SA Reaffirms Commitment to Climate Action at BASIC Ministerial Meeting

Dr. George announced that South Africa is working on its second Nationally Determined Contribution and plans to update and submit its first Biennial Transparency Report.

Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment Minister Dr. Dion George has reaffirmed South Africa's dedication to fulfilling its commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. Speaking at the Brazil, South Africa, India, and China (BASIC) Ministerial Meeting on Sunday, ahead of the 8th Session of the Ministerial Meeting on Climate Action (MoCA) in Wuhan, China, Dr. George emphasized the country's proactive stance on climate action.

Dr. George announced that South Africa is working on its second Nationally Determined Contribution and plans to update and submit its first Biennial Transparency Report. "We will contribute our fair share and not make false promises that we are unable to keep," he stated.

The BASIC Ministerial Meeting focused on key UNFCCC negotiation issues for the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP29), including finalizing rules on carbon markets, adaptation indicators, the Just Transition Pathways Work Programme, the Mitigation Work Programme, and the new collective quantified goal on finance.

In his remarks, Dr. George highlighted South Africa's ambitious actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, notably through the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP), which includes initiatives in electricity, electric vehicles, and green hydrogen. He expressed South Africa's interest in partnering with BASIC and other countries to implement this plan.

"The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with some developed countries is only a small component of our much larger energy transition plan," Dr. George said, emphasizing the comprehensive approach South Africa seeks in line with the COP28 UAE Vision. He noted that South Africa's Climate Change Bill, adopted by Parliament, integrates components of the National Climate Change Response White Paper into a robust legal framework to mainstream climate action across government.

Dr. George underscored the need for progress in emission reduction obligations, adaptation commitments, and implementation means to achieve the 1.5-degree target and address all likely outcomes of climate change. He called for enhanced international cooperation on both adaptation and mitigation and stressed the importance of developed countries providing adequate support to developing nations to ensure the Paris Agreement's applicability to all.

MoCA, taking place on 22-23 July 2024, is a crucial gathering for ministers and senior climate diplomats to elevate pressing issues in climate negotiations to a higher political level. Initiated in 2017 by China, the European Union (EU), and Canada, MoCA aims to support the Paris Agreement and the multilateral climate process by identifying and addressing convergence and divergence issues at a political level ahead of COP.