PRIORITISATION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL AND OTHER PRESSING CLIMATE CONCERNS FOR 2020

The Life After Coal Campaign, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, calls for the urgent promulgation of a robust Climate Change Act and the abandonment of new fossil fuel projects in South Africa. The document highlights the lack of transparency regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data from the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and argues that non-compliant coal-fired power stations must be decommissioned as part of a just transition. It further asserts that South Africa's current commitments under the Paris Agreement are inadequate and must be revised to align with the 1.5 degree Celsius limit to avoid severe regional climate impacts.

• The Life After Coal Campaign identifies five priority areas for the Portfolio Committee: the promulgation of a robust Climate Change Act, automatic public access to GHG emission information, the abandonment of new fossil fuel projects (specifically the Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal plants), the decommissioning of non-viable or non-compliant coal stations via a just transition plan, and more ambitious Paris Agreement commitments.
• South Africa faces severe climate risks if the 1.5 degree Celsius limit is exceeded, including warming of 5–8°C over the interior by the end of the century, changes in water availability, and increased frequency of flooding and drought.
• The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) has been accused of a lack of transparency by withholding GHG emission reductions of major emitters, citing commercial confidentiality.
• The Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2019 (IRP) is criticised for providing for 1500 MW of new coal capacity and 3000 MW of new gas capacity, which the authors argue is unacceptable given climate risks.
• The document highlights the failure of Eskom to comply with minimum emission standards (MES) since 2010 and argues that stations unable to meet health-based standards must be retrofitted or shut down.
• South Africa's current climate commitments under the Paris Agreement are described as inadequate and outside the 'fair share range', potentially leading to warming of 3 to 4 degrees Celsius if other government targets follow suit.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2020). PRIORITISATION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL AND OTHER PRESSING CLIMATE CONCERNS FOR 2020. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Letter-to-Portfolio-Committee_Climate-Crisis-Prioritisation-28-1-20.docx.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. PRIORITISATION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL AND OTHER PRESSING CLIMATE CONCERNS FOR 2020. 2020. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Letter-to-Portfolio-Committee_Climate-Crisis-Prioritisation-28-1-20.docx.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=PRIORITISATION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL AND OTHER PRESSING CLIMATE CONCERNS FOR 2020 |date=28 January 2020 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Letter-to-Portfolio-Committee_Climate-Crisis-Prioritisation-28-1-20.docx.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2020prioritisation, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{PRIORITISATION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE BILL AND OTHER PRESSING CLIMATE CONCERNS FOR 2020}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2020}, month = jan, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Letter-to-Portfolio-Committee_Climate-Crisis-Prioritisation-28-1-20.docx.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }