Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon lambasted the government on Friday, and particularly Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, for neglecting the critical issue of climate change.
Writing in his weekly newsletter on the DA website, Leon said climate change was arguably the biggest threat to the planet, evidenced by shrinking glaciers, soaring carbon emissions and, in Africa, the double damnation of both increased floods and droughts in the context of massive desertification.
In South Africa, it was tragic that the issue of climate change had been left in the hands of ”a lightweight like Kortbroek; best remembered for destroying his own political party and receiving a Cabinet job from the ANC as final reward for betraying his own voters”.
In Britain, by contrast, both the Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown had taken the lead on climate change.
”Having commissioned Sir Nicholas Stern’s seminal review of climate change, both Blair and Brown publicly endorsed its
contents.
”Stern’s crucial review shows that, provided necessary steps are taken to tax carbon-rich energy consumption, life on earth can be stabilised over the next two decades without extreme measures or by abandoning growth — a critical issue in terms of poverty alleviation,” Leon said.
The subject was at the top of the agenda in Europe, both in the minds of policymakers and voters, and following the Democrat takeover of the United States Congress this week, House speaker designate Nancy Pelosi, made it clear climate change would receive considerable attention from the newly-constituted body.
”But, in South Africa, we are left with Kortbroek whose only experience of climate change is undermining the climate of multiparty democracy in South Africa.”
While the South African government did launch its Climate Change Response Strategy more than two years ago, the subject had not received the political prominence it deserved.
”It has certainly not succeeded in raising awareness among ordinary South Africans, particularly those who have the ability to make the lifestyle changes necessary to reduce their impact on gas emissions,” he said.
The strategy acknowledged that climate change was an issue spanning the portfolios of several ministries ‒ environment, energy, education, transport, and trade and industry.
”Yet the issue is not prominent on their agendas. The government’s response strategy is in fact painfully generalised, including few specific deadlines, objectives or action steps.”
Greater emphasis needed to be placed by all departments on elevating climate change to the top of their agendas, but this required strong co-ordination from a political leader that could command the respect of other ministers, as well as business leaders.
”Mr Van Schalkwyk commands no respect from his ANC colleagues. He is treated merely with some amusement.
”What we urgently require in South Africa at a political level is leadership.”
The DA would play its part in an issue which was simply too important to be left to the normal partisan divisions characterising much of the political scene.
”Certainly henceforth, the DA will make sure there is a ‘green thread’ running through all our policies and our national and local priorities,” Leon said. – Sapa