Roundtable: Low emission development strategy underpins just transition

Cabinet has approved a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, but it still plans to burn coal on this date. The government called the low emission development strategy (LEDS) “the beginning of our journey towards ultimately reaching a net zero economy by 2050”. The strategy is a response to the Paris Agreement’s call for countries to set out long-term climate strategies. It draws together existing policies, planning and research across economic sectors. Among these is the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which is how South Africa plans its electricity supply. The 2019 version of the IRP outlines a transition from polluting coal generation to renewable sources like solar and wind. But 5,000 MW of coal power capacity is forecast to still be operating in 2050.
Michael Avery hosts the Minister of Forestry and Fisheries and Environmental Affairs Barbara Creecy and Andrew Gilder,a long-standing private sector climate change and carbon markets lawyer, and Director of Climate Legal, for a roundtable discussion on the ambitious LED strategy.