Big promises and criticism from SA, China, India and Brazil

SA, speaking at COP27 alongside its Basic group allies, among them China, has reiterated its commitment to its national framework containing the just transition and investment plan.

The group, which also includes Brazil and India and which acts in alignment on climate issues, issued a joint ministerial statement on Tuesday in Sharm el-sheikh, Egypt.

In the statement, forestry, fisheries and environment minister Barbara Creecy, who chairs the Basic group committee, said her government’s framework “outlines the enormous scale and nature of investments needed to achieve [SA’S] decarbonisation goals over the next five years”.

“SA has submitted a climate change bill before its parliament and commenced implementation of its national adaptation strategy,” Creecy said.

SA is a population lightweight with 60-million people, compared to Brazil’s 218-million, India’s 1,393-million and China’s 1,412-million.

At the meeting were Brazil’s environment minister, Joaquim Leite, his Indian counterpart, Bhupender Yadav, China’s special envoy for climate change, Xie Zhenhua, and its vice-minister of ecology and environment, Zhao Yingmin.

The Basic ministers called on COP27 to “deliver an ambitious, equitable and balanced outcome, including substantial progress towards the establishment of a finance mechanism for loss and damage, the new collective quantified finance goal and operationalisation of the global goal on adaptation, as well as completion of the work programme on mitigation”.

They welcomed the inclusion of a “dedicated agenda item on a funding arrangement for loss and damage, at the initiative of developing counties”.

They applauded the good work done by their countries, saying “despite the enormous developmental challenges and pressures of poverty eradication at a time of global economic downturn and economic recovery, the Basic countries continued to lead from the front on climate change actions, in the context of their overarching sustainable development imperatives.

“The ambitious nationally determined contributions goals announced by Basic at COP26 last year are already being implemented, attesting to the sense of urgency and seriousness with which Basic countries tackle climate change.”

Brazil said it would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, there would be “zero illegal deforestation by 2028” and by 2030 18-million hectares of destroyed forest would be restored and reforested.

Brazil also announced a programme for reaching zero methane use.

China said that in 2020 it had updated its nationally determined contribution targets set by the Paris Agreement five years before in 2015.

China’s new emission-reduction targets “reflected its highest possible ambition” and punted its “utmost effort” to avert climate change through its programmes.

Its comprehensive green transformation of economy and society with carbon dioxide peaking and carbon neutrality programme, had caused a substantial drop of “carbon intensity” (emissions) by 3.8%, while 16.6% — 1,120 gigawatts — of energy came from non-fossil sources.

China said it provided 50% of global wind power equipment and 80% of global solar power equipment. It said it had built 10-million new-energy vehicles, accounting for more than 50% of these vehicles globally.

India’s latest carbon plan to hit net-zero contained an updated and enhanced target, saying it would hit net-zero by 2070.

India also submitted its “updated and enhanced” contributions, saying it hit its target for non-fossil power generating capacity “nine years ahead of schedule”. It vowed that by 2030, 50% of its electricity for its 1.4-billion people would be non-fossil sourced.

India has opted for a national hydrogen mission, electric passenger vehicles, “ethanol blending in petrol” and 100% electrification of a net-zero rail network.

The state is offering production-linked incentives for highefficiency solar PV modules and advanced storage technologies. It has also started issuing sovereign green bonds and blended finance.

In their statement, the Basic group urged developed nations to start giving promised climate finance to developing countries and to support access to technology and markets.

They accused global banks of an attitude of risk aversion towards developing countries and called for “a fundamental transformation and modernisation of the global financial architecture, including a systematic reform of the multilateral development banks to make them fit-for-purpose in supporting sustainable development and just and equitable transitions”.

They called for grants and low-cost loans for poorer countries.

Brazil said it would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030