Climate Action 2011-2012

developing countries today. The foreword noted that “the
present drags the past in its wake. For developing countries,
the objectives of future sustainability are inexorably bound
together with the pressing need to attain a sustainable
present grounded in economic growth. The enhanced
capacity of governments, innovation, the formation
of domestic skills and construction capability are all
fundamental to the infrastructure that will unlock economic
growth and an attack on poverty, hunger and disease.”
Together with many other influential pieces of work,
Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction in Developing
Countries influenced a wide range of stakeholders on the
pressing challenges of climate change adaptation and
mitigation.
The South African government’s position on climate
change mitigation has been shaped by the Long Term
Mitigation Scenarios (LTMS) that were commissioned by
the South African Cabinet in March 2006 to examine the
potential for mitigation of South Africa’s greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions. The process was led by what was then
the Department of Environment and Tourism under the
auspices of an LTMS Scenario Building Team comprising of
government, business and civil society. The LTMS informed
the Cabinet’s climate change position, and President Zuma
announced South Africa’s position at the UN Climate
Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.
While government leadership
is fundamental, mitigation and
adaptation will ultimately be driven
by a public-private partnership.
South Africa’s climate change mitigation position was also
captured in the Department of Water and Environment
Affairs’ National Climate Change Response Green Paper
of 2010, namely that subject to international support
“South Africa will follow a peak, stabilisation and decline
greenhouse gas trajectory over the next 60 years. This will
mean that emissions will peak during the period 2025 to
2035, will stabilise until the 2050 to 2060 period and will
then decline”.
The Green Paper sets out the South African’s strategy for
both mitigation and adaptation. Significantly, it notes that
“... although there will be costs associated with South Africa’s
greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts, there will also
be significant short- and long-term social and economic
benefits, including improved international competitiveness
that will result from a transition to a low carbon economy.
Furthermore, these costs will be far less than the costs of
delay and inaction.”
The LTMS recognises the important role of buildings
in meeting these GHG mitigation targets, and the role
of buildings in GHG mitigation in South Africa was
further examined in the 2009 UNEP-SBCI/CIDB report
Greenhouse Gas Emission Potentials from Buildings in South
Africa; A Discussion Document. In line with international
and local experience, this document highlights, among other
things, the need for:
• Prioritising the building sector;
• A national focus on the building sector – a public-private
partnership for climate change in the building sector;
• Translating intent into action;
• Focusing on retrofitting, and;
• Government to lead by example.
While government leadership is fundamental in addressing
climate change mitigation and adaptation in any country,
mitigation and adaptation will ultimately be driven by a
public-private partnership. And this is particularly true
in the building sector, which involves a whole range of
stakeholders in the delivery, operation, maintenance and
demolition of buildings.
Green BuildinG CounCil ratinGs
South Africa is fortunate to have strong leadership by both
government and the business sector – supported by a civil
society that is awakening to the challenges of climate change.
Although possibly lagging the pace of implementation in
some overseas countries, the business sector in South Africa
has begun to embrace the challenges of climate change –
including in the building and property sector. Many of
the leading property developers and building owners are
actively pursuing strategies to reduce the environmental
impact of their buildings, and the impact of the products
used in the operation of their buildings. This is clearly
illustrated in South Africa by the South African Property
Owners Association (SAPOA) that helped establish the
Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). The
response to the GBCSA and its Green Star SA rating tools
has probably exceeded all expectations, and the GBCSA has
seen an exponential growth in applications for buildings to
be rated since the launch of the GBCSA in 2007. To date,
Sharing green building experiences.
© GBCSA
165 climateactionprogramme.org