climate policylatest news & developments
Emissions are still climbing. In 2024, global greenhouse gas emissions increased by 2.3%, reaching 57.7 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent — a faster rate of growth than in 2023 and more than four times the annual average of the 2010s.

Off target: Unep warns that the world is still falling short of the Paris climate goals

A decade after the Paris Agreement united countries behind the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C, the latest Emissions Gap report from the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) delivers a sobering message: global efforts remain off target.  Despite new pledges and some policy progress, the world is still heading toward dangerous levels […]

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
Net worth: The writer argues that we must recognise the real economy has ecological ingredients, such as the sea, which are fast running out. Photo: Tim Sherman-Chase

Redesigning the scorecard: Why economic accounting must include nature

If we continue to ignore the social and environmental costs of our (ab)use of the environment, we will be mispricing the future

  • Eyaaz
7 min read
Up in smoke: Civil society organisations have called the environment department’s proposed emissions targets insufficient, especially as South Africa is the world’s 13th-largest emitter. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Civil society calls for stronger targets in South Africa’s draft climate plan

Groups say the environment department’s proposed emissions targets are inadequate

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
Reliable power is essential for economic growth in key sectors such as manufacturing, where growth is vital for absorbing labour and addressing high unemployment levels. (Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images)

What the budget and US climate policy shift mean for SA’s energy sector

The 2025 budget reflects a measured outlook on the energy landscape, highlighting progress that has been made and lingering problems

  • Des Erasmus
5 min read
South Africa needs to change its top-down approach, consult communities and fast track the delayed Integrated Energy Plan

New report breaks down perceptions about climate change and the just energy transition

The study found that climate change does not rank high on the list of priorities for South Africans and, generally, people don’t know what the just energy transition is

  • Eyaaz
4 min read