FACT SHEET: Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill

This fact sheet by Natural Justice critiques the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill, arguing that its goal to accelerate petroleum exploitation in South Africa contradicts the country's climate commitments, threatens biodiversity, and lacks sufficient public consultation.

• The Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill outlines 15 objectives concerning the management of petroleum rights, exploration, and licensing, with a specific goal of speeding up the exploitation of petroleum resources within South Africa.
• The Bill is viewed as being in opposition to South Africa's international climate obligations under the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which require the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the increase of climate adaptation efforts.
• The document asserts that the Bill fails to explain the implementation of South Africa’s Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan or biodiversity offsets to restore degraded lands, despite the rapid loss of indigenous species in the country.
• There are concerns regarding the lack of meaningful public participation and consultation in the drafting of the Bill, which is described as a constitutional right in South Africa. The document suggests that public hearings should have been conducted in every district.
• The Bill is criticized for not providing a well-coordinated climate action response across government levels and for creating uncertainty regarding how it affects existing laws, including the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act and the National Environmental Management Act.

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). FACT SHEET: Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/UPRD-Bill-Fact-Sheet.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. FACT SHEET: Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/UPRD-Bill-Fact-Sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=FACT SHEET: Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/UPRD-Bill-Fact-Sheet.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendfact, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{FACT SHEET: Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/UPRD-Bill-Fact-Sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }