Why in the news?

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law imposing mandatory emission curbs on large industries and requiring climate adaptation plans to meet South Africa’s Paris Agreement commitments.

Features of the Law:

• Mandatory Emission Curbs: The legislation imposes mandatory limits on emissions from large, fossil-fuel-heavy industries.
• Climate-Adaptation Plans: It requires towns and villages to develop and implement climate-adaptation plans.
• Emissions Reduction Commitments: The law aims to help South Africa meet its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Significance of this law: 

• Data-Driven Approach: The law is based on emissions data and trends, such as the decrease from 512 Mt CO2e in 2017 to 405 Mt CO2e in 2022 will help in sustained efforts in emission reduction.
• Reduction in Emissions: The law aims to significantly reduce South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with the Paris Agreement. This is a crucial step for South Africa’s status as one of the top 15 GHG emitters globally.
• Transition from Coal: South Africa relies heavily on coal for electricity generation. The bill’s mandatory curbs on emissions from large, fossil-fuel-heavy industries are a critical step towards reducing dependence on coal and shifting towards cleaner energy sources.

Does India have an omnibus legislation on climate change?

• No Comprehensive Legislation: India does not have a comprehensive, omnibus legislation specifically addressing climate change.
• Climate Change in Existing Acts: Climate change is addressed within multiple existing Acts and subordinate legislation, such as the Environmental Protection Act, Forest Conservation Act, Energy Conservation Act, and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.
• Private Member’s Bill: A Private Member’s Bill called the Council on Climate Change Bill was proposed by Rajya Sabha parliamentarian Priyanka Chaturvedi in 2022, which aimed to establish a Council to advise the Union government on climate change matters, but there has been no significant progress on this bill.
• Supreme Court Ruling: The Supreme Court recognized the “right against the adverse effects of climate change” and highlighted the need for comprehensive climate change legislation, linking the impact of climate change to citizens’ rights of liberty, life, and equality.

Way forward: 

• Comprehensive Legislation and Institutional Framework: India should work towards enacting comprehensive climate change legislation that integrates and harmonizes existing laws related to environmental protection, energy conservation, and pollution control.
• Enhanced Research and Implementation Support: Need to invest in extensive scientific research to evaluate the efficacy and potential impacts of transitioning to low-carbon and renewable energy sources.

Mains PYQ: 

Q Climate change is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change? (2017)

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