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Judith Macgregor

British High Commissioner to South Africa

Part of UK in South Africa

30th January 2015 Pretoria, South Africa

Climate change: calculating the risk – and opportunity

British High Commissioner Judith Macgregor (far left) at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange to present findings of a pilot carbon offset trade funded by the UK Prosperity Fund.

This week the UK Government launched the Global Calculator, a free and interactive website that allows anyone to test out different solutions to climate change and find out what it really takes to stop global warming. Climate change often feels like such a massive and nebulous problem, and so for me it has been fascinating to tinker with the tool and get a sense of what we actually need to do to make a difference.

The good news is that the Calculator shows that tackling climate change doesn’t have to come at the cost of jobs and development. If we change how we power our lives and economies, we can still secure better lifestyles with enough food and shelter for everyone.

British High Commissioner Judith Macgregor (far left) at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange to present findings of a pilot carbon offset trade funded by the UK Prosperity Fund.
British High Commissioner Judith Macgregor (far left) at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange to present findings of a pilot carbon offset trade supported by the UK Prosperity Fund.

This is such an important message for a growing country like South Africa, as it shows that this isn’t a choice between protecting the planet and growing the economy. The two are compatible.

The New Climate Economy report that came out last year echoed these findings, showing the huge opportunities for emerging economies to develop in a sustainable way and the benefits this would have for everyday people. For example, investing in public transport can reduce carbon dioxide emissions but can also prevent people from the daily misery of long commutes sitting in traffic jams.

The Global Calculator builds on work between the UK Government, the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and the University of Cape Town to build the 2050 Pathways Calculator, which they will use to inform policy and help educate people about the country’s energy system. A number of other countries are now working on their own Calculators. Making evidence easier to access will no doubt help fuel a more informed debate about these issues.

These Calculators help demonstrate the urgency for countries, businesses and individuals to act to prevent climate change. And so, as part of a UK Prosperity Fund project with Promethium Carbon, I was especially proud to join business leaders and climate experts for a demonstration of a carbon trading platform at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange yesterday. Carbon trading is an important step toward the South African Government’s goal to reduce carbon emissions, and I was impressed that major South African companies like Nedbank and Sanlam are stepping up to help make carbon trading a reality in the Rainbow Nation.

As countries around the world prepare for climate negotiations in Paris in December, it’s more important than ever that the UK and South Africa continue to work together. With tools like the Global Calculator and the demonstration of a viable carbon trading scheme, we can translate the risks into opportunities to secure a sustainable and prosperous future.

About Judith Macgregor

Judith Macgregor has been appointed British High Commissioner to South Africa. She arrived at the post on 2 October, 2013. She was British Ambassador to Mexico from October 2009 to…

Judith Macgregor has been appointed British High Commissioner to South Africa. She arrived at the post on 2 October, 2013.
She was British Ambassador to Mexico from October 2009 to June 2013.
She joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 1976, after
graduating from Oxford University with a first class Honours Degree in
Modern History. She has served as First Secretary in Paris and Prague;
Deputy Director of Department for Western Europe and Head of the FCO’s
Security Department. She was also Migration Director from 2007 to 2009.
Mexico is not the first time she has served as an Ambassador. She was
British Ambassador in Bratislava from 2004 to 2007. Between 1995 and
2000, she accompanied her husband during his diplomatic posts in
Dusseldorf and Warsaw.
Judith Macgregor is President of the  Foreign & Commonwealth
Office Women’s Association. She is married to John Malcolm Macgregor,
CVO and has four children.

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bilateral relationships business carbon Climate Change prosperity south africa UK Trade and Investment

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