UWC hosts conversation on South Africa's New Climate Change Act

On 29 August 2024, the University of the Western Cape (UWC) hosted a conversation in Gauteng to discuss the new Climate Change Act in South Africa, signed into law on 23 July 2024. It featured an address by Professor Angela van der Berg, Director of the Global Environment Law Centre at UWC. Featured panelists came from the private, academic, and non-profit sectors.

Prof. van der Berg provided an overview of the three main acts regulated by the Act:

• Alignment of existing policies: The Act requires all levels of government to review and align their existing laws and policies wit the new climate framework.
• Adaptation strategies: The Act mandates the development of national and sectoral adaptation strategies based on risk assessments that identify South Africa's vulnerable areas in various sectors. 
• Greenhouse gas emission reductions: The Act focuses on mitigating change by reducing GHG emissions. It requires the government to establish a national emissions trajectory and to follow it with sector-specific emission targets within a year, involving industry regulations and potential penalties for non-compliance.

More information

To learn about the discussion held by UWC, please visit their news communication on the event.