COP21 in Paris is probably the most talked about subject in the Green Economy space during the month of November. The highly anticipated conference which will see world leaders negotiate a legally binding agreement to keep global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius is underway as of the 30th of November to 11th of December 2015. The conference has trended especially on social media with many expressing their views.
President Jacob Zuma and Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa travelled to Paris to join more than 140 heads of states at the COP21. President Zuma previously said in a statement “To be successful, the new agreement must be fair. Fairness would imply respect for the convention’s principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities”. Addressing the delegates at COP21 in Paris, Zuma called upon developed countries to help developing countries in tackling climate change.
In the lead up to the Paris event, a number of people joined the Global Climate March which took place from the 28th of November and 29th of November 2015. This event brought together people around the world to set out their demands. The Cape Town March took place on the 29th November in solidarity with this movement. There were speakers and entertainers – with the event enabling participants to raise their voices about the impacts of climate change – “a call for 100% clean energy in SA”.
The 2nd Biodiversity Economy Indaba was hosted by the Department of Environmental Affairs in Durban from the 5th November to the 7th November 2015 under the theme: ‘Biodiversity is good for business, Business is good for biodiversity’. The Biodiversity Economy Indaba sought to bring together various stakeholders from bioprospecting and wildlife sectors to discuss challenges facing these sectors and trying to find solutions, in a quest to promote the sustainable use of biological resources and how it could promote socio-economic and livelihood support, whilst these activities increase awareness and allocate resources integral for sustainable use of the biodiversity.
Earlier in November, the Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Minister Anton Bredell hosted the 2015 Greenest Municipality Competition on the 2nd November 2015. Hessequa Municipality scooped an award for Greenest Municipality while the Greenest District Municipality was awarded to the Eden District Municipality. The criteria for this annual award include waste management, climate change response, biodiversity & coastal management, water management and conservation, air quality management, leadership, compliance, institutional arrangements and public participation. Minister Bredell congratulated the 2015 winners and participants: “These awards showcase how the Western Cape Government is developing a cleaner and more sustainable future for our children. We want to recognize municipalities that have worked extremely hard to achieve their green economy targets. They are an example to us all.”
Meanwhile Government and other parties have continued to convey the ‘Save Water’ message across all South Africans, and provided support in areas of critical demand following devastating drought and drastic rise in temperatures. We need to be aware of the fact that sustainable long-term economic growth relies on the integrity of our biodiversity assets and natural systems. While pursuing South Africa's developmental pathway, a shared vision of sustainability has emerged and must continue to hold as a strong driver of industry values and societal behaviour.