The Landscape of Climate Finance in South Africa

The report analyzes climate finance in South Africa for 2017-2018, tracking an annual average of R62.2 billion. It identifies a significant gap between current funding and the R8.9 trillion estimated by the IFC as necessary to achieve South Africa's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2030. Public finance averaged R22 billion annually, with a strong domestic preference, while private finance averaged R35.3 billion, focused exclusively on mitigation. The document recommends developing standardized climate finance definitions, improving public-private coordination, and scaling blended finance to leverage private capital.

• An International Finance Corporation (IFC) study estimated that South Africa requires a total investment of R8.9 trillion between 2015 and 2030 to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which equates to an annual requirement of R596 billion.
• Annual climate finance tracked for 2017 and 2018 totaled R62.2 billion. Public finance actors contributed an annual average of approximately R22 billion (25% of the total), with 79% of these funds raised and spent domestically. The South African Government provided over R12 billion, or 55% of the tracked public investments.
• Private actors provided an annual average of R35.3 billion during 2017 and 2018, all of which was directed toward climate mitigation sectors, specifically clean energy and energy efficiency & demand-side management. Commercial investors were the primary source, contributing R19.3 billion.
• Climate spending in South Africa is largely siloed between the public and private sectors, with limited collaboration. Blended finance, totaling R4.9 billion, primarily originates from international rather than local sources.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2021). The Landscape of Climate Finance in South Africa. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/south-african-climate-finance-landscape-2020/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. The Landscape of Climate Finance in South Africa. 2021. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/south-african-climate-finance-landscape-2020/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=The Landscape of Climate Finance in South Africa |date=28 January 2021 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/south-african-climate-finance-landscape-2020/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2021landscape, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{The Landscape of Climate Finance in South Africa}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/south-african-climate-finance-landscape-2020/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }