As President Ramaphosa begins his second term, the urgency of addressing climate change has taken centre stage. During his inauguration, he highlighted the need for a swift and inclusive response to climate change, a crisis exacerbating South Africas challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
In 2020, the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) was established to oversee this ambitious response. The PCCs first independent assessment , released to coincide with the start of the 7th Administration, offers a sobering overview of the climate impacts South Africa faces and the actions needed to mitigate these effects.
Floods and droughts have ravaged different parts of our country in recent months, affecting the poorest and most vulnerable communities the most, deputy chair of the PCC, Valli Moosa, said. The report underscores the increasing frequency of such climatic incidents, harming people, their homes, and their livelihoods.
Titled The State of Climate Action in South Africa Priorities for Action for the Government of National Unity, the report reveals that despite South Africas strong commitments and public support for tackling climate change, progress is not occurring at the required pace and scale.
Key barriers include incoherent policies, weak governance structures, insufficient finance, and inconsistent actions by both the government and other stakeholders.
