President Cyril Ramaphosa has described climate change as an existential threat to humanity, warning that South Africa must balance ambitious emissions reductions with protecting vulnerable communities and workers’ livelihoods.
Speaking at a special session of the Presidential Climate Commission on Friday, Ramaphosa said the country is already experiencing climate change effects that could significantly impede growth and undermine efforts to address inequality, poverty and unemployment.
“Climate action and development must be aligned and support our growth and prosperity,” Ramaphosa said in his virtual address to the commission.
The president said South Africa must reduce carbon emissions at a pace appropriate to national circumstances whilst simultaneously climate-proofing development and infrastructure. He warned that climate impacts are predicted to increase rapidly as the country approaches the end of this decade.
The Presidential Climate Commission, established in December 2020, has completed its first five-year term and presented a report outlining priorities for the next five years until 2030. Ramaphosa described the commission’s creation as a turning point in South Africa’s climate agenda, representing the country’s first permanent, independent, multi-stakeholder body to advise on climate response.
“The PCC has emerged as an important platform for consensus-building in South Africa’s just transition journey,” Ramaphosa said, noting it brings together government, business, labour, civil society, youth and academia.
The president emphasised that those most vulnerable to climate change, including women, children, people with disabilities, the poor and the unemployed, need protection. He said the transition must not disproportionately affect communities dependent on industries like coal mining for livelihoods.
Ramaphosa said energy security and climate action must be mutually reinforcing, describing a stable, diversified electricity system as the foundation of growth, investment and job creation.
He called for the Just Energy Transition Partnership to move from commitment to delivery, with visible progress on renewable energy deployment, transmission infrastructure, storage solutions and private sector participation.
The president highlighted the need to address unfinished tasks, specifically mentioning the Komati community in Mpumalanga, which was left without an economic recovery plan following the decommissioning of a power station.
ALSO READ: Wits study: Climate change significantly worsened deadly 2022 Durban floods
“For the transition to be just, it must be redistributive, restorative and procedurally just,” Ramaphosa said. He called on citizens to participate as economic actors rather than passive beneficiaries of government services.
The president said South Africa needs to increase the share of funding for adaptation whilst seeking financial investment to reduce carbon emissions. He stressed that the pathway to meeting the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution targets must reinforce growth, inclusion and job creation.
Ramaphosa called on commissioners to work in close partnership with key ministers and their departments to ensure climate action is fully integrated into national priorities, from energy and finance to trade, labour and cooperative governance.