The Climate Change Act Bill has officially been signed into law; the WWF South Africa is overjoyed by the news after years of campaigning.
South Africa (24 July 2024) – The government has been busy with good news bills and budgets these days. From the recent Basic Education Budget Vote Speech, which will see funding boosts to Early Development Centres. Now, President Ramaphosa has signed the Climate Change Act into law.
The WWF South Africa team are overjoyed about this new law and would like to congratulate South Africa’s lawmakers on completing this long process.
In a statement shared with Good Things Guy, they explained that this is a critical piece of legislation on which climate action will be built going forward.
“After nearly ten years of engagement, and seven years after the first draft Bill was published, it is heartening to see this Act finally passed. Over this same period South Africa has emitted over 4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, and the evidence of climate change impacts on people’s lives and livelihoods has become increasingly apparent. The importance of this framework law in guiding our response to this crisis cannot be overstated.” – James Reeler, WWF’s Senior Manager for Climate Action
The team shared that regulations governing carbon budgets for high-emitting companies still need to be finalised, and the sectoral emission targets that guide relevant line ministries are still in process. However, the law formalises the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) as the key advisory body guiding the government on mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
“The act formalises the PCC as a Schedule 3 entity, with a strong role as advisory to government. All signals are that the effective cordial and independent relations we’ve built with the presidency, key ministries and government as a whole will persist. With commissioners from all social partners, the commission provides a means of surfacing, discussing and coalescing views from all quarters, founded on a solid evidence base.” – Louise Naudé, WWF’s Senior Climate Change Engagement Specialist and Commissioner on the PCC
The Act in South Africa
The Climate Change Act requires national, provincial and municipal governments to consider the implications of climate change on their operations and for them to plan accordingly.
Provincial and municipal forums on climate change will both raise awareness and ensure that people throughout the country can make their voices heard on the issue. This approach will ensure that development is climate resilient. The linking of climate change adaptation to local-level planning has long been a gap, given that many of the impacts of a changing climate are highly dependent on local vulnerabilities.
“While the hard work still has to be done, the Climate Change Act provides a key legal framework for the country – and all our citizens – to steer away from the damaging and inequitable future that was otherwise locked in, and realise a vision for sustainable development.” says Reeler.
What Comes Next?
The next step – of concluding the regulations under the act that govern emissions targets and company budgets – must be implemented as soon as feasible. Following this, the longer-term engagement on implementation, adaptation planning and revision of targets will occur over five-year cycles. However, in contrast to the slow processes of lawmaking and shifting economies, it is vital to remember that the ongoing perturbation of natural systems drives impacts that follow the laws of physics and dynamics of ecological processes.
WWF looks forward to being part of South Africa’s transition to a clean, equitable and climate-resilient future, and protecting the natural systems that underpin human wellbeing.
You can find the full bill here.