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LegalLegislative compliance: How retailers can reach net zero
Emily Gammon and Paula-Ann Novotny 22 hours





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“While we applaud the department for taking this necessary step to regulate climate change, in order for the Bill to have any hope of serving as a useful response to climate change issues in South Africa, it needs to be much tougher about reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, preventing devastating climate change impacts, and holding emitters and government accountable,” says Robyn Hugo, the head of CER’s Pollution & Climate Change Programme.
The campaign’s main concerns and recommendations for the Bill are – in summary – the following:
“If polluters are not forced to be transparent about GHG emissions and their management, there is no ability for independent researchers to verify data, and for the public to hold emitters to account. Instead, it allows for private deals to be done between government and large polluters,” says Makoma Lekalakala, director of Earthlife Africa.
“Missing entirely from the Bill is any recognition of the duty of care or climate justice. Companies that knowingly contribute to and exacerbate the impacts of climate change must be held accountable, and be forced to compensate those who suffer these impacts,” says Bobby Peek, director of groundWork.
According to Hugo: “Rigorous climate change legislation is necessary, not only to give domestic effect to the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, but more urgently to address South Africa’s own vulnerability to climate change impacts, and our contributions to those impacts. By making decisions that favour the use and exploitation of fossil fuels – such as issuing environmental authorisations for proposed new coal-fired power stations – government is continuing to expose itself and its people to devastating climate impacts that will cause irreversible harm. This is not consistent with the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.”
Peek says: “Tackling climate change now has extensive benefits for health, the environment (including water), jobs and the economy.” A June 2015 Lancet report confirms that tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century.
“With air pollution from Eskom’s coal-fired power stations currently responsible for 2239 attributable deaths each year, and coal-fired power being an expensive and unnecessary electricity source, government should not waste any more time in implementing a just transition to a low carbon and climate-resilient society. The Bill must be drastically amended and urgently implemented, in order to deliver environmental justice and prevent runaway climate change,” says Peek.
Life After Coal is a joint campaign of non-profit environmental justice organisations groundWork, Earthlife Africa, and the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER).