South Africa enacts its first comprehensive climate change law

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law a major climate change law in October 2023. This law attempts to limit the amount of pollution caused by large polluters and requires each municipality to create a plan to combat climate change. This aligns South Africa’s efforts with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Objectives of the Climate Change Law

The main objective of the law is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are high in South Africa because the country gets most of its energy from coal. The country is one of the largest producers of carbon dioxide and faces difficulties in meeting its pollution reduction targets.

Legal framework and responsibilities

South Africa’s response to climate change is incorporated into national legislation for the first time. Each state and city must analyse the risks posed by climate change and create a plan to address them. In addition, emissions targets will be set for important sectors such as agriculture, transport and industry. To achieve these goals, ministers in charge of those sectors will need to take action.

Carbon budget allocation

The law sets out a carbon budget method for large companies that emit a lot of greenhouse gases. The pollution of each large emitting company will be limited over a certain period of time. If companies emit more than this limit, they must pay more carbon taxes, even if it is not illegal to do so.

Expectations and challenges

When carbon budgets are implemented, experts expect large companies to reduce their pollution by large amounts. To ensure accountability, reporting must be clear and honest. But the law will only work if clear rules are set for allocating resources and money to help people switch to green energy sources. The law could mean a change in the way the South African government addresses climate change, pointing towards a more aggressive approach than in the past. However, there are already problems such as a lack of sufficient funding and clear plans to move to green energy.

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