SA making strides in environmental protection

Deputy Director-General: Climate Change and Air Quality at the Department of Environmental Affairs, Judy Beaumont

The Deputy Director-General: Climate Change and Air Quality at the Department of Environmental Affairs, Judy Beaumont, late last month said the country was making strides in transitioning into the green economy.

Beaumont was speaking at the 16th International Union of Air Pollution Prevention and Environmental Protection Association (IUAPPA) in Cape Town.

"We have come a long way in a relatively short period of time, and this can be attributed to hard work and collaboration. There has been collaboration between all three spheres of government, as well as with key stakeholders, the local scientific community and international colleagues and partners.

"South Africa has been able to build on the experience of other countries, and define and adopt a set of air quality management tools that provide unique solutions to our unique circumstances," said Beaumont.

It's been nearly 10 years since the introduction of new air quality legislation in South Africa, and in 2011, the country adopted the National Climate Change Response Policy. Developed over a period of six years, the policy gives the country a clear roadmap for responding to the urgency of climate change as it pushes towards a green economy.

Beaumont said one of the steps they have taken to help the country realise the creation of a thriving green economy was merging the climate change and the air quality management capacity within her department.

"The relationship between the two is key to the transition to a greener and lower carbon economy. This arrangement has enabled the two to work closely together to derive synergies between the work of Air Quality Management and Climate Change."

She said Environmental Affairs was also leading by example to reduce SA's carbon footprint.

"We are currently in the process of constructing a green building for the department and we anticipate occupation on June 2014. This will be the first government building with a green status in South Africa," said Beaumont.

The 16th IUAPPA, which will end on Friday, is hosted in association with the National Association for Clean Air (NACA).

Held under the theme 'Many Nations - One Atmosphere: Plotting the Path to Sustainability', the focus of the congress is to seek holistic sustainable solutions for air quality in the developing world.

Beaumont said the theme was "extremely appropriate" in a world where more than one billion are exposed to outdoor air pollution.