DOCUMENTATION FOR MITIGATION PATHWAYS AND ADDITIONAL CLIMATE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION DOCUMENTS/PROJECTS

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted a formal statement to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs on 23 February 2018, requesting clarity on the strategic alignment of various climate mitigation and adaptation documents, including the 'Pathways documents'. The CER expressed concern over the lack of transparency regarding the purpose of these documents and the confidentiality of pollution prevention plans for major emitters, while arguing that climate modelling should reflect research showing that new coal-fired power capacity is unnecessary for South Africa's energy security.

• The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) requested that the Department of Environmental Affairs clarify the purpose, intended outcomes, and alignment of several climate-related documents, including the 'Pathways documents' (the overview of the approach to developing the pathways, the Draft Alternative Emissions Pathways report, and the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Pathways Inception report), the 'Proposed content for a climate change response legal framework' (May 2017), the 'development of South Africa’s post-2020 climate change mitigation system' (July 2017), the 'Briefing document on the climate change mitigation policies and measures (PAMS) approach and methodology' (August 2017), and the draft 'National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy' (October 2017).
• The CER criticized the Department of Environmental Affairs for refusing to share the pollution prevention plans of Sasol, Eskom, and ArcelorMittal on the grounds that they contain confidential information, stating that such a lack of transparency undermines the mitigation system.
• Based on a study by Meridian Economics and modelling by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the CER asserts that South Africa can meet its electricity demand without new coal-fired capacity. Specifically, abandoning the final two units of the Eskom Kusile power station could save approximately R4,747 million, and decommissioning the Grootvlei, Hendrina, and Komati stations while avoiding the completion of Kusile units 5 and 6 could result in savings between R15 billion and R17 billion.
• The CER argues that the 'Pathways documents' should not consider new coal capacity and should instead include scenarios for the abandonment of the remaining Kusile units and the expedited decommissioning of other high GHG emitters, such as Sasol.
• The CER, representing clients groundWork and Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, is challenging the environmental authorisations for the Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal plants in the High Court, citing irreversible climate impacts and the lack of a necessary climate change impact assessment for Khanyisa.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). DOCUMENTATION FOR MITIGATION PATHWAYS AND ADDITIONAL CLIMATE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION DOCUMENTS/PROJECTS. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Annexure-A-CER-Letter-to-DEA-Mitigation-Pathways-23-2-18.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. DOCUMENTATION FOR MITIGATION PATHWAYS AND ADDITIONAL CLIMATE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION DOCUMENTS/PROJECTS. 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Annexure-A-CER-Letter-to-DEA-Mitigation-Pathways-23-2-18.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=DOCUMENTATION FOR MITIGATION PATHWAYS AND ADDITIONAL CLIMATE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION DOCUMENTS/PROJECTS |date=23 February 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Annexure-A-CER-Letter-to-DEA-Mitigation-Pathways-23-2-18.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2018documentation, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{DOCUMENTATION FOR MITIGATION PATHWAYS AND ADDITIONAL CLIMATE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION DOCUMENTS/PROJECTS}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = feb, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Annexure-A-CER-Letter-to-DEA-Mitigation-Pathways-23-2-18.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }