COMMENTS ON WESTERN CAPE CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) critiques the Western Cape's draft climate plan, arguing for greater urgency, transparency, and meaningful public participation. The CER strongly opposes the use of fossil gas as a transition fuel due to methane leakage and warns against the potential misuse of 'Net Zero' targets. They propose a comprehensive set of 27 guiding principles for the plan's implementation, emphasizing climate justice, the phase-out of fossil fuels, and the protection of vulnerable groups, particularly those in informal settlements.

• The CER argues that the draft plan lacks sufficient emphasis on public participation and recommends a formal protocol to ensure the inclusion of geographically remote, economically challenged communities, women, and youth.
• The document calls for complete transparency and the creation of a publicly accessible web-based information portal to provide updated data on climate response and hold greenhouse gas emitters accountable.
• The CER strongly opposes the consideration of fossil gas as a transition fuel or energy security measure, citing high methane leakage rates and the potency of methane as a greenhouse gas.
• The authors warn that 'Net Zero by 2050' targets may be misused to delay actual emissions cuts by relying on unproven technologies or inadequate nature-based solutions.
• The CER proposes 27 guiding principles for the plan's implementation, which include the urgent phase-out of fossil fuels to reach zero emissions before 2050 and the pursuit of climate justice.
• The document identifies the resilience of informal settlements as a critical and currently inadequate area of the plan, urging immediate risk and vulnerability assessments.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2022). COMMENTS ON WESTERN CAPE CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/groundWork_ACA_Comments_Western_Cape_Climate_Change_Response_Strategy_Implementation_Plan_26_Sep_22.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. COMMENTS ON WESTERN CAPE CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. 2022. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/groundWork_ACA_Comments_Western_Cape_Climate_Change_Response_Strategy_Implementation_Plan_26_Sep_22.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=COMMENTS ON WESTERN CAPE CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN |date=26 September 2022 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/groundWork_ACA_Comments_Western_Cape_Climate_Change_Response_Strategy_Implementation_Plan_26_Sep_22.pdf?x21779 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2022comments, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{COMMENTS ON WESTERN CAPE CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/groundWork_ACA_Comments_Western_Cape_Climate_Change_Response_Strategy_Implementation_Plan_26_Sep_22.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }