The State of Climate Action Report, documents impacts of climate change to South Africa.
The report was launched by the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) last week, to coincide with the signing of the Climate Change Bill, by President Ramaphosa.
Speaking about the report, Nomfundo Tshabalala, Director General of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), said it is true, that climate change impacts have intensified and manifested through the frequencies of extreme events such as flooding, heatwaves and droughts.
“These extreme events have increased in intensity and frequency, thus calling for concerted action across the spheres of society.”
The report has centralized the Just Transition to a low carbon economy, as one way of tackling climate change.
Tshabalala said if strategic partnerships are not clinched to implement findings of the report, with civil society, academia, business and labour, climate change has the potential to reverse developmental gains.
She also said there is a pressing need for finance, in the form of grant and concessional investments to realize set targets.
Although South Africa has a sophisticated greenhouse gas emissions monitoring system that has led to the establishment of a Carbon Tax system, Tshabalala said work is underway to develop a national emissions monitoring system.
This will include the tracking of carbon budgets and mitigation plans to be allocated to industry.
Valli Moosa, the PCC Deputy Chair, handed the report to Tshabalala.
Also at the event, were various Commissioners from the PCC, Executive Director of the PCC; Representatives of different constituencies including organized business (BUSA), SALGA; UCT and more.
Picture of Nomfundo Tshabalala speaking at the launch of the State of Climate Report, organized by the Presidential Climate Commission.