SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION

The Centre for Environmental Rights, representing the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, submitted a letter to the South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment on 5 August 2022. The letter urges the government to strengthen its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets to align with the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact, arguing that current targets are insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

• The authors argue that South Africa's 2021 NDC update is insufficient to ensure a safe climate path or meet international obligations. Analysis by the Climate Equity Reference Project (CERP) indicates that the upper limit of the NDC does not satisfy the 'fair share' for a 2°C pathway, and only the lower range is just within the range for a 1.5°C pathway. Specifically, a fair share for a 1.5°C pathway is estimated at "274 to 352Mt CO2-eq" and for a 2°C pathway at "350 to 401Mt CO2-eq".
• The Climate Action Tracker rates South Africa's domestic targets as "almost sufficient" based on modelled emissions pathways, but "insufficient" when using a fair-share approach. The document notes that if all countries followed South Africa's approach, global warming could reach over 2°C and up to 3°C, which would equate to "4 to 6°C for South Africa" because the country warms at twice the global average rate.
• The letter requests that the government clarify whether it intends to "revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets" in the 2021 NDC update as requested by paragraph 29 of the Glasgow Climate Pact. The authors contend that maintaining the current NDC is contrary to the state's duty of care under S28 of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (NEMA) and various constitutional rights, including the rights to life, dignity, and an environment not harmful to health.
• The authors seek specific information regarding the monitoring and tracking of NDC compliance, including the plans to meet commitments for 2025 and 2030. They specifically inquire if a system exists to evaluate how new developments, particularly "GHG emission-intensive activities", impact the national carbon budget and the NDC.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2022). SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Letter-to-Minister-and-Department-FFE-Nationally-Determined-Contribution_5_Aug_2022.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION. 2022. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Letter-to-Minister-and-Department-FFE-Nationally-Determined-Contribution_5_Aug_2022.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION |date=5 August 2022 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Letter-to-Minister-and-Department-FFE-Nationally-Determined-Contribution_5_Aug_2022.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2022south, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Letter-to-Minister-and-Department-FFE-Nationally-Determined-Contribution_5_Aug_2022.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }