South Africa passes its first sweeping climate change law
The Hindu
The Climate Change Bill aims to enable South Africa to meet its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris climate agreement, the presidency said in a statement
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law a broad climate change act that will set caps for large emitters and require every town and city to publish an adaptation plan.
The Climate Change Bill aims to enable South Africa to meet its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris climate agreement, the presidency said in a statement on Tuesday.
South Africa, which is the world's most carbon-intensive major economy and among the top 15 greenhouse gas emitters, is on track to miss those targets because of to its heavy reliance on coal for electricity.
"This is very significant in that it's the first time that our climate change response is directly brought into domestic law," said Brandon Abdinor, a lawyer at South Africa's Centre for Environmental Rights, a non-profit organisation.
"A lot of work needs to be done, but this act puts the basic architecture in place for that to happen."
The presidency statement did not say when Ramaphosa had signed the law, which requires every province and municipality to assess climate change risks and develop a response plan.
Emissions targets will be set for each high-emitting government sector such as agriculture, transport and industry, and each relevant minister must adopt measures to achieve them.
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