South Africa reiterated its commitment to the Kyoto Protocol during a bilateral meeting with the United States on climate change this week.
The two day meeting, which ended on Tuesday, explored bilateral co-operation in the field of global climate change.
In a joint statement on Wednesday the two countries said they were committed to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Agreed to in 1992, the UNFCCC set out a framework for action to control or cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The Kyoto Protocol came out of the UNFCCC in 1997. It sets a deadline of 2008-2012 for industrialised signatories to make a reduction in greenhouse gases as compared to the levels that were measured in 1990.
The United States — accounting by itself for a quarter of all pollution — abandoned the protocol in 2001 after US President George Bush took office.
The European Union, which has championed Kyoto after the US walkout, has pledged a reduction of eight percent, which is shared among its 15 members.
The US and South Africa agreed to explore the potential for several joint projects in the spirit of co-operation and partnership under the UNFCCC.
Both countries intend to increase collaborative projects in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, carbon sequestration, clean energy technology, impact assessment and adaptation options, carbon cycle monitoring, and economic modelling.
The countries agreed to continue their bilateral dialogue through a working group. – Sapa