REQUEST FOR UPDATE ON AND PRIORITISATION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL, 2018

The Centre for Environmental Rights, representing the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, is urging the South African government to prioritise the promulgation of the Climate Change Bill, 2018. The authors argue that delaying climate legislation is unacceptable given South Africa's extreme vulnerability to climate change and the urgent need for 'rapid and far-reaching' transitions to limit global warming to 1.5°C. They assert that the state has a Constitutional obligation to protect the environment and prevent pollution, citing the Dutch Urgenda case as a legal precedent for the state's duty to pursue ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction plans.

• The authors argue that the South African government must prioritise the Climate Change Bill, 2018, because the country is 'extremely vulnerable' to climate change and current government commitments have been described as 'highly insufficient'.
• Referencing the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, the document notes that Southern Africa is a 'climate change hot spot' facing increased risks of 'hot extremes' and 'drying', with temperatures rising at approximately twice the global rate over the last five decades.
• The document asserts that the state has a legal and Constitutional obligation to implement effective climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, and that failing to do so would violate the right to an environment that is not harmful to health or wellbeing.
• The authors cite the Dutch case of State of the Netherlands v the Urgenda Foundation to support the claim that states have a 'positive obligation' to protect citizens from the 'real threat of dangerous climate change'.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). REQUEST FOR UPDATE ON AND PRIORITISATION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL, 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Annexure-D-LAC-letter-to-Minister-Hanekom-CC-Bill-20-11-18.docx.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. REQUEST FOR UPDATE ON AND PRIORITISATION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL, 2018. 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Annexure-D-LAC-letter-to-Minister-Hanekom-CC-Bill-20-11-18.docx.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=REQUEST FOR UPDATE ON AND PRIORITISATION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL, 2018 |date=20 November 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Annexure-D-LAC-letter-to-Minister-Hanekom-CC-Bill-20-11-18.docx.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2018request, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{REQUEST FOR UPDATE ON AND PRIORITISATION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL, 2018}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Annexure-D-LAC-letter-to-Minister-Hanekom-CC-Bill-20-11-18.docx.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }