Ramaphosa signs Climate Change Bill into law

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the Climate Change Bill into law, says a BusinessLIVE report. This is the first piece of legislation in SA that is specifically aimed at addressing the effects of climate change by setting out a national climate change response, including mitigation and adaptation actions. ‘The Climate Change Act, as endorsed by the President, enables the alignment of policies that influence SA’s climate change response to ensure that SA’s transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy and society is not constrained by policy contradictions,’ the presidency said in a statement. ‘The law also sets out to enhance SA’s ability and capacity over time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience, while reducing the risk of job losses and promoting new job opportunities in the emerging green economy.’ The Act will, among other things, enable the Environment Minister to set emissions targets for various sectors, such as energy and transport, and prescribe emission thresholds or carbon budgets at a company level. According to the statement, the Act will aim to strengthen co-ordination between national sector departments and provide policy setting and decision-making to enable SA to meet the commitments in the Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement.