Environmental Affairs Minister Dr Edna Molewa has published the National Climate Change Bill in Government Gazette 41689 (Notice No. 636) for public comment.
“The purpose of the Bill is to build an effective climate change response and ensure the long-term, just transition to a climate resilient and lower carbon economy and society.
“This will be done within the context of sustainable development for South Africa, and will provide for all matters related to climate change,” the Department of Environmental Affairs said in a statement.
The department said the Bill acknowledges that anthropogenic climate change represents an urgent threat to human societies and the environment and requires an effective, progressive and well-coordinated response.
“It further highlights that, amongst others, anticipated domestic climate change impacts have the potential to undermine the country’s development goals, and that responses to climate change raise unique challenges, thus requiring a legislative framework for the implementation of the country’s national climate change response,” the department said.
The National Climate Change Bill addresses issues related to institutional and coordination arrangement across the three spheres of government namely national, provincial and local. It also highlights the need for the spheres of government and entities, sectors as well business to respond to challenges of climate change.
The bill further addresses matters relating to the national adaptation to impacts of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and removals, and policy alignment and institutional arrangements.
“Section 24 of the Constitution of South Africa states that everyone has a right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being, and that all have the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generation, while allowing justifiable environmentally sustainable economic and social development,” the department said.
A Series of Provincial Stakeholder Engagement Workshops, where all stakeholders and interested parties will be able to comment on the National Climate Change Bill, will be hosted by the department countrywide.
The objects of the proposed Act are to:
- Provide for the coordinated and integrated response to climate change and its impacts by all spheres of government in accordance with the principles of cooperative governance;
- Provide for the effective management of inevitable climate change impacts through enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change, with a view to building social, economic, and environmental resilience and an adequate national adaptation response in the context of the global climate change response; and to
- Make a fair contribution to the global effort to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that avoids dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system within a timeframe and in a manner that enables economic, employment, social and environmental development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
Members of the public are invited to submit to the Minister, by 8 August 2018, written inputs or comments to the following addresses:
By post to: The Director-General: Department of Environmental Affairs
Attention: Ms Dineo Ngobeni
Private Bag X447
Pretoria
0001
By hand to: Environment House, 473 Steve Biko Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, 0002
By email to: climate@environmment.gov.za
Any inquiries in connection with the National Climate Change Bill, 2018, can be directed to Mr Tlou Ramaru at 012 399 9252 and/or Ms Deborah Ramalope at 012 399 9160.
Copies of the socio-economic impact assessment report and memorandum of objects are available at: https://www.environment.gov.za/sites/default/files/docs/seia_climatebill.pdf
To access the National Climate Change Bill, click on: https://www.environment.gov.za/sites/default/files/legislations/climatechangebill2018_gn41689.pdf
– SAnews.gov.za
