Minister Dion George: G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG)

Delegates from G20 Member countries
Delegates from invited countries
Delegates from International Organisations
Ladies and Gentlemen

A warm welcome to you all!

I am excited to welcome you to this first meeting of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group under the South African Presidency.

As the international community, together, we committed ourselves to the ambitious agenda to end poverty and hunger, to protect our planet, to achieve universal education and health coverage, and to promote decent work and sustainable economic growth, by adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals.

We are less than five years away from our deadline to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the end of this critical decade for climate action. Yet we still far from our goals and action targets. Poverty levels are worsening, and CO2 emissions reached record highs last year. This calls for an urgent acceleration of our efforts. Our commitment to achieve these goals must not waver. That is why South Africa has placed solidarity, equality and sustainability at the centre of our G20 Presidency.

South Africa strives to champion and fast-track action in the pursuit of a just transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient and inclusive society, and lead by example. Our national Climate Change Act was proclaimed into force last week, laying the ground for ambitious climate action domestically. The rollout of renewable energy has materially accelerated over the past few years, driving the decarbonisation of South Africa’s energy system, while the implementation of Expanded Producer Responsibility schemes and circular economy initiatives is improving waste management.

The task remains immense. Poverty, unemployment, hunger, inequality, environmental degradation and climate change are but a few of the complex and interconnected issues facing the world today. The complexity of these issues, and their fundamental interdependency, as well as the increasingly global nature of market, finance, trade and technology frameworks. We thus reiterate the critical role of multilateralism in addressing these complexities, and South Africa’s very strong support for multilateralism. In October this year, the United Nations will have been in existence for 80 years. The birth of the United Nations saw the birth of an inclusive world order based on solidarity and inclusiveness. These virtues are an essential basis to address the climate and development crises.

South Africa’s G20 Presidency has outlined an ambitious agenda for this working group. The five inter-related priorities of the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group provide us with an opportunity to address multiple complexities within this context, while advancing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

These priorities have been carefully chosen. They build on the successes and key outcomes of the previous G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group presidencies, particularly those of Brazil, India and Indonesia, and are also aligned to the objectives contained in the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Africa We Want, the blueprint for the Continent’s sustainable development.

The first priority area, Biodiversity and Conservation, focuses on sharing experiences on the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans and their role in effectively realising the aspirations and ambition of the Global Biodiversity Framework. Indeed, the G20 can play a crucial part in halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, aiming for a ‘nature-positive world’ for the benefit of people and the planet. Building on the Brazilian Presidency’s Initiative on Bioeconomy, this priority area will also deal with the role of the bioeconomy, nature and wildlife economy in contributing to livelihoods of communities. Here, we recognise the critical role of traditional and indigenous communities in biodiversity stewardship and anti-poaching, as a foundation for sustainable livelihoods.

The second priority area is Land Degradation, Desertification and Drought. It is recognised that achieving land degradation neutrality requires three concurrent actions, namely avoiding new degradation of land by maintaining existing healthy land; reducing existing degradation by adopting sustainable land management and regenerative practices that can slow degradation while increasing biodiversity, soil health, and food production; and ramping up efforts to restore and return degraded lands to a natural or more productive state. Importantly, we aim to navigate these complex transitions in respect of the rights of landholders, especially of marginalised, traditional and indigenous communities.

The third priority focuses on Chemicals and Waste Management, which includes the sub-priorities of Sustainable Chemicals Management; the Circular Economy; Waste Management; Waste to Energy; and Extended Producer Responsibility implementation. The G20 can notably support the development of a legally binding international treaty to combat plastic pollution, as agreed at the United Nations Environment Assembly in 2022. This priority area recognises, inter alia, the importance of promoting and increasing capacity for the circular economy as a regenerative system designed to minimise resource input, waste, emissions, and energy loss by promoting activities such as design for longevity, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing, and recycling.

Furthermore, the continued and growing global demand for, and supply and use of, pesticides and industrial chemicals, as well as mounting waste from rapid increase in critical minerals mining and processing present a significant health and environmental risk if poorly managed. This is an issue which this Working Group is well-positioned to address.

The fourth priority area is on Climate Change and Air Quality, with a focus on the Just Transition and adaptation and loss and damage in the context of climate resilient- and low greenhouse gas emissions development, and the required climate finance to facilitate such development. The urgency of climate action and the provision of the requisite support, on mitigation and adaptation, as well as loss and damage, cannot be overstated. The G20 process provides an opportunity to deliberate on and agree steps to accelerate climate action and support at the required scale reflected in the outcome of the first global stocktake.

As a primary outcome of our G20 Presidency this year, South Africa will explore ways that the G20 can leverage opportunities to increase the scale and flows of climate finance, critical to enable the Just Transition, mitigation and adaptation efforts, whilst ensuring that the required investments reach the most vulnerable of society. It is paramount for developing economy countries to be actively supported in their efforts to achieve ‘whole of society and whole of economy’ just transitions to sustainable development on the ground, through scaled access to low-cost finance, technology and skills.

It is also increasingly recognised that many people across the globe are exposed to unhealthy and often deadly levels of air pollution, and that the impacts of air pollution extend beyond health - affecting climate, biodiversity, ecosystems and economic development. This is also a key issue which needs to be addressed, and to which this Working Group can contribute. There are very extensive synergies between decarbonization and the improvement of air quality.

The final priority area is on Oceans and Coasts, which focuses on the importance of Marine Spatial Planning as an integrated approach to improving the rational planning, management and governance of the ocean space and marine resources. Marine Spatial Planning is also critical as a resilience investment, to protect people and critical infrastructure from a climate change-driven increase in extreme weather events. More broadly, the Blue Economy approach can make a significant contribution to the livelihood of coastal communities around the globe as well as addressing climate change. Its sustainable, long-term development should be promoted and enhanced through collective action at the level of the G20. It is also recognised that plastic pollution poses a significant threat to coastal and marine environments, affecting marine life, human health, and livelihoods, which needs to be addressed in an integrated and coordinated manner.  

Ladies and gentlemen,
These priorities of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group for this year are viewed as critical enablers to address poverty, create employment and meet other sustainable development goals, thereby contributing towards the global effort to respond to the triple complexities of Climate Change, Pollution and Biodiversity Loss, in line with the overall theme of South Africa’s G20 Presidency of solidarity, equality and sustainability.

As we progress the work of this group, we recognise the need to integrate and align with other related G20 processes, notably the task forces which will consider cross-cutting issues – in particular, this group’s work on Climate Finance and a Just Transition for All is key to delivering the outcomes of Task Force 1 on inclusive economic growth, industrialisation, employment and reduced inequality.

During this meeting, we will present the priorities and envisaged outcomes as well as the deliverables of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group in more detail. We look forward to fruitful discussions on these, and obtaining your views and inputs as we embark on this journey together.

It is also recognised that to make progress on addressing these priorities in an integrated and coordinated way, developing economy countries require access to scaled-up new and additional and predictable grant and highly concessional finance that would allow for greater mobilization and leveraging of public and private finance. We need to optimise the alignment of the resulting investments to ensure that the funds are targeted and directed to the most vulnerable, build environmental infrastructure and develop in-country capacity and capabilities.

In conclusion, to advance the priorities and to deliver concrete outcomes from the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group requires us to work together as a collective during the course of this year. We must act together and with resolve and clarity of purpose in the spirit of Ubuntu.

I look forward to seeing you in person at our Kruger National Park, where our meeting in July will be convened and in October in Cape Town, where you will also have an opportunity to experience Robben Island where late President Nelson Mandela was detained, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch our iconic apex botanical garden, Agulhas II our world leading ice breaking research vessel and, of course, our amazing wine.

I thank you.

Audio of Minister’s Speech
https://m.soundcloud.com/ubunturadioza/minister-of-forestry-fisheries-and-environment-dr-dion-george-opens-the-first-g20-environment-and-climate-sustainability-working-group-ecswg-virtual-meeting?si=1cf90f7b0b194e7ca47d2238063196b7&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing 

Enquiries
Peter Mbelengwa
Cell:  +27 82 611 8197
E-mail: pmbelengwa@dffe.gov.za 

Thobile Zulu-Molobi
Cell: +27 82 513 7154
E-mail: tmolobi@dffe.gov.za 

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