Ramaphosa calls for integrating climate action into government policy

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has called for climate action to be integrated across all spheres of the state's work and urged Commissioners of the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) to prioritise outstanding tasks, including the redevelopment of the Komati community in Mpumalanga, which was left without an economic recovery plan after the power station was decommissioned.

- BANELE GININDZA

Addressing the inaugural sitting of the PCC, Ramaphosa urged the commission to work in close partnership with key ministers and their departments to ensure that climate action is fully integrated into national priorities — from energy and finance to trade, labour and cooperative governance.

He said South Africa has set ambitious goals for climate action, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Ramaphosa said the Commission's first five-year term report, presented in December, provided a clear basis for defining the country’s priorities for the next five years, until 2030.

“Climate change is an existential threat to the future of humanity and the planet. We must act globally with others to ensure that we do not breach 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels. We must reduce carbon emissions at a pace and scale appropriate to our national circumstances. We must simultaneously climate-proof our development and infrastructure while strengthening resilience and disaster management capabilities” Ramaphosa said. He emphasised that climate action and development must be aligned to support the country’s growth and prosperity while protecting workers’ jobs and livelihoods.

Ramaphosa noted that South Africa is already experiencing the effects of climate change, which are predicted to intensify rapidly toward the end of this decade and beyond. He warned that this could significantly impede growth and collective prosperity.