Richer nations benefit from assisting climate action in poorer ones, says Cyril Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says global development financing, if properly directed and provided on a significant scale, can make a huge difference to the lives of people living in countries such as SA. 

Ramaphosa was reflecting on the two-day summit on global financing development and climate action in developing economies attended by several world leaders last week.

In his weekly newsletter, the president said while such international summits may seem like a world apart from the daily challenges South Africans face, such as poverty, unemployment and crime, they are closely connected. 

“While much has been achieved since the advent of democracy in our country to address the needs of the poor, this work has been undermined by slow economic growth, state capture and corruption, the electricity crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

Ramaphosa said these problems are made worse by the damaging effects of climate change, which include catastrophic flooding and drought.

“Poor communities and countries are most vulnerable to the effects of global warming, and yet they carry the least responsibility for causing climate damage. That is why SA and many other countries have maintained that the industrialised countries that have contributed most to greenhouse gas emissions have a responsibility to fund the actions less industrialised countries need to take to protect their people from climate change,” he said.

The president said since these countries have been able to develop their societies through economic activities that have caused the climate crisis, they should also contribute to meeting global development goals such as eradicating poverty, improving health outcomes, expanding access to quality education, promoting gender equality and ensuring everyone has clean water and sanitation. 

“As we said at the summit, we do not want to be treated like beggars, as if we are asking for charity. The industrialisation and economic development of the global north was achieved at the expense of the global south.”

He said wealthier countries have both an obligation and an interest in supporting development and climate action in poorer countries.

“As SA, we argued for a fundamental overhaul of the international financial institutions responsible for supporting development across the world. These bodies, which include the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, should be restructured to be more inclusive and responsive,” he said.

Ramaphosa told world leaders they should provide funding in a way that does not increase the debt burden of countries already struggling to service their debt. 

“We said the international community must appreciate the scale of the challenge and make sure sufficient funds are available. As a start, industrialised countries need to meet their existing commitments, such as mobilising $100bn (about R1.8-trillion) a year for climate action in developing economies,” he said.

The president said even as this goal is achieved, much more money will be needed to ensure an effective response to climate change.

“SA’s own Just Energy Transition Investment Plan … estimates our country alone would need about $98bn over the next five years to enable a just transition towards a low carbon economy.”

Ramaphosa noted that while the Paris Summit was not a formal structure through which international agreements were reached, it was significant that there was broad consensus among most countries that much more funding is needed and international development banks needed to be significantly reformed to direct that funding to where it will have the greatest effect.

“There was general agreement that additional private-sector funding should be mobilised and funding should be provided on better terms. But what does this mean, practically, for the people of SA? 

“With improved funding for our just energy transition, we will be able to invest substantially in strengthening our electricity grid and new renewable-energy generation. This will make a significant contribution to ending load-shedding and securing a reliable and affordable supply of electricity.”

The president said this will, in turn, promote economic growth, make the country’s exports more competitive and create employment. 

“This funding will also enable us to develop new industries, such as electric vehicles and green hydrogen, which will increase our industrial output and create jobs. Through such funding, we can increase our investment in infrastructure, expanding the capacity of our economy and reducing the costs for emerging businesses.”

Ramaphosa said there were immediate challenges the government was addressing, saying his administration was working to accelerate the implementation of its energy action plan and economic reconstruction and recovery plan. 

“We need to continue to assert the needs and interests of developing economies in these international forums so we can raise the funds required to achieve a just transition and advance our developmental objectives.”

The president stressed this was not only important for people in SA, but for people throughout the global south. 

“In summarising the outcomes of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said: ‘More than ever, international solidarity and transfers from the richest countries to the most vulnerable ones are essential to shape a fairer world.’ This is a view we share. We will continue to work with other countries across the world to ensure it becomes a reality.”

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