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south aFrica’s road

to cop21 aNd the

2015 climate deal

Towards the development of the Intended Natonally Determined Contributons: an analysis of South Africa’s
evoluton from understanding of climate change and policy development to transformaton and implementaton.

The Department of Environmental Afairs is building resilience Policy evoluton
mandated to ensure the protecton of the The department’s response to climate change is In 2011 South Africa hosted
environment and conservaton of natural aimed at efectvely managing inevitable climate the 17th Conference of the
resources, balanced with sustainable change impacts through interventons that build Partes (COP) to the UN
development and the equitable distributon of and sustain South Africa’s social, economic climate conventon. Held in
the benefts derived from natural resources. and environmental resilience and emergency Durban, the meetng was
response capacity. instrumental in building trust
In its quest for beter use and management in the climate negotatons
of the natural environment, the Department In the internatonal space South Africa is afer Copenhagen in 2009.
of Environmental Afairs (DEA) is guided by its willing to make a fair contributon to the
consttutonal mandate, as contained in secton global efort to stabilise greenhouse gas It was at this conference that
24 of the Consttuton. DEA has a climate change (GHG) concentratons in the atmosphere at the Ad Hoc Group on the
branch that is aimed at improving air and a level that avoids dangerous anthropogenic Durban Platorm for Enhanced
atmospheric quality, lead and support, inform, interference with the climate system within a Acton (ADP) decided to launch
monitor and report efcient and efectve tmeframe that enables economic, social and a process to develop a protocol,
internatonal, natonal and signifcant provincial environmental development to proceed in a another legal instrument or an
and local responses to climate change. sustainable manner. agreed outcome with legal

Minister Molewa

COP 17 Legacy project

14 www.rtcc.org