The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is a multi-stakeholder body established to oversee South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon economy. The commission’s primary goal is to facilitate a just and equitable transition, ensuring that the country reduces its greenhouse gas emissions while promoting economic growth and social inclusion.
On Thursday the 26th of February, the Presidential Climate Commission held a successful stakeholder consultation that saw a number of faith community leaders across South Africa come together, and Ms Nozwelo Radebe (United Congregational Church of SA ), Ms Tshepo Mohapi ( Methodist Church SA) and Revd Samukuhle Khanyile ( Green Anglicans) represented Climate YES .
The PCC has developed a national Just Transition Framework which aims to support communities affected by the transition to a low carbon economy and the changes for best interest of South Africa at large.
During this particular consultation, the faith leaders pointed out how climate change has affected different communities, mostly vulnerable communities. Some of these issues were collapse of maize crop in Sub Saharan Africa, which has impacted food security. A day Zero in Gauteng of dry taps and cyclones hitting the continent.
The PCC’s major mandate is to mitigate the impacts of climate change. However the PCC’s Secretary emphasized that the commission needs to work with different stakeholder to build means of implementation.
It is exciting to note that there was meaningful engagement as the participants suggested their views and thoughts on mitigating impacts of climate change.
It was stated that for better engagement, during the process, implementors should use relevant and effective ways of communicating with affected communities.
The participants suggested that communities should resort to indigenous knowledge of farming and lifestyle in general, which they believed had less impact on climate. The emphasis was that this knowledge should be passed from one generation to another.
The faith leaders also pleaded for support from the government to implement these mitigation policies and lamented for fair land distribution among the citizens of South Africa.
The house postulated that educating the communities and including them in decision making will resulted in an empowered societies and show a shift towards a more sustainable society. decision-making will result in an empowered societyIn conclusion the consultation agreed to support the youth who are fighting injustices of climate change as this will enable protection and preservation for future generations, thus choosing life over instruments of death.
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By Nozwelo Hadebe
