A New South African Climate Diplomacy: G7, G20 and Beyond

The document outlines a framework for South African climate diplomacy, emphasizing the need to move beyond the UNFCCC to engage with the G7, G20, WTO, and IMF. It argues that the current global climate finance architecture is unfit for the needs of emerging economies, particularly regarding coal phase-outs and adaptation. The authors recommend a whole-of-government approach to secure 'package deals' that link higher emission reduction targets to concrete financial support, debt relief, and intellectual property waivers for green technology.

• Decarbonisation has become a geopolitical 'space race' where advanced economies like the US, China, and the EU use green technology and critical mineral supply chains to secure strategic autonomy and economic power. Africa is strategically important in this context as it contains 42 of the 63 elements used by low-carbon technologies.
• South Africa's climate diplomacy must expand beyond the UNFCCC to include 'informal clubs' and international financial institutions such as the G7, G20, WTO, IMF, and World Bank, as these forums increasingly shape the economic and technical rules of decarbonisation.
• The existing global climate finance architecture is deemed unfit for purpose due to fragmented landscapes, high costs, excessive conditionality, and a disproportionate focus on mitigation over adaptation. For example, the European Investment Bank's 2018 adaptation portfolio for low- and middle-income countries was 12 times smaller than its mitigation portfolio.
• Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) employ overly conservative risk assessments and onerous conditions that limit the ability of national governments to pursue domestic priorities, such as manufacturing employment, as part of climate projects.
• South Africa faces significant economic risks from the EU's proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which would tax emission-intensive imports like steel and cement. The authors argue that CBAM revenues should be used to support transitions in developing countries rather than financing EU climate costs.
• To achieve its revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets for 2025 and 2030, South Africa should pursue 'package deals' where higher emission reduction targets are conditional upon international support, including lower capital costs and debt-for-climate swaps.
• The authors propose the creation of a special accelerated coal retirement fund, either through a reformed CIF ACT programme or a new GCF fund, to address the high costs of retiring coal facilities, which are estimated at ZAR6 billion in South Africa.
• There is a strategic opportunity to push for intellectual property (IPR) waivers for clean technology innovations, drawing a parallel to the temporary TRIPS waiver proposed for COVID-19 vaccines.

APA

RUMBLE, O., SIDIROPOULOS, E., FAKIR, S., & BENKENSTEIN, A. (2021). A New South African Climate Diplomacy: G7, G20 and Beyond. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Occasional-Paper-334-Rumble-et-al.pdf

Chicago

RUMBLE, OLIVIA, ELIZABETH SIDIROPOULOS, SALIEM FAKIR, and ALEX BENKENSTEIN. A New South African Climate Diplomacy: G7, G20 and Beyond. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Occasional-Paper-334-Rumble-et-al.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=RUMBLE |first1=OLIVIA |last2=SIDIROPOULOS |first2=ELIZABETH |last3=FAKIR |first3=SALIEM |last4=BENKENSTEIN |first4=ALEX |title=A New South African Climate Diplomacy: G7, G20 and Beyond |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=October 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Occasional-Paper-334-Rumble-et-al.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rumble2021new, author = {RUMBLE, OLIVIA and SIDIROPOULOS, ELIZABETH and FAKIR, SALIEM and BENKENSTEIN, ALEX}, title = {{A New South African Climate Diplomacy: G7, G20 and Beyond}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Occasional-Paper-334-Rumble-et-al.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }