Energy

South Africa’s climate change performance vs the world in 2023

Staff Writer

 ·12 Mar 2023

The latest Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) ranks South Africa 44th out of 59 countries regarding its climate protection efforts and progress toward the countries’ commitments under the Paris Agreement 2015.

The CCPI 2023 evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 59 countries, which collectively account for more than 92% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – including South Africa.

The Index ranks the countries based on their progress towards the commitment under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and limit global warming below 2°C by 2030.

The countries are evaluated using 14 indicators and given a score out of 100, where the higher the score, the better, under four categories:

• GHG Emissions (scored out of 40 maximum points);
• Renewable Energy (scored out of 20 maximum points);
• Energy Use (scored out of 20 maximum points); and
• Climate Policy (scored out of 20 maximum points)

Each category is scored out of 40

The report noted that no country was strong enough in all index categories to achieve a very high rating; therefore, the top three places remained empty.

Considering this, Denmark remained the top-ranked country at 4th, scoring 79.61.

It received high ratings in the GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, and Climate Policy categories. However, it ranks 26th in Energy Use, earning only a medium in that category.

Denmark is a progressive player in climate policy as it adopted a new CO2 tax and launched the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance in 2022.

While the tax does not cover the entire economy, the CCPI experts deem it a good start. However, emissions from burning biomass in the energy sector are still not taxed.

Sweden is ranked 5th, receiving an overall high rating with a score of 73.28.

It performs very high in the GHG Emissions category, with its low per capita emissions of 0.47 tCO₂ eq, and receives a high rating in Renewable Energy.

However, its performance is considerably worse in Climate Policy and Energy Use, with a medium and very low rating, respectively.

Chile ranked 6th, moving up three spots from 9th in 2021 with a score of 69.54.

In June 2022, Chile adopted a Climate Change Framework Law that includes a commitment to reach net zero by 2050 and a long-term low GHG emissions strategy.

As a result, Chile received high and very high scores for Renewable Energy and GHG Emissions, respectively. However, it received a low rating in the EnergChile’sategory and a medium rating in Climate Policy.

While Chile’s GHG emissions are well below the global average, its increased energy use has incrAgreement’smissions, with the potential to exceed the Paris Agreement’s 2030 target.

Following Chile is Morocco in 7th, India in 8th, Estonia in 9th, Norway in 10th, the United Kingdom (UK) in 11th, the Philippines in 12th, and the Netherlands in 13th place.

The table below shows the top 10 countries in climate protection efforts towards the commitment under the Paris Agreement and their respective scores – including South Africa.

* The global oil, gas, or coal producers that plan to increase the annual production of fossil fuels by 2030. To keep the Paris Agreement promises in reach, no new permits for fossil fuel extraction should be passed, and no new fossil fuel infrastructure should be switched on in these countries.

The report noted that, even if all countries were as committed as the current frontrunners, efforts would still be insufficient to prevent hazardous climate change.

The countries with high rankings also have no reason to ease up. Even greater efforts and actions by governments are needed to set the world on track to keep global warming well below a 2°C increase or, even better, 1.5°C.

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South Africa

South Africa falls five spots to 44th in this year’s CCPI, with an overall low rating of 45.69.

The country received mixed ratings across the four main CCPI categories: very low in Renewable Energy, low in GHG Emissions and Climate Policy, but high in Energy Use.

The Renewable indicator comprises the current share of renewable energy in use regarding the country’s total primary energy supply (TPES), the current trend of Renewables, and the current renewable energy 2023 target compared to the Paris Agreement’s benchmark.

The combination of these rendered South Africa’s Renewable Energy score as 3.17, which is negligible at its current state.

A Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) was announced at COP26, held in Glasgow in 2021. This partnership between South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the European Union aims to decommission coal-fired power plants in South Africa. The partnership currently has $8.5 billion in funding.

The CCPI country experts welcome JETP and other ongoing projects in South Africa, but they criticise that sparse details are made publicly available.

The experts also welcome the Presidential Climate Commission, which president Cyril Ramaphosa established in September 2020 to oversee and facilitate a just and equitable transition towards a low-emission, climate-resilient economy.

Though the experts noted the new policies in place to accelerate climate action, they criticise the government’s subsidies and support for fossil fuels.

South Africa is among the nine countries responsible for 90% of global coal production. This is incompatible with the 1.5°C target. The experts demand a clear fossil fuel phase-out plan, more climate finance, and a just energy transition.

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Index methodology

The three quantitative categories, GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, and Energy Use, are each defined by four indicators: Current Level, Past Trend, Well-Below-2°C Compatibility of the Current Level, and Well-Below-2°C Compatibility of the Countries’ 2030 Target.

The last category is based on a country’s unique climate policy covering National and International Climate Policy.

The results of the rankings were based on the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are required by the Paris Agreement every five years.

The latest NDCs were submitted or updated by the respective countries at the end of 2020 or early 2021.

The CCPI’s ranked categories and the unique climate policy section – evaluating countries’ national and international climate policy performance – are conducted and include the contributions of around 450 climate and energy experts.

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Read: Ramaphosa on electricity price hikes in South Africa