South Africa’s updated draft Nationally Determined Contribution

This statement, submitted in April 2021 by the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA), the South African Medical Association, and Amref Health Africa, provides recommendations for South Africa's updated draft Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The authors argue that the draft's emission reduction targets are insufficient to protect public health and urge the government to align targets with a 2°C goal. The document emphasizes the critical link between climate action and health outcomes, proposing a 'One Health' approach and a policy roadmap focusing on energy, food and agriculture, and transportation to maximize health and equity co-benefits.

• The authors contend that South Africa's draft NDC emission reduction targets are too low, appearing to align with a 3°C temperature increase rather than the Paris Agreement's goals. They urge the government to align targets with a 2°C goal to protect public health.
• Significant public health improvements could be achieved by 2040 through climate mitigation policies in South Africa, specifically avoiding 98,900 deaths annually via healthier diets, 35,000 deaths through increased active travel, and 9,450 deaths through improved air quality.
• The document highlights the severe health and economic costs of coal dependency in South Africa. Air pollution from coal-fired power stations causes over 2,200 deaths annually, with estimated health costs in 2018 ranging between ZAR 11 billion and ZAR 30 billion.
• The authors recommend a rapid transition to renewable energy, suggesting a commitment to phase out coal by 2034. They note that since March 2020, South Africa has committed at least ZAR 9.1 billion to support fossil fuel energy.
• Climate change is already negatively impacting South African food security; since the 1950s, the crop yield potential for maize has fallen by 10%, soy bean by 8.9%, and winter wheat by 5.4%.
• The submission proposes several high-impact policy interventions to achieve health and climate co-benefits, including the adoption of the Climate Justice Charter, electrification of public transit, and the passage of the Peoples’ Food Sovereignty Act.
• The authors call for the inclusion of the health sector in the Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission and recommend that the NDC include a budget to improve health sector adaptation and resilience.

APA

Global Climate and Health Alliance (2021). South Africa’s updated draft Nationally Determined Contribution. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/South-Africa-NDC_Submission-by-PHASA-SAMA-and-Amref.pdf

Chicago

Global Climate and Health Alliance. South Africa’s updated draft Nationally Determined Contribution. 2021. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/South-Africa-NDC_Submission-by-PHASA-SAMA-and-Amref.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Climate and Health Alliance |title=South Africa’s updated draft Nationally Determined Contribution |date=April 2021 |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/South-Africa-NDC_Submission-by-PHASA-SAMA-and-Amref.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalclimateandhealthalliance2021south, author = {{Global Climate and Health Alliance}}, title = {{South Africa’s updated draft Nationally Determined Contribution}}, publisher = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/South-Africa-NDC_Submission-by-PHASA-SAMA-and-Amref.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }