President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law a bill that sets out South Africa’s climate change response, including mitigation and adaptation actions aimed at contributing to global climate action.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the Climate Change Act aligns policies for South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy without contradictions.
“The Climate Change Act, as endorsed by the President, enables the alignment of policies that influence South Africa’s climate change response, to ensure that South Africa’s transition to a low carbon and climate resilient economy and society is not constrained by policy contradictions,” Magwenya said in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the law also sought to enhance South Africa’s ability and capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience, “while reducing the risk of job losses and promoting opportunities for new job opportunities in the emerging green economy.”
“The Act has the aim of strengthening co-ordination between national sector departments and provide policy setting and decision-making to enable South Africa to meet the commitments in Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.”
The NDC is a set of commitments that South Africa has made under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to reduce greenhouse emissions as part of climate change mitigation.
South Africa is one of more than 190 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change who are parties to the Paris Agreement.
Magwenya noted that South Africa’s mitigation measures are meant to address climate change impacts on water resources, agriculture and food production, forestry and fisheries, human health, energy generation, industry, human settlements and migration, disaster management, biodiversity and terrestrial ecosystems.
He said these impacts disproportionately affect poor communities and vulnerable groups and could affect South Africa’s ability to meet its development and economic growth goals, including job creation and poverty reduction.
The new law outlines the functions of the Presidential Climate Commission, which includes providing advice on the country’s climate change response.
The law also stipulates the role of provincial governments and municipalities in climate mitigation efforts.
JN/APA