Climate summit a 'success overall', says environment minister Barbara Creecy

“As with all COPs, we won some and lost some,” said environment minister Barbara Creecy on Tuesday about the outcome of the climate summit COP27 in Egypt.

The event, which South Africa considers a “major success” overall, ended in overtime on Sunday.

The biggest achievement was the 11th-hour global agreement to set up a loss and damage fund to assist countries hardest hit by the climate crisis.

“It has been a 30-year battle just to get the principle accepted. We have crossed the first hurdle to get it established,” said Creecy, predicting battles at future COPs over who will fund it and who will benefit.

“We are disappointed with the global outcomes on adaptation,” said the minister. Adaptation is how countries will protect themselves against climate change damage, for example, extreme flooding.

SA had a target “to increase the resilience of the global population by 50% by 2030”, but it did not get support, said Creecy.

“There was less appetite from developed countries for a firm work programme on adaptation.

“Making progress on adaptation is important, as the more progress we make, the less loss and damage [there will be] in the long term. We are all living through the climate crisis. Already it is affecting our lives. If you just refer to the floods in April ... everybody knows this.”

The COP27 negotiations between polarised parties from the developed and developing world were extremely tough at the summit and the Egyptian presidency did well, she added. 

“We had a lot of resistance from developed countries on adaptation and loss and damage, so I do feel overall we can be pleased with the progress we made.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa chaired a round-table on just transitions at the summit, pushing for “fundamental transformation and modernisation of the global financial architecture”.

Reforming “the multilateral development banks” so they support sustainable development and just energy transitions are central to this transformation and scaling up climate finance for 2023, said Creecy.

SA will need access to significant finance for its just energy transition, an estimated R1.5-trillion over five years. So far it has raised $8.5bn (about R147bn) in international partnerships.

SA climate activists and lawyers have flagged problems with the just energy transition partnership investment plan, including a lack of consultation and that much of the financing is from loans.

Creecy promised the plan would not go ahead without involving vulnerable workers and communities, and the presidential climate commission would get to work on this consultation now.

Asked about ring-fencing the just energy transition money from corruption, she said there were clear terms and conditions negotiated with Treasury and if goals were not met, the money would not be released.

Creecy said the SA Pavilion at the summit provided a platform for governments and businesses to showcase their plans to implement just energy transitions — and look for global partners — to support SA’s goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

“If you say we can pull off a climate transition without involved emitters, [including Eskom and the transport, mining and manufacturing sectors] ... if you say we can do this without [global partners] ... you are saying the SA taxpayer must foot the bill.”

The minister did not know whether other countries would meet their net zero targets or if the world would be able to keep alive the target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

“The damage will be less severe if we stick to the target,” Creecy said.

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