July 23, Johannesburg South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has formally adopted a comprehensive climate law that compels all cities and towns to create climate adaption plans and sets emissions limitations for large polluters.
According to a statement issued by the presidency on Tuesday, the recently approved Climate Change Act is intended to assist South Africa in meeting its obligations to reduce emissions under the terms of the Paris Agreement.
Due to its reliance on coal-generated electricity, South Africa, which is recognized as one of the top 15 greenhouse gas polluters in the world and has the most carbon-intensive economy, runs the risk of not meeting its climate commitments. As the first time that our response to climate change has been enshrined in national law, this is a critical milestone, according to lawyer Brandon Abdinor of the non-profit Centre for Environmental Rights.
Abdinor noted, “While there’s still a lot of work ahead, this legislation lays the foundation for what needs to be done.” The date Ramaphosa signed the legislation was not stated in the presidential statement, but it does mandate that each province and municipality assess the dangers posed by climate change and create an action plan.In addition, the law requires the environment minister to provide a carbon budget to large companies that release greenhouse gases, capping those companies’ emissions for a predetermined period of time.
Despite the demands of certain environmental groups for fines, beyond these restrictions won’t be considered a crime, even though the precise budgets have not yet been decided. However, Abdinor clarified, companies who surpass their carbon budgets can be subject to increased rates of carbon taxes.
University of Cape Town climate policy specialist Harald Winkler said on X (formerly Twitter) that “we expect significant reductions in emissions from major corporations with compulsory carbon budgets now in place.” “Annual transparency in reporting will be vital,” he continued.This statute indicates that, in comparison to previous administrations, the South African government may be behaving more pro-climate change and pro-renewable energy.
The recently appointed energy minister has promised to quicken the transition to renewable energy sources, although specific plans are still to be determined. Regarding the funding needed to put the bill into effect, there is considerable ambiguity. Billions of dollars in loans from Western donors have been given to support the transition, but officials in South Africa contend that this money is insufficient.
