Swaziland's First National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change National Report on Climate Change National Report on Climate Change

Chapter 6 Policies and Measures

6.1 OBJECTIVE

The determination of Swaziland to join in implementing the Convention is demonstrated by actions already taken or envisaged by the country in terms of policy frameworks, programmes and other environment-related measures which either directly or indirectly have a bearing on GHG emissions.

6.2 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Government formulated the National Development Strategy (NDS) as the key policy framework that spells out the long-term (25 year) vision for the country. It presents the priority objectives the country has identified in its overall developmental need. In like manner it recognizes the international obligations the country has committed itself and the associated calls for action in compliance with the same.

Of the eight key macro strategic areas identified in this policy document is one on environmental management, which directly relates to issues of implementation of the Convention. It specifically places a requirement to both the public and private sectors to take environmental considerations into account in all their policy, strategy and programme’s development. The country believes that such an achievement of purpose will result in a sustainable interaction with our environment and its resources for the benefit of today’s and future generations.

6.3 THE ENVIRONMENT

The country has also shown its commitment to implementing Agenda 21 and its concept on sustainable development. To this end the Swaziland Environment Authority (SEA) was established in 1992 as the official authority tasked with the coordination and management of issues of the environment. Further regulations on environment impact assessment were promulgated making environment assessments mandatory on all development projects.

The Swaziland Environment Action Plan (SEAP) enumerating strategies for tackling the country’s environmental problems in general and those specifically related to climate change, agriculture and land use, forestry and rural energy was prepared and adopted.

6.4 ENERGY

6.4.1 Fuel and Energy

The significance of the energy sector in issues of implementation of the Convention cannot be overemphasised. The GHG inventories exercise revealed that virtually all the country’s CO2 emissions for year 1994 emanated from this sector in processes of fuel combustion.

As part of the NDS, the fuel and energy sector aims to ensure the sustainable supply and use of energy for all. In fulfillment of this requirement, the project “Swaziland National Energy Policy” is being implemented by the Energy Section within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy with the assistance of the government of Denmark through the Danish Cooperation for Environment and Development (DANCED).

Prior to this project a number of projects which have a bearing on GHG emissions have been implemented in Swaziland namely:

Energy Planning Projects-Swaziland (with support from GTZ to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy)
Briquetting of forestry waste (pre feasibility study initiated by Usuthu Pulp Company in conjunction with the Sabil Foundation, the Swaziland Government and GTZ)
Household Energy Strategies (funded by the government of the Netherlands, IVAM Environmental Research Centre of the University of Amsterdam)
Rural Electrification in Swaziland (funded by GTZ)
Utilization of Renewable Energy in Swaziland (Export and Industrial Development Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat assisted the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy to develop a cost effective strategy for the use of renewable resources)
SADC Industry Energy Management Project (CIDA supported project)
Maguga hydro power plant (feasibility study funded by the African Development Bank)
Development of the Swaziland Electricity Supply Industry (funded by the British Development Division Southern Africa (BDDSA) and SAD-ELEC)
Renewable Energy Information Network (EU funded)
ESMAP Swaziland Household Energy Strategy Study (UNDP and World Bank).

Through these initiatives Swaziland managed to established energy data, technology information needs and energy strategies. These provided the preliminary base for building a comprehensive energy policy and strategies for implementation of the energy policy.

The development objective of the DANCED project therefore is that the energy needs in Swaziland are increasingly covered in a sustainable and efficient manner, taking into account indigenous resources, social, economic and environmental factors.

The immediate objective is that at the conclusion of the project, the government of Swaziland will have an approved and implementable national energy policy, founded on sustainable and economically sound principles in support of the developmental objectives of the country. Implementation of such a plan will inevitably make a positive contribution to efforts of reducing the levels of GHG emissions in the country through implementation, amongst others, of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

6.4.2 Supply

Swaziland’s major source of commercial energy in the form of electricity, petroleum products and coal, are imported from the Republic of South Africa. The country is however a producer of high quality anthracite coal obtained from Maloma coal mine and exported to markets in South Africa. Swaziland’s coal-based energy needs on the other hand are met by imports of low quality bituminous coal from South Africa.

Most of the country’s electricity needs (70%) are met from the South African Electricity Company (ESKOM). The electricity supply is unstable because the grid is relatively weak and operating in excess of its rated capacity Frequent interruptions and voltage fluctuations are therefore common features. Efforts to resolve these problems and improve the reliability of the supply have culminated in the current installation of a 400 KV line linking the three countries: Swaziland, South Africa and Mozambique.

Since the demand for electricity supply is likely to increase with respect to demand of the vast majority of households which are currently not connected to the national grid, more efforts will be required for the promotion and development of alternative renewable energy resources.

It is worth noting that Swaziland produces significantly large amounts of biomass resources in the form of bagasse in the sugar industry, and wood waste in the pulp and timber industries. Opportunities exist therefore for the country to pursue the application of more efficient steam and power generation through use of high pressure condensing extraction steam turbines (CEST) using bagasse. Such systems could produce electricity sufficient for internal use by the factories and even some excess for export to the national grid by taking advantage of the available state of the art technologies in this field.

6.4.3 Rural Energy

Lack of adequate energy supply in rural households has resulted in dependency on wood as a source of fuel, thus putting pressure on the indigenous forest resources, thereby contributing to land degradation, another priority area for policy intervention. Options that are open to exploration here include, amongst others:

Promoting the use of fuel-efficient stoves and supporting their production locally.
Assessing the use of various sources of energy such as coal, wood, butane, paraffin, etc with respect to cost, efficiency, pollution, health and safety.
Attempting to remove the barrier of prohibitive initial capital cost of electricity supply connection through a Rural Electrification Fund.
To actively pursue development of alternative sources of energy such as solar, micro, hydro and biogas.
To promote integrated and balanced energy systems (solar for lighting and entertainment, gas for cooking, coal for heating, etc).

6.5 TRANSPORT

The transport sector is the dominant consumer of fossil-based fuels, accounting for 50% of energy’s CO2 emissions in 1994. A transport policy is under development which will seek to address energy related issues and concerns with significant complementary input derived from the provisions enshrined in the overall energy policy.

6.5.1 Roads and Road Transport

One of the key factors to national development is the availability of adequate and reliable roads and road transport. Although by African standards, the road network of main and feeder roads are well developed, under the NDS Swaziland has designed roads and road transport strategies whose aims are to realize and expand road networks accompanied by a well coordinated maintenance programme to support the increase in internal and external flows of goods.

Whilst recognizing the importance of implementing roads and road transport strategies, the government is cognizant of the financial constraints in implementing the strategies. For this reason, the government has included in its strategies the involvement of the private sector in the construction, operation and maintenance of road networks. The following strategies have been recommended under the NDS to enable the implementation of the policies:

Improve the standards and supervision of design, construction and maintenance of roads.
Establish permanent fund-raising methods for road maintenance.
Investigate the possibility of using BOT, BOO and BOOT schemes to provide more and better roads.
Provide adequate and well maintain feeder roads.
Improve organizational structures to control overloading.
Conduct and strengthen road transport data collection, analysis and compilation.

Expanded paved roads and improved maintenance will improve on fuel consumption of motor vehicles through realization of optimum speeds, and hence emission reduction in the transport sector.

6.6 FOREST RESOURCES

Swaziland has a huge forest resource which is an important feature of the country’s heritage and economy. Inspite of her small size, the country commands one of the largest man-made forests in the world, covering some 35% of the country’s total land area. This is evident in the large GHG sink capacity that is revealed in the inventories section which supercedes the emissions totals, making the country a net GHG sink.

Such a position indicates that for several decades now, the country’s forest resource has been actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere even before the dictates of the Convention came into effect. Sustainability of the country’s forest resource is therefore desirable in both national as well as international contexts.

There are several policies in Swaziland that are relevant to the management of ecosystems and managed forests. Existing policies include the Swaziland National Trust Commission Act (1972), Swaziland Environment Authority Act (1992).

The National Action Programme for Combating Desertification also addresses some of the concerns and threats on forestry and ecosystems. The proposed Forest Policy emphasises the need to engage in afforestation and reforestation programmes. Public awareness and the propagation of trees are also encouraged in the policy. There is need to incorporate indigenous trees in these programmes to ensure their future existence, especially those that are least vulnerable to changes in climate. As such, there is need to expedite the drafting and implementation of the policies on Land use and Forestry in the country. Apart form the existing policies, there are several other complimentary ones being drafted for submission to parliament. Such policies include the Environmental Management Bill, Water Policy, Land Policy, Biodiversity Policy and Forest Policy.

Considering the paucity of information on the key parameters of indigenous trees in the country, there is need for research on these parameters in the country. This will enhance understanding of the impacts of climate change on the ecosystems in the country. Changes in plant distribution also need to be monitored on a periodic basis, especially in the protected areas where anthropogenic impacts are controlled.

6.6.1 Forest resource management

Some identified management actions that could contribute to sustain the forest resource are as listed:

To prepare management plans for all forest operations for specific forest sites and or ecosystems.
To classify and map vegetation forest types, including the status of degradation, using an appropriate and cover classification system.
Evaluate and demarcate suitable land for various systems of forest practice such as production, protection and conservation forests.
Assessing and monitoring deforestation and land degradation, including effects of veld and forest fires and recommending and implementing remedial measures.
To apply appropriate silvicultural techniques and forest practices in the management of forest reserves and community forests.

6.6.2 Afforestation/Reforestation

Issues under this programme are:

To establish individual and community woodlots of exotic and preferably indigenous species.
To promote the efficient use of fuel wood to release pressure from indigenous reserves.
To develop, with local communities methods to combat veld and forest fires and reduce fire hazards and emission of unnecessary CO2.

6.7 AGRICULTURE

Government major goals in agriculture as the mainstay of the country’s economy are in crop production for achieving national self-sufficiency in maize; expanding fruit and vegetable production as a means of increasing rural income and improving nutrition; and encouraging cash crop production amongst small-scale farmers.

Achieving these goals will involve the introduction of new crops to farmers as well as the intensification of production of existing crops. Some of the initiatives of the Ministry are as follows (Swaziland Government, 1994a):

The introduction of high yielding, drought tolerant and disease tolerant seed varieties for maize.
Training of farmers and extension personnel to be enhanced to meet the goal of maize self-sufficiency in Swaziland.
Embarking on legume improvement and production campaign by both the research division and extension services of the MOAC. The legumes are being promoted to enhance food nutrition and to widen the base for income generation for small-scale rural farmers.
Embarking on a programme to promote sorghum production in drier areas of the country.
Introducing, evaluating and crossing cotton varieties in order to identify those that are pest and disease tolerant, and superior in yield and quality.
Encouragement of domestic production of high quality maize and bean seeds.
Strengthening linkages between research, extension, NGO’s, parastatals and other stakeholders.
Identify and develop cost effective production technologies.
Encourage the farmers to increase agricultural productivity by hectare.

6.8 INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

At the international level, Swaziland has ratified a number of environment related protocols and conventions which either have influenced or will influence directly or indirectly emissions of GHGs:

Other Conventions and protocols (notably the Kyoto Protocol) are proposed for signature and ratification by the authorities.

Together with these goodwill commitments that the country accedes to, it is recognised that local resources may be insufficient or inadequate to meet the inherent requirements. It is anticipated therefore that opportunities of partnerships in areas of technology transfer as well as provision of necessary resources by external means will be explored such as the Kyoto’s Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) to effectively undertake identified implementation measures in these issues.

6.9 EDUCATION, TRAINING AND PUBLIC AWARENESS

There currently is no formal education on climate change at the local university or colleges other than general topics touched upon in other courses such as geography and the physical sciences. However with the undertaking of the project of compiling enabling activities under the UNFCCC, the involvement of educators from these institutions set the required base for introducing these concepts into curricula.

The theory and practical issues of GHG inventories, mitigation and adaptation studies can be used as a foundation in introducing climate related topics either in existing courses or in new ones. As regards public awareness on climate change, this has been well founded through active participation of various stakeholders from government, university, private sector and NGO’s in the deliberations of the climate change committee. More effort will be required to expand public awareness campaigns to the grassroot level.

Generation of activity data through surveys, inventories, experimental studies and related research to generate emission and conversion factors, continues to be a highly required exercise to improve the quality of the results of the assessments. Research and development (R&D) on climate issues as they relate to Swaziland are highly desirable for supporting the country’s efforts of meaningful intervention in such international processes.

As more interventions are embarked upon in the quest to limit emissions of GHG’s through various programmes, local capacity will need to be developed in specified areas.

The advances in the science of climate change will require a continuous development of capacity in the study team to effectively and efficiently conduct the required impact assessment in a local context and to best advise on issues of adaptation, mitigation and others.

This page was last updated on 11 October 2004