The Energy Council of South Africa has welcomed the recent passing of the Climate Change Bill by the country’s parliament.
Council CEO James Mackay remarked, “The Climate Change Bill is a critical piece of legislation that seeks to enable the development of an effective climate change response and a long-term just transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy and society for South Africa.”
According to the council, the Bill aligns with the council’s strategic objective of a stakeholder-aligned national energy transition that achieves South Africa’s decarbonization targets, while maintaining energy security and affordable access for all South Africans.
“The Climate Change Bill recognizes that South Africa has a vital role to play in the global effort to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and that Southern Africa is especially vulnerable to those impacts of climate change which require urgent and appropriate adaptation responses.
“Further, it recognizes that South Africa has made international commitments and obligations to communicate and implement effective nationally determined climate change response, mitigation and adaptation strategies, that represent the republic’s fair contribution to the global climate change response,” the council states.
Adopted by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on 25 April 2024 and the National Assembly on 24 October 2023, the Climate Change Bill is the first piece of legislation in South Africa that is specifically aimed at addressing the effects and impact of climate change.
The Bill outlines six purposes, which include:
- Implementing a unified approach to address climate change and its impacts
- Manage climate change impacts by improving adaptive capacity and resilience, aiming for social, economic, and environmental resilience and a strong national adaptation strategy
- Contribute fairly to global efforts to limit greenhouse gas concentrations to prevent dangerous interference with the climate system
- Transition justly to a low-carbon economy and society, considering national circumstances
- Fulfill South Africa’s international climate change commitments and obligations
- Protect and preserve the planet for current and future generations
Mackay emphasizes that it is critical to acknowledge the existential threat to the planet.
“Modern economic activity has exceeded many of the planetary boundary conditions and it is our collective responsibility to address that with urgency. The Bill supports the Constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to the health and well-being of the people, and to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations through reasonable legislative and other measures that secure ecologically sustainable development and the use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.”
The council has urged all energy stakeholders to work collaboratively in contributing towards a just energy transition and supporting the sector’s efforts towards this goal.
