EXPERT PERSPECTIVES Supporting a Just and Climate-Resilient Transition in South Africa

The document argues that a just transition in South Africa must move beyond simple decarbonization to address structural inequalities rooted in the minerals-energy complex (MEC). It proposes a 'transformative resilience' framework based on three pillars: a green decent work agenda, expanded social protection (such as a universal basic income guarantee), and radical land reform. The essays detail specific vulnerabilities, including the marginalization of women in ecosystem-based adaptation, the mental health burdens of climate change on Black communities, and the precariousness of informal waste pickers. Sectoral analyses emphasize the need for inclusive food systems, urban drought resilience in cities like Cape Town, and the integration of renewable energy to support agricultural productivity and rural development.

• South Africa's vulnerability to climate change is exacerbated by its political economy, specifically the minerals-energy complex (MEC), which is a "fossil-fuel-dependent system of capitalist accumulation" that prioritizes capital-intensive sectors over labour-intensive ones, contributing to structural unemployment and spatial inequality.
• A transformative approach to resilience requires three complementary pillars: a green decent work agenda to create sustainable livelihoods, social protection to provide safety nets, and land reform to reduce exposure to climate risks and improve food security.
• The implementation of a universal basic income guarantee (UBIG) is proposed as a critical social protection tool to make jobless individuals and those at risk of losing employment more resilient to climate change impacts.
• Women in rural South Africa are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change due to patriarchal systems that exclude them from decision-making and land ownership; women make up 51 percent of the population but own less than 15 percent of land.
• Climate change impacts on mental health in South Africa are compounded by historical trauma from apartheid and systemic racism, meaning the population is more vulnerable to psychological distress than those in the global North.
• Informal waste pickers, estimated at between 60,000 and 90,000 people, provide significant environmental services by collecting 70 to 90 percent of post-consumer paper and packaging waste, yet they remain marginalized and unremunerated within municipal systems.
• Urban drought resilience in South African cities is hindered by aging infrastructure and a lack of political will for proactive investment, with some cities like Nelson Mandela Bay losing approximately 35 percent of potable water to leaks.
• The South African food system is characterized by high market concentration, where five national supermarket chains control 64 percent of the grocery retail market, limiting the ability of small and medium enterprise (SME) producers to access markets.
• The uMngeni Resilience Project demonstrates that climate adaptation finance (specifically a US$7.5 million grant from the Adaptation Fund) effectively builds resilience for smallholder farmers through early warning systems and climate-smart agriculture.
• South Africa's energy transition faces a significant challenge because coal-fired and nuclear stations provide 87 percent of national energy consumption, and a sudden exit from these sources could pose an "existential threat" to the economy.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (n.d.). EXPERT PERSPECTIVES Supporting a Just and Climate-Resilient Transition in South Africa. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PCC-Expert-Essay-Book.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. EXPERT PERSPECTIVES Supporting a Just and Climate-Resilient Transition in South Africa. n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PCC-Expert-Essay-Book.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=EXPERT PERSPECTIVES Supporting a Just and Climate-Resilient Transition in South Africa |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PCC-Expert-Essay-Book.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjusticendexpert, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{EXPERT PERSPECTIVES Supporting a Just and Climate-Resilient Transition in South Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PCC-Expert-Essay-Book.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }