Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) Minister Willie Aucamp has issued a call to reframe the narrative surrounding climate action in developing economies.
Aucamp attended the 17th Petersberg Climate Dialogue held in Berlin, Germany, earlier this week.
“Developing economy countries are not simply asking for handouts. There are a number of mutually beneficial opportunities for investment in green technology and innovation that can lead to significant growth and development in these countries.
“I reconfirm South Africa’s commitment to achieving the targets set for us in terms of the Paris Agreement and our own Nationally Determined Contributions. Africa and other developing economy nations contribute less in terms of emissions but are the worst affected by climate change,” the Minister said.
Nationally Determined Contributions are countries' climate action plans under the Paris Agreement.
The high-level dialogue, held on 21-22 April 2026, served as a strategic convening point to discuss concrete ways to address the climate crisis and strengthen confidence in multilateral climate negotiations ahead of COP31 in Türkiye and the African COP32 next year.
READ | Minister Aucamp engages in climate crisis talks in Germany
According to the DFFE, discussions focused on identifying opportunities for international cooperation and accelerating a shift to climate-neutral economies, based on three key areas, namely:
• Mitigation – reducing and closing the gap to 1.5 degrees celsius.
• Climate finance, including operationalisation of the New Collective Quantified Goal on finance for adaptation finance.
• How the multilateral climate regime can accelerate implementation for mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage due to climate change.
“For South Africa, a crucial part of the discussion was emphasising a shift towards talks that are centred around implementation and tangible financial instruments that will benefit developing economies like South Africa. As such, the Minister said that it is now time for full implementation of the Paris Agreement, otherwise deliberations such as these would be reduced to being just another talk shop.
“While there, Minister Aucamp also engaged in a number of bilateral engagements with various international figures in the climate change space, where he highlighted the unique socioeconomic dynamics and how these negatively impact efforts to curb climate change and, most importantly, fast-track adaptation efforts.
“He used the example of the recent flood devastation in parts of South Africa, specifically Kruger National Park, using the opportunity to request support for the Kruger Recovery Fund,” the DFFE said in a statement on Saturday. – SAnews.gov.za
