China, South Africa Take Center Stage in Durban

Ebrahim Patel, South Africa's Minister of Economic Development commented that China, despite having only begun work on solar energy development five years ago, is now a global leader in the field. Patel's comments were made at a press briefing on the sidelines of the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 17).

Patel's remarks came on the same day that South Africa launched the Green Economy Accord, also at COP 17. Patel singled out China's water heating system as one of the tangible benefits of the green economy.

China's White Paper, entitled China's Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change, 2011, issued by the Chinese government on November 22, 2011, states that the country's solar water-heating system utility capacity totaled 168 million square meters in 2010.

Speaking at the press briefing, Patel continued: "COP 17 is an opportunity for us to share our experience and to learn from the rest of the world on successful examples of using new technologies and new ways of engineering our workplaces, homes and transport systems to ensure that we make a positive contribution to climate change goals."

The Green Economy Accord boasts one of the world's most comprehensive social pacts on green jobs. The accord aims to build a partnership, to create 300,000 new jobs by 2020 in economic activities as diverse as energy generation, the manufacturing of carbon emission-reducing products, farming activities to provide feedstock for bio-fuels, soil, and environmental management and eco tourism.

The accord was signed by representatives of the South African government, business representatives, organized labor and the community constituency at South Africa's National Parliament in Cape Town on November 17, 2011.

One of the commitments in the Accord is that one million solar water-heating systems should be installed in South Africa by the financial year 2014.

In his speech at COP 17's opening ceremony on November 28, South African President Jacob Zuma called the Accord a key example of steps being taken locally to address the challenges of climate change.