Climate change an existential threat, Ramaphosa says

Climate change poses an existential threat to the future of humanity and the planet, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday, urging global and domestic action to curb emissions while safeguarding livelihoods and economic development.

He was speaking as he chaired the virtual inaugural meeting of the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC), its first sitting since being reconstituted under the Climate Change Act.

“We must act with others across the globe to ensure that we do not breach the 1.5°C warming above pre-industrial levels,” the president said. 

“We must reduce carbon emissions at a pace and scale that is appropriate to our national circumstances while simultaneously climate-proofing our development and infrastructure and strengthening resilience and disaster management.”

Ministers in the Presidency, higher education and training and forestry, fisheries and the environment attended the meeting, which set priorities for advancing the country’s just transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy.

South Africa, Ramaphosa said, was already experiencing the effects of climate change, citing recent flooding and extreme weather events across several provinces. 

These impacts are expected to intensify significantly by the end of the decade, potentially constraining economic growth and undermining efforts to reduce inequality, poverty and unemployment.

“A just transition is not only an environmental imperative. It is equally an economic and social one,” Ramaphosa said, stressing that the shift to a low-emissions economy must protect workers and vulnerable communities while creating new opportunities for development.

“Addressing climate change must therefore go hand in hand with improving living conditions for all,” he added, noting that women, children, people with disabilities, the poor and the unemployed face the greatest risks from climate impacts.

The PCC now operates within a formal legal framework that positions it as a central advisory and coordination body on climate policy, with a mandate that includes promoting social dialogue, advising on policy alignment and supporting the mobilisation of public and private investment.

“As the country works to reduce its carbon footprint, we must ensure that this shift does not disproportionately affect the most vulnerable, such as those who depend on industries like coal mining for their livelihoods,” Ramaphosa said. Achieving this, he noted, would require inclusive social dialogue and unprecedented cooperation between government, business, labour and communities.

Reflecting on the PCC’s work since its establishment in December 2020, Ramaphosa said it had marked a turning point in the country’s climate agenda by fostering consensus among government, business, labour, civil society, youth and academia on some of the most contested climate and development challenges.

The reconstituted commission was assuming its mandate at a critical moment, said PCC deputy chairperson Dipak Patel. “Climate action must drive development, protect workers and communities and unlock new economic opportunities,” Patel said, adding that the PCC would sharpen its focus on delivery over the next five years.

Ramaphosa said South Africa would prioritise both emissions reduction and adaptation as it mobilises climate finance, with pathways to meeting its Nationally Determined Contribution targets (its national climate plan) designed to reinforce economic growth, social inclusion and job creation.

He highlighted the redevelopment of Komati power station and its surrounding community as a key test of the just transition. The coal-fired power station was decommissioned in 2022, leaving the local economy without a clear recovery plan.

“The closure of this coal-fired plant significantly affected the local economy, leaving many residents unemployed and the community without a clear recovery pathway” Ramaphosa said.

By prioritising Komati, the PCC should mobilise partnerships towards the sustainable redevelopment of the area, as a model demonstration of a just transition, not only replacing lost jobs but building a sustainable and resilient local economy that benefits residents over the long term, he said.

The PCC committed to work more closely with ministers and their departments across government through coordinated leadership and shared accountability, to ensure that climate action is integrated into national priorities, including energy, finance, trade, labour, and cooperative governance. 

Patel said the PCC would build on the strong foundation established by the first cohort of commissioners and sharpen its focus over the next five years. 

“As the commission embarks on its second term, we will focus on strengthening public awareness, enabling local action and advising on the required policy adjustment measures where necessary driven collective resolve to ensure that South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future is inclusive, fair, and development-driven.”

With much of the policy groundwork now in place, it was time to move the country’s Just Energy Transition Partnership “from commitment to delivery”, Ramaphosa noted.

This would require accelerating renewable energy deployment, expanding transmission infrastructure, enabling energy storage and creating space for greater private-sector participation.

“This must be a transition to a transformed, inclusive and more equal economy. Through coordinated leadership and shared accountability, we can undertake climate action in a manner that advances development, protects livelihoods and unlocks new opportunities for our people,” he said.