South Africa Sharpening Green Targets for 2031–2035

South Africa has released a new draft of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), setting deeper emissions cuts for the 2031–2035 period. The updated target aims for a 10% reduction from the previous implementation window, as the country continues aligning with its long-term decarbonisation goals under the Paris Agreement.

South Africa’s Knysna Forest showing an African forest elephant surrounded by dense, vibrant plant life. AI generated picture.

Published in the government gazette, the revised NDC keeps the existing 2026–2030 target of 350–420 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e). For the next five-year period, the emissions cap will shift downward to 320–380 million tCO₂e—marking a meaningful, if incremental, tightening of the country’s environmental commitments.

‘South Africa considers the mitigation target ranges in this NDC to be an ambitious and equitable contribution to the global mitigation effort, given South Africa's current and historical emissions and its national circumstances (especially its development challenges),’ the draft notes.

Alongside this updated mid-term target, South Africa reiterated its long-term ambition: reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Details of how the country plans to reach that milestone will be laid out in its forthcoming Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS), now in development.

‘Pathways by which we can reach net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050 will be elaborated in our next LT-LEDS, which we are currently preparing’, the government confirmed.

To deliver on these goals, South Africa is leveraging existing environmental tools, including its national carbon tax, in place since 2019. The recent passing of the Climate Change Act in July 2024 further strengthens the policy framework. The law authorises government bodies to impose greenhouse gas limits on major emitters—adding legal teeth to the country’s mitigation agenda.

‘Fulfilling its obligation under Article 4.2 of the Paris Agreement, South Africa continues to pursue domestic mitigation measures, with the aim of achieving the objectives of our NDC’, the document states.

In August, the government plans to release a set of implementation proposals for public consultation, particularly targeting provisions under Sections 26 and 27 of the Climate Change Act. These will help clarify how the updated targets will be enforced in practice.