1. Climate Change: Towards COP 21
Portfolio Committee
September 2015
Climate Change and Air Quality

2. COMPETING ARCHITECHTURE PARADIGMS IN GLOBAL NEGOTIATIONS
A top-down Kyoto-style agreement driven by the requirements of science
A bottom-up style driven by a pledge and review
system
Multilateral commitments, with inclusive and equitable participation
Internationally legally binding on all Parties
Common multilaterally agreed rules and criteria
Level of ambition is informed by science (but also accounting for national circumstance and priorities)
Unilateral and self-determined pledged domestic targets, policies and measures
Domestically legal commitments
Domestically determined rules and criteria
Ambition is informed by national priorities and circumstances
“Internationalised” through reporting and review procedures

3. From Durban to Paris Paris COP 21 Lima COP 20 Warsaw COP 19
INDC: To clarify legal status and its r/ship to the 2015 agreement
To develop a Protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the convention applicable to all -
African COP
Trust building COP •
Establish the 2nd commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol
Platform for all key stakeholders to discuss and agree
Launching the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP)
Doha COP 18
Warsaw COP 19
Lima COP 20
Doha Amendment to the Kyoto protocol is established
Reinforced INDC
Agreed on upfront information for mitigation
Agreed to include adaptation undertaking as component of the INDC
Agreed on LIMA call for Climate Action
ADP Decision that incites parties to initiate or intensify
Domestic preparations for INDC (National homework) and accelerate full implementation
Of the BAP and Pre 2020 ambition
Durban COP 17
Paris COP 21
Durban COP 17 - Provided an historic opportunity for reconciling the 2 competing paradigms, with participation of all countries.
Durban Platform agreement to conclude the negotiation of a future global legal agreement by 2015, applicable to all, coming into effect by 2020
Applicable to all, covering mitigation, adaptation, means of implementation, and transparency requirements.
Agreement on 2nd Commitment Period of Kyoto Protocol.

4. SA’s Position in UNFCCC negotiations
Underlying principles of South African position
Balancing environmental integrity and development goals
Ensure implementation of commitment already agreed
Parity between adaptation and mitigation

5. South Africans expectations for the 2015 agreement
SA’s Expectations
Multilateral Rules & Legal binding
Adequacy below 2 degrees
Transition to low emissions and climate reliance
Fulfilment of article 2 objectives of the convention
Equal priority to adaptation and mitigation with (MoI)
Inclusive, fair (CBDR), and effective

6. Summary of SA Position for COP21(1)
ADP Agreement should:
Be under the Convention, and in accordance with its principles and provisions in particular the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities and equity;
Be consistent with science and equity, and further enhance a multilateral rules based system in a balanced and ambitious manner;
Provide legal parity between mitigation and adaptation; and
ensure mitigation ambition keeps the world on track for global temperature increase that is well below 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.
Pre-2020 Workstream II – part of Durban mandate should receive equal priority;
Parties to UNFCCC should urgently ratify the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol (KP2);
Developed countries not participating in KP 2 to fulfil their obligation under the Convention.

7. Summary of SA Position for COP21(2)
SBs Thematic Area:
Adaptation
South Africa will insist on the operationalization of the global responsibility for adaptation, through a global goal for adaptation that enhances the implementation of adaptation commitments, which takes into account adaptation investments by developing countries, adaptation needs and costs including support.
Mitigation
South Africa calls for enhancement of mitigation ambition, in accordance with the provisions and principles of the Convention with a view to achieving the 1.5 or 2 degree Celsius target. Developed country Parties to lead and provide finance.
Response Measure
South Africa’s position is that we should maintain the forum on response measures and also calls for the establishment of a mechanism to avoid and minimize the negative economic and social consequences of response measures taken by developed country Parties on developing country Parties, and in particular to address policy issues of concern, such as unilateral measures.

8. Summary of SA Position for COP21(3)
SBs Thematic Area:
Finance
South Africa support Africa’s call that the 2015 agreement should also spell out the support from developed countries to the developing countries as stipulated in the Convention.
It is also important that the capitalization of the Green Climate Fund be continued in the pre-2020 period to fill the finance gap that currently exists. The GCF is supposed to mobilise $100 billion per annum from 2020 onwards. It is important to advocate the yearly targets for the capitalization of the GCF.
The COP also has to resolve the issue of sources and scale of finance for the post 2020 period.
Capacity Building
South Africa has called for the establishment of the international capacity-building mechanism that can ensure coherence of this cross-cutting issue, whilst facilitating implementation of adaptation and mitigation in developing countries.
The international capacity-building mechanism under this agreement should be supported through the Financial and Technology mechanisms under the Convention and be linked to adaptation-related institutions.

9. Intended Nationally Determined Contributions
Adaptation
Mitigation
Means of Implementation
Equity
INDC
INDCs are the pledges countries will put forward early next year saying what they plan to do about climate change.
form the basis for the Paris talks in December 2015
Each INDC will outline the steps countries plan to make to reduce emissions
They might also address adaptation plans, and the support they need from—or will provide—other countries
All this reflects a shift towards a more bottom-up approach to global climate policy. Rather than attempt to impose an apparently more top-down agreement based on scientific reports, the idea is to allow the countries themselves to state what they are currently willing to offer.