Does climate change feature on your political parties’ agenda? 

With Copenhagen being the hottest topic right now, the South African community is hoping for a demonstration of real leadership from the ANC. But what about the other politcal parties? We have drawn a comparison of the stance that the ANC, DA, COPE and ID take on climate change. If you are concerned about the future, supporting a political party with the most sustainable action plan should be a priority.

ANC: The ANC manifesto outlines the ANC’s focus with regards to climate change being mainly around ‘green jobs’, employment in industries that mitigate the effects of climate change. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are two of the industries specifically mentioned for job creation. The Alliance Summit in November 2009 agreed that our energy mix must contribute to our international obligations to promote a cleaner environment and mitigate the effects of climate change. The alliance has committed to conducting energy efficiency campaigns and to promote the use of alternative energy sources in society.
   

DA: The Democtratic Alliance (DA) manifesto contains sections on climate change and energy. In the climate change section focus is on the following areas: carbon sequestration, sectoral targets for energy efficiency, adaptation to extreme weather events, increased investment in water infrastructure and community education on adapting to climate change with a focus on the field of agriculture. In the energy section, DA aims to generate 15% of energy from alternative sources by 2020. To achieve this, the focus is on tariff support for renewable energy, the installation of 1 million solar water heaters by 2014 and on making increased energy efficiency a matter of national priority. In addition to these areas, the DA manifesto also outlines actions with regards to Water management, Fisheries and Oceans management as well as the protection of Biodiversity and the need for sustainable development.
   

COPE: The COPE manifesto states that COPE wants to further expand the Expanded Public Works Programme to include the “creation of work to clean and green the environment”. Cope has a focus on ensuring sustainable development and believes economic growth and sustainability go hand in hand. Specific mention is made of the following: natural gas, solar, wind, hydro and sea as sources of cleaner power generation; use of cleaner coal to generate power; encourage the recycling of water, paper, metal, plastic and other consumables; encourage organic farming and other natural methods of production that do not harm the environment;
   

ID: The ID manifesto contains sections on a Sustainable Energy Future as well as Solutions for our environment. In the Sustainable Energy section, the ID proposes energy efficiency campaigns and fast tracking renewable energy projects as solutions, and rejects the building of more nuclear power stations. Specific mention is made of the following: opening up the electricity grid to Independent Power Producers; Set realistic feed-in tariffs for renewable energy; position SA as a world leader in solar energy; pull the plug on the pebble bed modular reactor; invest in clean coal technology; implement a comprehensive and well funded electrification programme. In Solutions for our environment, the focus is on sustainability. Specific mention is made of the following: Establishment of a Ministry of Sustainable Development; Reducing air pollution; Reducing greenhouse gas emissions; combating desertification; more land for conservation and ecotourism; support for small scale farmers; confronting the dangers of GMO’s; promoting recycling; demand side management for water;  improving water quality and the installation of biogas digesters to deal with sewerage.