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430 results
CLIMATE CHANGE INVESTMENT AND FINANCE OPPORTUNITIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE
This report by WWF South Africa analyzes the financing gap and investment opportunities for climate change adaptation and mitigation within the South African agricultural sector. It highlights the sector's vulnerability to extreme weather and the need for a 'just transition' that includes small-scale farmers. The document identifies specific market potentials for AgTech, regenerative agriculture, and renewable energy, while recommending the development of innovative financial instruments, technical assistance facilities, and concessional finance to unlock private capital.
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Document type: Report
Climate Finance At COP27: A First Take On South Africa’s JET-IP
This fact sheet by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) provides an initial analysis of South Africa's Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP), released on 4 November 2022. The IEJ argues that the plan relies too heavily on private finance and loans, which risks increasing national debt, exacerbating energy poverty through 'cost reflective' tariffs, and failing to provide adequate social security for workers in the coal sector.
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Document type: Fact sheet
How violence and adversity undermine human development
This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and violence negatively impact human development in South Africa. Drawing on the Birth to Thirty (Bt30) cohort study, it argues that childhood adversity creates a cumulative risk that undermines health, education, and economic productivity in adulthood, thereby hindering national development.
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Document type: Policy brief
SOUTH AFRICA KEEPING NATURE IN FOCUS
This report by WWF South Africa reviews Phase 2 (2016–2021) of its transformational partnership with the retailer Woolworths. The collaboration focuses on integrating sustainability into Woolworths' business operations and supply chains, specifically targeting water stewardship, sustainable agriculture, seafood sourcing, food waste reduction, and low-carbon pathways. The report details the environmental and social impacts achieved through collective action, such as alien vegetation clearing in water source areas and the transition of smallholder farmers to sustainable cotton production.
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Document type: Report
APPEAL RESPONSE REPORT
This Appeal Response Report, submitted by Eskom Holdings SOC Limited to the Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), appeals the National Air Quality Officer's (NAQO) decisions regarding applications for postponements from the Minimum Emission Standards (MES) for various coal-fired power stations.
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Document type: Report
APPEAL RESPONSE REPORT DECISION
This document is an appeal response report filed by groundWork and Earthlife Africa, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, challenging decisions made by the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) regarding Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. The appellants argue that granting postponements and suspensions of compliance with Minimum Emission Standards (MES) for several coal-fired power stations in the Highveld Priority Area is unlawful and violates environmental laws and constitutional rights to health.
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Document type: Report
COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO FINANCIAL PROVISION FOR THE MITIGATION AND REHABILITATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY RECONNAISSANCE, PROSPECTING, EXPLORATION OR PRODUCTION OPERATIONS, 2021
A joint submission by seven civil society organisations, led by the Centre for Environmental Rights, providing detailed comments and proposed amendments to the 2021 draft regulations on financial provision for the mitigation and rehabilitation of environmental damage caused by mining and energy operations in South Africa.
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Document type: Statement
Climate Change Implications for SA’s Youth
This expert report by Nicholas King, commissioned by the Centre for Environmental Rights, analyzes the projected physical, socio-economic, and ecological impacts of climate change on youth and future generations in South Africa from 2021 through 2060 and beyond. It argues that under current 'business as usual' trajectories, large portions of the country may become uninhabitable, leading to systemic collapses in food and water security, infrastructure, and mental wellbeing.
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Document type: Report
GREEN BONDS IN SOUTH AFRICA
This report by the Climate Bonds Initiative examines how green and transition bonds can facilitate South Africa's shift from a coal-dependent energy system to a low-carbon economy. It analyzes the specific challenges of the South African market, the roles of major emitters like Eskom and Sasol, and provides frameworks for credible transition finance to avoid greenwashing.
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Document type: Report
Final Synthesis Report
This final synthesis report by the Centre for Environmental Rights provides strategic and technical guidance on managing sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from old solid fuel combustion plants in South Africa, specifically focusing on Eskom and Sasol facilities. The report utilizes a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to recommend minimum emission standards (MES) based on plant lifetime and economic viability, concluding that reducing SO2 emissions is technologically feasible and provides significant net societal benefits through improved public health and macroeconomic growth.
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Document type: Report
Short Heads of Argument for First Respondent
This document contains the Short Heads of Argument filed on 11 March 2021 by the First Respondent, Uthaka Energy (Pty) Ltd, in the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria). Uthaka argues against an urgent application for an interim interdict brought by the Mining and Environmental Justice Community Network of South Africa and others, which seeks to stop the commencement of the Yzermyn Underground Coal-mining Project. Uthaka contends that it possesses all necessary statutory authorisations and that the application lacks urgency, a prima facie right, and a reasonable apprehension of irreparable harm.
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Document type: Briefing
Tackling South Africa’s Infrastructure Deficit: The Role of Development Finance Institutions
This policy brief examines the role of international development finance institutions (DFIs) and multilateral development banks (MDBs) in addressing South Africa's infrastructure deficit. It analyzes the shift from a historical reluctance to seek external aid toward a current necessity driven by rising public debt and the economic impact of COVID-19. The document details the government's Infrastructure Build Programme, the establishment of the Investment and Infrastructure Office (IIO), and the creation of a ZAR100 billion Infrastructure Fund, while highlighting critical gaps in project preparation skills and procurement coordination.
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Document type: Policy brief
A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FISCAL FRAMEWORK
This research paper by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) evaluates the local government fiscal framework in South Africa, arguing that the structural assumptions made in the 1998 White Paper on Local Government are fundamentally unsound and have led to widespread municipal financial distress and the erosion of the social wage.
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Document type: Research paper
URGENT REQUEST FOR PROVISION OF WATER TANKS, RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY, AND SANITATION PACKS TO COMMUNITIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO WATER
A formal letter from the South African Water Caucus (SAWC) and affiliates to Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, President Cyril Ramaphosa, and other officials, demanding urgent provision of water tanks, reliable water supply, and sanitation packs for communities lacking access. The document highlights a failure by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to respond to previous requests and warns of legal action if a response is not provided by August 3, 2020.
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Document type: Statement
URGENT REQUEST FOR PROVISION OF WATER TANKS, RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY, AND SANITATION PACKS TO COMMUNITIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO WATER
The South African Water Caucus (SAWC) issued an urgent request to Minister Lindiwe Sisulu of the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation on June 1, 2020, demanding immediate intervention for over 200 communities lacking access to water and basic sanitation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Document type: Statement
URGENT REQUEST FOR PROVISION OF WATER TANKS, RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY, AND SANITATION PACKS TO COMMUNITIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO WATER
The South African Water Caucus (SAWC) submitted an urgent request to Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on April 30, 2020, demanding the provision of water tanks, reliable water supply, and sanitation packs for numerous communities across South Africa facing dire water shortages and sanitation failures during the COVID-19 lockdown.
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Document type: Statement
URGENT REQUEST FOR PROVISION OF WATER TANKS, RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY, AND SANITATION PACKS TO COMMUNITIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO WATER
The South African Water Caucus (SAWC) submitted an urgent request to Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on 22 April 2020, demanding the provision of water tanks, reliable water supply, and sanitation packs for numerous communities lacking basic water access during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Document type: Statement
PROVISION OF WATER TANKS AND RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY TO EMALAHLENI COMMUNITIES AS A MATTER OF URGENCY
The Centre for Environmental Rights, acting for the Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action (VEM), wrote to Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on 9 April 2020 to demand urgent water provision for communities in and around eMalahleni. The letter highlights that several areas have lacked reliable water since September 2019, forcing residents to use contaminated streams, which increases health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Document type: Statement
Draft Mine Community Resettlement Guidelines, 2019 Table of Comments
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) provides a table of comments and proposed amendments to the 2019 Draft Mine Community Resettlement Guidelines. The CER argues that the guidelines must move beyond simple consultation toward Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), expand the definition of compensation to include non-material losses, and ensure that resettlement processes are enforceable through amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA).
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Document type: Report
Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal
This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that the electric vehicle (EV) revolution presents Southern African states with an opportunity to transform their economic trajectories through a systemic innovation approach. It advocates for a 'just e-volution' that integrates the mining, automotive, and energy sectors to move toward a low-carbon economy, specifically suggesting a 'Green New Deal' for the SADC region to avoid becoming a dumping ground for obsolete internal combustion engine technology.
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Document type: Policy brief