South Africa is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Its emitting effect accounts for about 40% of the continent’s total emissions. South Africa is the most carbon-intensive developing country in the world, generating about 0.6kg of carbon dioxide per dollar of GDP. South Africa’s response to climate is to promote programs that lead...
Category: South Africa News Brief and Action Alert
Temperatures in South Africa have been Rising Faster than in the Rest of the World
Sub-Saharan Africa has been experiencing more frequent and more intense climate extremes over the past decades. Over Southern Africa, temperatures are expected to rise faster at 2° C, and areas of the southwestern region, especially in South Africa and parts of Namibia and Botswana, are expected to experience the greatest temperature increases. South Africa has...
Leading Country Climate NGOs: Earthlife Africa
Earthlife Africa, established in 1988 in Johannesburg, South Africa, is a non-profit organization that champions the cause of a better life for all without compromising the environment or exploiting other people. It seeks to encourage and support individuals, businesses, and industries to reduce pollution, minimize waste, and protect our natural resources. Earthlife Africa helps create...
The Development of Voluntary Carbon Emissions Trading Systems in South Africa
Fig 1: Carbon Emissions Trading System Structure (A possible market structure is shown above with a nine-step process from project implementation to using the tax offset.)There are several planned or ongoing voluntary carbon offset systems in South Africa: They allow companies to mitigate their financial liability regarding the proposed carbon tax. Emission Carbon Tax...
South Africa 2024 Climate Scorecard Award: Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis
Climate Scorecard’s 2024 Government Climate Leadership Award is presented to a country official who has done the most to reduce emissions in their country’s government over the past year. Below is a copy of the letter sent to each nominee and why they were chosen to receive this award.South Africa 2024 Climate Scorecard Award: Mayor...
South Africa’s 2024 General Elections Have Implications for Climate Policy
General elections will be held in South Africa in May of this year. South Africa will elect new National Assembly members as well as the provincial legislatures in each province. The elections are done after every five years. Over 350 political parties are expected to contest the 2024 general elections. However, the main political parties...
Demands to Address Post-Apartheid Unemployment, Poverty, and Low Growth Limit South African Government’s Efforts to Address Climate Change
South Africa has been experiencing harsh and extreme climate change impacts. These impacts significantly affect agriculture, human health, and water availability. Climate change has altered seasons in Southern Africa, including South Africa. South Africa is now experiencing heavier rains in most parts of the country. However, the western region is increasingly getting dry. These droughts...
South Africa’s Komati Reporting and Repurposing Project
South Africa has climate mitigation and adaptation plans that the South African Cabinet has approved, including the Just EnergyTransition (JET) strategy. In 2021, South Africa updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), a Paris Agreement-mandated five-year climate change action plan to increase emission reduction and reach net zero by 2050. Alongside that Paris Agreement, the President...
South Africa: Model Community Climate Mitigation Programs
The Province of KwaZulu-Natal The highly populated province of KwaZulu-Natal has challenges such as water scarcity, inadequate river catchment and pollution from informal settlements. Due to the urgency of addressing these issues, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) stepped up and initiated the Transformative Riverine Management Program (TRMP). The main...
South Africa has a Good System for Compiling GHG Inventories, but the Structural Challenge Affects Effective Implementation
Rating C The 8th National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report (NIR), which was recently published, contains the greenhouse inventory from 2000 to 2017. The NIR shows South Africa’s greenhouse gas emission rate has gradually decreased. The first national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory was prepared in 1998 for the UNFCCC and published in 2004 using 1990 to...