Opinion | SA must act urgently to exit group of climate-change pariahs
The country has been rated with the likes of China, South Korea and Japan as being highly insufficient in tackling global warmingThe UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report from October 2018 states the world only has until 2030 to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels. To meet this target, global carbon emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030, before being reduced to zero by 2050.
Climate Tracker Action characterises “highly insufficient” commitments as those that will lead to global warming of 3°C-4°C if pursued globally . These polarising debates are taking place in a government policy vacuum regarding what a just transition actually looks like. While the National Planning Commission did undertake a number of stakeholder dialogues in 2018 under the rubric of “Pathways for a just transition”, the lack of funding and publicity for this initiative clearly illustrates that it is not a primary concern of government.
It is unsurprising then that the World Economic Forum recently ranked SA 114th out of 115 nations assessed for their readiness for an energy transition away from fossil fuels. But what does this mean for governments facing energy transitions and environmental crises more generally? It means governments must take a far more dynamic and interventionist role in shaping economic and social responses to climate change. And here is where the danger of SA’s glacial progress towards a just transition lies. The more the government drags its feet, the more urgent the issues become.
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