa): Multi-disciplinary approach through an integrated crop-livestock system

DAFF Service provider (SP) appointed and service level agreement signed. Meeting organized with SP for update

The production of bioenergy as a substitute for high GHG emitting sources of energy (capacity building, awareness, Sustainable development benefits; co-benefits of improved quality of life; poverty alleviation & job creation.

Atlas of climate change andthe South African AgriculturalSector: A 2010 perspective

DAFF Completed and distributed to relevant stakeholders

To investigate the first to fourth order impacts of climate change on agriculture.

Agricultural GHG inventory for SA

British High Commission

Completed and distributed to relevant stakeholders

To address the issue of agricultural GHG emissions data unavailability by building the relevant inventory, determining the level of GHG emissions from the agriculture sector as well as building capacity within the DAFF

GHG inventory database British High Commission

being implemented To improve the emissions methodology and data from the sector.

Climate Change Sector Plan

DAFF Submission submitted to request Minister to gazette

to respond to the NCCRS and ensure a sustainable, profitable agricultural sector

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Progress: Climate related projectsProject title Funder/potential

funder Status Objectives/ success factors

National REDD-plus strategy

DAFF/other possible REDD-Plus funding mechanisms

Currently at the pre-readiness phase parallel to outcomes of UNFCCC/ UNCBD REDD-Plus negotiations Identifying the various linkagesCapacity building for REDD-PlusAssessing feasibility of REDD-Plus for South AfricaIn-depth literature review and establishing networks at an international levelDrafting of concept document April 2013 – March 2014Development of national strategy and/or action plan 2014/2015Establishing forest reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels and distributed

To reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation; and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries

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DAFF NEGOTIATION THEMES & POSITION

ITEM STATUS SA POSITION/ DAFF LINKAGES

Agriculture SBSTA agrees to continue

consideration of this agenda

item at its 37th session.

South Africa recognises the

importance of adaptation and

its relative priority compared

to mitigation, the need to

achieve food security and the

importance of technology

transfer. However, this would

best be addressed taking into

account the diversity of

agricultural systems, the

differences in scale and in

accordance with the

principles of the Convention

and actions undertaken

under the Convention should

not jeopardize food security.

Sectoral approaches

discussed under Ad Hoc

Working Group on Long-term

Cooperative Action under the

Convention (AWG-LCA)

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ITEM STATUS SA POSITION/DAFF LINKAGES

Land-use, Land

Use Change and

Forestry

(LULUCF):

LULUCF under the

CDM

In its conclusions, SBSTA initiates its

consideration of the issues related to

LULUCF as referred to in Decision

2/CMP.7 (LULUCF), paragraphs 5, 6, 7

and 10 for reporting on progress to

COP/MOP 8. The SBSTA also invites

parties and observers to submit their views

for compilation by SBSTA 37 on:

Issues related to modalities and

procedures for alternative approaches to

addressing the risk of non-permanence

under the CDM, in accordance with

Decision 2/CMP.7, paragraph 7;

Modalities and procedures for possible

additional LULUCF activities under the

CDM in accordance with Decision

2/CMP.7, paragraph 6; and Issues related

to a more comprehensive accounting of

anthropogenic emissions by sources and

removals by sinks from LULUCF, including

through a more inclusive activity-based

approach or a land-based approach, as

referred to in Decision 2/CMP.7, paragraph

5.

SA will continue to

support the position of

Africans in the

treatment of forest

management (that is,

combining the net-net

accounting with the

reference levels);

stressing the

importance of an

accounting system

that ensures

environmental

integrity (i.e.

transparency,

accuracy,

comparability,

consistency, and

completeness).

It appears that there could be a number

of approaches and concepts within

REDD+, and the linkage between these

and LULUCF accounting rules will need

to be explored in depth in future

meetings.

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ITEM STATUS SA POSITION LINKAGES

Reducing Emissions

from Deforestation and

Forest degradation in

Developing countries

(REDD+)

On the way forward, it was decided that the

secretariat will prepare a technical paper,

as well as efforts to organise the REDD+

workshop before Doha, despite financing

difficulties.

South Africa is of

the view that

REDD+ is an

important

component of

NAMAs.

Consistent with our

general approach

to NAMAs, South

Africa is of the

view that the

specific category

of NAMAs being

discussed under

REDD+ should be

publicly funded.

It appears that there could be a

number of approaches and

concepts within REDD+, and the

linkage between these and LULUCF

accounting rules will need to be

explored in depth in future

meetings.

There is a linkage between REDD-

Plus under the UNFCCC and the

REDD-Plus Environmental and

Social safeguards discussed under

the UNCBD.

Forests in Exhaustion (FIE)

In its conclusions the SBSTA takes note of

the summary report in document

FCCC/SBSTA/2012/MISC.10 and has

agreed to continue consideration of this

agenda item at SBSTA 38.

FiE should not be

considered under

SBSTA

It should either be

shifted from the

SBSTA to

LULUCF under

CDM as a new

activity or

completely be

removed from the

UNFCCC agenda

LULUCF / CDM

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Conclusion• South Africa has insufficient capacity to translate information into knowledge, for farmers to

respond to climate change challenges and at local government level.

• Uncertainties about the extent of climate change impacts make it even more difficult to quantify the levels of vulnerability of different communities.

• Broadened Knowledge Systems need to be integrated with other sciences to maximize benefits from both systems.

• There is a need to translate what is already known regarding climate change (impacts, vulnerabilities, etc) into knowledge that informs policy making

• Awareness of climate change issues by ordinary people could be improved – extension services

• Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management - Climate change mitigation and adaptation have to be harmonized with integrative disaster risk reduction.

• Broadened Knowledge Systems need to be integrated with other sciences to maximize benefits from both systems.

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thank you,