Squandering borrowed time: Our climate targets should be about the future

AHEAD of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, countries that are parties to the Paris Agreement will submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2030-2035, as states acknowledge that climate change is a “common concern for humankind” for both present and future generations.

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When planning and implementing climate action, states must respect, promote, and consider intergenerational equity, which simply means equity means fairness among generations, with an equitable and just distribution of benefits and risks.

Drawing from the open and frank arguments in the Commission, Commissioner Louise Naudé aptly reflects, “T don't know whether to wish that my son would have a child, or to hope that he won't.

With the critical decade for climate mitigation action flying by and the dishearteningly slow and limited mitigation action underway, it seems any child born now is facing an ever-worse climate catastrophe in a world of economic inequity!

The duty of ensuring equity between generations is not only an international obligation but is also found in section 24 of the South African Constitution, which states that: “Everyone has the right ...to have the environment protected, for the benefits of present and future generations...”

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of Appeal upheld the principle of intergenerational equity in the landmark judgment of Minister of Environmental Affairs v Trustees of Groundwork Trust (#DeadlyAir).

The Court confirmed the state’s constitutional obligation to protect public health; the best interest of children being considered in all matters concerning them and affirmed the duty of the state to respect the environmental rights of future generations.

This ruling reflects a growing recognition that climate governance must take accountability for the needs and rights of the people.