SOUTH AFRICAS NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) argues that South Africa's 2021 NDC update is insufficient to meet the 1.5°C global warming limit and fails to reflect the country's 'fair share' of global mitigation efforts. The CER highlights that the use of an emissions range allows for a higher upper limit that is inconsistent with safe climate pathways, potentially leading to domestic temperature increases of 4 to 6°C. The document requests the government clarify if it will revisit its 2030 targets as requested by the Glasgow Climate Pact and asks for details on the mechanisms used to monitor and track greenhouse gas emission reductions.

• The 2021 NDC update is considered insufficient to ensure a safe climate path for South Africa or meet international obligations. Analysis by the Climate Equity Reference Project (CERP) indicates that South Africa's 'fair share' for a 1.5°C pathway is 274 to 352Mt CO2-eq, and for a 2°C pathway is 350 to 401Mt CO2-eq; the upper limit of the current NDC does not satisfy the fair share for even a 2°C pathway.
• The Climate Action Tracker rates South Africa's NDC as "almost sufficient" regarding domestic targets but "insufficient" when measured against a fair-share contribution. If all countries adopted South Africa's approach, global warming could reach over 2°C and up to 3°C, which would translate to a 4 to 6°C increase in South Africa because the country warms at twice the global average rate.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2022). SOUTH AFRICAS 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 AFRICAS 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 AFRICAS 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 AFRICAS 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} }