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South Africa: Think Globally, Act Locally
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Business Day (Johannesburg)
EDITORIAL
25 July 2008
Posted to the web 25 July 2008
Johannesburg
THE financial, food-price and energy-cost crises reverberating around the world is clear evidence of just how inextricably connected the inhabitants of the global village are. The same applies to the environment and climate change.
By adding his voice to the emerging economies' condemnation of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialised nations' undertakings on greenhouse gas emissions, Environment and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk ignores that fact.
While it may be true that the G-8 produces 62% of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide accumulated in the atmosphere, and that it arguably makes them the main culprit of climate change, the point is not helpful. The fact is that climate change is inevitable, and try as the world might, emissions control will, at best, retard the onset of catastrophic global warming by a few years.
Those years may well be precious, but they will not be won by the G-8's efforts alone. All the world's nations are in the same environmental boat; to insist on a doubtful notion of fair play when what is needed is the maximum effort from all people - however disproportionate - may be morally defensible, but it will be environmental and economic folly.
That, unfortunately, has also become the environment ministry's stock in trade. In the first instance, SA is not nearly doing what it can to reduce its carbon footprint, which makes Van Schalkwyk's argument as hypocritical as that of the G-8. Besides, as an advanced developing economy SA is in a good position to establish sound farming and industrial practices now instead of having to reverse poor decisions later.
More importantly, however, is that SA adopts practices that will permit adaptation to the inevitable effects of climate change. That means the country's water and soil resources need to be protected - a duty in which the government has failed dismally so far.
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Environmentalists of the 1960s had a saying that went, "Think globally, act locally." It has never been more appropriate than now.
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