8 December
2006 - South Africa and Australia have set the
foundations to work more closely on climate change,
with the signing of a Letter of Intent by South
African Minister for the Environment, Marthinus
van Schalkwyk and Australian Minister for the
Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell.
Senator Campbell said this agreement
set in place a formal partnership for future action
and cooperation.
“The two countries will work
together to act on important issues such as climate
change adaption in the agriculture sector, the
relationship between climate change and biodiversity
and monitoring and reporting greenhouse emissions,”
Senator Campbell said.
“It will mean our two countries
can exchange experiences on climate change policies
– particularly clean coal technologies and regulatory
and institutional frameworks.
“If the world is to successfully
address climate change, all countries will need
to work together to share knowledge and expertise,
take practical action and make massive reductions
in greenhouse gas emissions according to differing
national circumstances.”
The Letter of Intent formalises
the agreement first announced by Australia and
South Africa at the May 2006 meeting of the UN’s
Commission for Sustainable Development.
It also builds on the work already
completed at the partnership’s first government
business workshop in Pretoria in August.
Senator Campbell said the bilateral
partnership was part of Australia’s ‘multi-track’
approach to climate change, which involved working
with developed and developing countries to address
the global challenge of climate change.
“Australia is actively engaging
in the UN Climate Change Convention, pushing for
a more comprehensive approach involving all major
emitters. We are also taking practical action
to reduce greenhouse emissions at home and in
cooperation with partner countries,” Senator Campbell
said.
“Our many bilateral partnerships
and the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development
and Climate are key parts of our ‘multi-track’
approach.
“Through these partnerships,
the Australian Government is supporting real projects
develop and deploy low emission technologies and
practices in conjunction with partner countries.”
For more information on Australia’s
climate change partnerships, visit www.greenhouse.gov.au/international
Rob Broadfield
