The cabinet approved SA’s just transition framework at a meeting on Wednesday. The plan, which was drafted by the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC), was presented to President Cyril Ramaphosa in June. It provides a road map for SA’s transition towards becoming a net-zero economy by 2050.
According to the cabinet, the transition framework also provides an opportunity to tackle historical inequities. “Cabinet affirmed that the shift to a net-zero carbon economy by 2050 must support national development aspirations, including decent work for all, social inclusion and the eradication of poverty,” a statement said.
The next step will be to develop an implementation plan for the framework and to integrate this into the government planning and budgeting system.
The framework, according to the PCC, does not deal with climate mitigation and adaptation policies per se, but focuses rather on managing the social and economic consequences of those policies. It also places human development concerns at the centre of decision-making.
It states that achieving a just transition in SA will require at least $250bn over the next three decades to transform the energy system, with at least $10bn allocated to support workers and communities who will be affected by, for example, a move away from coal-fired power to renewables, through compensation, retraining, relocation and rehabilitation of regions and communities.
It also highlights the need for new economic opportunities that will support the just transition and help eradicate entrenched inequalities.
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