Search Climate Insights Directory

The North Gauteng High Court ruled in favor of the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and #PayTheGrants, finding that the South African government's administration of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant was unconstitutional. The court determined that the grant is not a temporary measure and that the government used 'ulterior' motives to exclude eligible applicants through restrictive regulations, such as a solely online application process and inaccurate database checks. The judgment requires the government to allow in-person applications, redefine 'insufficient means' to exclude irregular monetary inflows, and develop a plan within four months to increase the grant's value and means-test threshold in line with the cost of living. Additionally, the court struck down budget caps that limited the number of beneficiaries and ordered SASSA to rectify payment delays affecting 10-15% of successful applicants.

The document examines the socio-economic challenges of the energy transition in South Africa and Brazil, focusing on the gap between decarbonisation goals and the actual reskilling of vulnerable workforces. In South Africa, the transition is complicated by a heavy reliance on coal for electricity and high unemployment, while Brazil faces challenges in balancing its clean energy mix with high emissions from agriculture and deforestation. Both nations struggle with structural inequality and the need for robust social protection systems to ensure that the shift to green industries does not exacerbate existing poverty or exclude informal workers.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) expresses concern over contradictions between President Cyril Ramaphosa's promises of a permanent basic income support system and the National Treasury's actions. The IEJ highlights budget cuts in the October 2024 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), the potential migration of other social grants to an exclusionary online-only system, and Treasury's legal claims that the SRD grant was only a temporary Covid-19 response. The organization calls for a clear roadmap to basic income and an end to austerity-driven measures that exclude eligible beneficiaries.

The fact sheet proposes a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a tool to support South Africa's Just Energy Transition (JET). It argues that while the shift to renewables is necessary for climate goals, it threatens coal-dependent industries and communities. A UBIG would provide a non-conditional financial safety net to cushion economic shocks, build resilience against climate crises, and ensure that the risks and benefits of the energy transition are redistributed equitably, particularly for vulnerable groups like informal workers and caregivers.

The report critiques the current South African social assistance framework, specifically the SRD grant, as inadequate due to its low value and restrictive digital means testing. It contrasts a 'fiscal consolidation' approach favored by the National Treasury and international financial institutions with a rights-based approach advocated by civil society and the Department of Social Development. The authors recommend transitioning the SRD grant into a permanent basic income grant pegged to national poverty lines, funded through non-regressive measures like wealth taxes, and supported by inclusive consultative structures and secure digital systems.

The briefing introduces a three-step framework designed to move adaptation finance beyond simple fund allocation toward achieving equitable outcomes and structural change. It argues that current international funding often fails to reach the most vulnerable populations and frequently ignores the root causes of vulnerability. The framework guides actors through defining their equity goals, selecting guiding principles, and addressing eight specific elements of distributive equity across the project cycle. These elements range from ensuring fair allocation and resource access to more ambitious goals like protecting human rights, addressing intersectionality, and enabling decolonization to dismantle systemic drivers of marginalization.

The document is an open letter from South African civil society, labour organisations, and policy experts arguing that the National Treasury exercises disproportionate influence over government policy, often obstructing the progressive realisation of socio-economic rights. The authors specifically highlight the failure to transition the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant into a permanent basic income system, alleging that Treasury's adherence to an 'austerity' paradigm undermines constitutional mandates and inclusive economic growth.

A coalition of civil society, labour, and policy experts urges President Cyril Ramaphosa to curb the National Treasury's influence over social policy. They argue that Treasury's 'austerity' paradigm and opposition to a permanent basic income grant contradict constitutional obligations and the President's own stated goals, leading to the unfair exclusion of millions from the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant.

The PROEZA project in Eastern Paraguay aims to combine social protection with climate action by implementing agroforestry systems and efficient stoves for vulnerable households. While the evaluation recognizes the project's innovative approach and its success in improving land tenure security, it finds that overall implementation is very low, with less than 5% of final targets for agroforestry plantations achieved. Major obstacles include weak project design, high personnel turnover, the COVID-19 pandemic, and an unattractive credit line for medium-sized landowners. The report highlights risks to sustainability due to low institutional ownership and a lack of clear future financing, and it recommends a revised roadmap with realistic targets and a strengthened exit strategy.

The Institute for Economic Justice proposes a universal basic income guarantee (UBIG) as a foundational safety net for South Africa's transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. The document asserts that while targeted support for displaced workers is necessary, a UBIG is essential to cover those indirectly affected, such as informal workers and carers, and to prevent people from falling through gaps in social protection. It highlights international evidence from countries like Bangladesh, Brazil, and Ethiopia to demonstrate how cash transfers mitigate climate-induced crises and reduce negative coping strategies. Furthermore, the text argues that a UBIG facilitates environmental adaptation by providing the financial stability needed for reskilling and sustainable consumption, while promoting a more equitable distribution of climate risks between the Global North and Global South.

The fact sheet examines the crisis of food insecurity in South Africa, asserting that while the country is food secure at a national level, millions of households suffer from hunger due to income poverty. It advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a direct mechanism to ensure all adults can afford basic nutrition, contrasting this with the limitations of current targeted grants and the paternalism of food vouchers. The document also highlights the long-term economic and health costs of malnutrition and argues that a UBIG should be part of a broader strategy including a 'just food transition' to address systemic agricultural issues and climate change risks.

The fact sheet examines the crisis of food insecurity in South Africa, noting that while the country produces enough food, millions lack the income to access it. It highlights the severe health and economic consequences of malnutrition, particularly for children, and argues that existing targeted grants are insufficient. The document proposes a UBIG as a direct mechanism to eliminate hunger, while cautioning that it must be part of a broader strategy including a 'just food transition' to address systemic issues and climate change risks.

The document examines the crisis of hunger and malnutrition in South Africa, asserting that while the country produces enough food, millions suffer from food insecurity due to poverty and income inequality. It advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a primary tool to ensure all citizens can afford nutritious food, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty and improving long-term economic productivity. The text contrasts cash transfers with food vouchers, arguing that cash is more efficient, less prone to corruption, and better for local economies. It also emphasizes that UBIG must be part of a broader strategy including a 'just food transition' to protect food systems from climate change.

The Institute for Economic Justice argues that requiring social grant recipients in South Africa to prove active job-seeking is a flawed policy. It contends that unemployment is structural rather than a result of individual effort, and that conditionality would exclude millions of needy people, increase administrative costs, and potentially lead to labor exploitation and lower wages. The document advocates for an unconditional Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a more effective and just alternative.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues that requiring social grant recipients in South Africa to prove they are actively seeking work is a flawed policy. The document contends that unemployment in South Africa is structural rather than a result of individual effort, noting an expanded unemployment rate of 42.6% (12.38 million people). It asserts that job-seeking conditions create high administrative costs, penalize caregivers—particularly women—and may force workers into low-wage, exploitative employment. The IEJ advocates for an unconditional Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a constitutional right, contrasting this with proposals from the World Bank, National Treasury, and certain political parties to replace the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant with conditional job-seeker support.

The document contends that requiring social grant recipients in South Africa to prove they are actively seeking work is an ineffective policy that ignores the structural nature of the country's unemployment. It argues that such conditions would exclude millions in need, impose high administrative and compliance costs, and violate constitutional rights to social assistance. The author specifically critiques proposals from the World Bank, National Treasury, and political parties (DA and Rise Mzansi) to replace the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant with a conditional work-seekers' grant, noting that the cost of job searching (approximately R1469 for youth) far exceeds the grant value (R370).

The document examines the socio-economic and political challenges of phasing out coal in Indonesia, highlighting the role of artificial price caps, political 'revolving doors', and limited government planning capacity. It proposes the creation of a Just Energy Transition Support Facility under Bappenas to coordinate governance, finance, and economic diversification, while advocating for the removal of coal subsidies and the reform of the electricity market to favor renewable energy.

The brief argues that climate-related disasters disproportionately affect caregivers, primarily women, and that humanitarian aid often overlooks these gendered vulnerabilities. It proposes six actionable pathways—including equitable redistribution of care, shock-responsive social protection, and care-sensitive risk mapping—to mitigate these risks and optimize financial aid as climate-driven humanitarian needs are projected to rise significantly by 2050.

The document advocates for a progressive tax agenda to address extreme poverty and wealth concentration, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It proposes several instruments: Financial Transaction Taxes (FTTs) to curb speculation and raise billions annually; net wealth taxes to target the super-rich; property taxes to leverage immobile assets; and Resource Rent Taxes (RTT) for the extractives sector. Using South Africa as a case study, the brief demonstrates that a combination of these taxes could generate substantial revenue to fund social protection, healthcare, and a Universal Basic Income Guarantee, potentially increasing GDP growth.

The 'Building climate resilience by linking climate adaptation and social protection through decentralised planning in Mozambique (LINK)' project is a GCF-funded initiative designed to enhance the resilience of drought-vulnerable populations in Mozambique. The project integrates climate change adaptation (CCA) with social protection (SP) by linking Local Adaptation Plans (LAPs) with the Productive Social Action Program (PASP). It focuses on nine districts across the provinces of Gaza, Manica, and Tete, targeting approximately 414,857 direct beneficiaries and 559,863 indirect beneficiaries. The project aims to mainstream climate resilience into district-level budgeting and planning while providing communities with climate-resilient income-generating activities and improved water security.