The Just Energy Transition (JET) Framework, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, will be a crucial evidence-based tool for policymaking as South Africa transitions from a carbon-intensive economy to a cleaner and greener one.
The Presidential Climate Committee (PCC) gave him the framework on Tuesday.
“Confronting climate change is not only an environmental necessity, but also an economic one, as this just transition paradigm emphasizes.
This framework is a document that is based on data and represents a success for this method of policymaking.
He stated that the release of this framework “must now serve as a call to action to each of us to embrace the potential afforded by a low-carbon, inclusive, climate resilient economy and society.”
To ensure that no one is left behind, the PCC has held stakeholder engagements, community dialogues, and colloquia in an effort to gather opinions on South Africa’s transition and conduct thorough research and analysis.
The framework has the potential to revolutionize the nation, according to President Ramaphosa, who praised the PCC for its meticulous work.
It outlines the structures for governance, financing, social support, skill development, and economic diversification needed to make a low carbon economy a reality.
It promotes a significant increase in renewable energy production, battery storage, new energy vehicles, environmentally friendly minerals, and the hydrogen economy.
“It urges the development of long-term decent employment that lessens losses from the decline in the use of fossil fuels.
As the saying goes, green is the new gold, he declared.
The President emphasized that the JET framework will have an impact on the social security and education sectors and that work will need to be done to make sure the framework is incorporated into government plans and budgets.
“One of the direct effects on education is the need to reskill and upskill the workforce to enable them to adopt new technology.
Our challenge is to completely reform the educational system from the primary education levels up, so that students are well-prepared for green occupations in the emerging economy.
The requirement to offer complete social security safety for communities and displaced workers is also crucial. In addition to social security payments, we anticipate that this support will include systems that encourage entrepreneurship and self-employment where practical.
The President acknowledged that both public and private resources will need to be mobilized in order to implement the framework.
“Significant capital mobilization from both public and private sources will be required.
With this framework in place, we can move forward quickly with utilizing the advantages of the Just Energy Transition Partnership that we reached with the governments of the US, UK, Germany, France, and the EU last year.
The cooperation, which could be worth up to $8.5 billion, is anticipated to help South Africa on its path toward decarbonization.
Vice-Chairperson of the Commission Vali Moosa stated that the JET framework offers a foundation upon which South Africa can propel its economy toward reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change.
“The framework gives an organizing frame for us to organize our activities around the just transition, even though it is not an implementation plan.
According to Moosa, “It is a foundation for more work to come, underpinned by significant mobilization towards social inclusion and help reach our climate goals, with a high degree of trust between all parties and a necessary policy intervention led by government, driven by industry, and entrenched in our communities.”