New climate change law will bring uniformity to fight against climate change, says Committee Chair
24 July 2024
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Nqabisa Gantsho, has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing into law of the Climate Change Bill.
The law addresses a number of challenging issues for governments across the world around governance and mitigation of climate change calamities. These include:
climate resilience strategies
access to climate information for South Africans
impact on agriculture and food systems
the discretionary power of the Presidential Commission on Climate Change
carbon tax and carbon budgets
the importance of the Basic Education sector
Ms Gantsho said the Act will enhance South Africa’s climate change response and aligns well with the Just Transition Framework adaptation and mitigation strategies.
“We note with much appreciation the President’s decision to sign into law the Climate Change Bill. The 6th administration committee worked tirelessly in order to ensure that this law comes into life. This is vindication of South Africa’s commitment and resolve to reducing climate impact across the country and the region. The country has set an example, which we hope our regional allies will seek to replicate,” Ms Gantsho said.
Ms Gantsho said that in the fight against climate change, uniformity is necessary across municipalities, provinces and nationally, as well as in neighbouring countries, and this law will allow for that.
“We are committed on adaptation and mitigation strategies to this catastrophe, which we sadly have to live with, but also mitigation of the temperature rises averaging 1.5 degrees and more. We are in the fight and we will win it,” Ms Gantsho said.
Ms Gantsho emphasized the need for the National Treasury and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to speed up the establishment of the Climate Change Response Fund.
She called on members of the committee to work as a team in resolving environmental challenges that South Africans were faced with.
Issued by Sibongile Maputi, Parliamentary Communication Services, 24 July 2024
