Going into 2026, South Africa stands at a critical point in its climate and development journey, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday at the 20th session of the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC).
“Whilst South Africans are feeling the impact of climate change, many still feel disempowered. We need to work harder to allay their fears by co-creating models that include participation, decision-making and implementation in the transition,” he said.
According to Ramaphosa, that only happens when there are new jobs, new opportunities, reimagined local enterprises and energy access, improved quality of life and a clean and safe environment.
“With many stakeholders ready and eager to be part of and contribute to achieving the just transition, we need stronger partnerships, increased awareness and accessibility,” he said.
The World Meteorological Organisation declared last year the warmest on record, underscoring that the world remains on a trajectory to exceed the 1.5°C temperature-rise limit.
“Despite this dire warning being sounded by experts for years, there has been noticeable climate action backsliding in a number of countries, including in the Global North,” Ramaphosa said, adding that the state of climate financing for vulnerable countries “remains perilous, hampering the ability of these countries to scale up their levels of ambition for both mitigation and adaptation”.
Friday’s meeting also marked the final sitting of the current cohort of PCC commissioners, whose five-year term has ended.
Over its first five years, the PCC has played an increasingly central role in shaping South Africa’s climate policy architecture.
In 2022, the PCC’s recommendations were used to draft South Africa’s first Just Transition Framework, which sets out the actions that the government and social partners will take to steer the country through a just and inclusive transition.
The commission advised the government on energy-sector restructuring, including aspects of Eskom’s unbundling and the alignment of policy signals during the energy crisis.
In 2023 the PCC supported the development of the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (2023–2027), enabling South Africa to present a costed plan to global financiers and partners.
It initiated studies on water, agriculture and the built environment, and began developing a national adaptation and resilience investment plan.
The PCC supported municipal readiness assessments for just-transition implementation and contributed to the updated Integrated Resource Plan consultations.
Most recently, the commission guided the production of the South African Climate Finance Landscape, mapping flows and identifying gaps in the country’s transition financing system.
Addressing the commissioners, Ramaphosa said the PCC had succeeded in putting the country on a global platform “in terms of our commitment to climate change, our ability to also have a voice”.
“We have a voice in the community of nations, but much as others would like to silence our voice, our voice, as South Africans, will always be heard because it is respected,” he said.
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