Net Zero Tracker

As the climate crisis intensifies, the world faces both significant challenges and unique opportunities for meaningful action, with the transition to #CleanEnergy at the heart of the solution.   South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon economy is not only a local imperative but also a global benchmark, showcasing how a nation can navigate the complex interplay of climate action, socio-economic stability, and equity. It highlights the pivotal role of governments, businesses, and communities in ensuring that no one is left behind.   In collaboration with the Net Zero Tracker, SSN has produced a groundbreaking report offering a clear roadmap for aligning climate mitigation targets with Just Transition principles as South Africa moves towards net zero. This alignment includes strengthening coordination across regions, focusing on sector-specific strategies, encouraging multinational commitments, and prioritising equity in the transition to a net zero economy. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/ditHv-8D   #InternationalDayofCleanEnergy #JustTransition #NetZero #ClimateAction #Sustainability #SouthAfrica #ClimateEquity #SSN #NZT

Essential watching tomorrow - do not miss the launch webinar of our recently published 'Net Zero Good Practice' snapshot tool, to learn more on how to navigate voluntary standards and understand areas of convergence. Details below👇 🗓️ 31.01.24 ⏰ 12:00-13:00 PM GMT https://buff.ly/4fRIjgZ

Essential watching - do not miss the launch webinar of our recently published ‘Net Zero Good Practice’ snapshot tool, to learn more on how to navigate voluntary standards and understand areas of convergence. Details below👇 🗓️ 31.01.25 ⏰ 12:00-13:00 PM GMT https://buff.ly/4fRIjgZ

How can businesses pursue net zero with integrity? And what does “good net zero” actually mean? Net Zero Tracker’s recently published "Net Zero Good Practice" snapshot provides clear guidance for companies navigating the complex landscape of voluntary initiatives and forming credible net-zero strategies. Join us this Friday for a virtual briefing, where our expert Frederic Hans and other leading experts will share practical insights on good net-zero practices and unpack current net-zero guidance.   The panel includes: - Alexis McGivern, Net Zero Standards Manager, Oxford Net Zero, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment - University of Oxford - Frederic Hans, Senior Policy Advisor, NewClimate Institute - John Lang, Net Zero Tracker, Project Lead   📅 31 January ⌚13:00–14:00 CET 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/e3ytVqDj We hope to see you there! #NetZero #CorporateResponsibility #ClimateAction

With a Gini coefficient in the 60s, #SouthAfrica is the most unequal country in the world. It's also in the 60s for coal use — 69% of primary energy consumption comes from the world's chief source of climate pollution, the highest share of any country. Recognising the above, we partnered with SouthSouthNorth (SSN) to pilot our new equity indicator in South Africa, where high levels of poverty and unemployment further heighten the urgency of a #JustTransition. In total, we looked under the hood of 50 entities, including provincial governments, cities, companies, plus 10 multinationals with major operations there. We asked, for example, to what extent is transition support being considered for workers, communities and industries as part of mitigation strategies? Led by SSN, here’s what we found: 🔎 Provincial gaps: Eight of nine provinces, including coal-dependent Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Free State, have limited or no plans to support communities and workers through a clean transition. 🔎 City leadership matters: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria lead in just transition policies, often surpassing provincial frameworks. But provinces do influence city policies e.g. Western Cape > Cape Town. 🔎 Corporate blind spots: Net Zero Tracker’s Camilla Hyslop, quoted below, says many companies lack detail on how they'll implement just transition policies. SSN's Samson Mbewe added that multinationals — including Apple, Amazon, and Google — “often overlook the critical role they play in fostering equitable transitions within host countries." Latest coverage of the report: - CNBC, Context Newsroom https://lnkd.in/etPvNkHq - Climate Home News https://lnkd.in/eqncgKRA (Amazon hits back saying it's engaging in just transition work across South Africa.) For recommendations and the full analysis: https://lnkd.in/etKjbKjd It was an awesome experience supporting Samson, Shehnaaz Moosa, Aimee Tredoux, Priyanka Ukabhai, and the wider team at SSN on this investigation. The embedding of 'just transition' as an objective in South Africa's Climate Change Act 2024 (which aligns with its Just Transition Framework) lays a strong foundation for more progress. As does the county's $8.5bn #JustEnergyTransitionPartnership — if, that is, it manages to pick up steam: https://lnkd.in/e8hY4e8k Nick Hay Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit Oxford Net Zero NewClimate Institute Data-Driven EnviroLab Lucy W. Doree Marentette

Coming up this Friday, 31st January 2025, 12:00-13:00 PM (GMT) - don't miss it! Hear from experts on what 'good net zero' really means, with our panel comprising Alexis McGivern, Net Zero Standards Manager, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment - University of Oxford, Frederic Hans, Senior Policy Advisor, NewClimate Institute, and John Lang, Net Zero Tracker Project Lead (Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit). Evidence suggests that, instead of backtracking on #netzero, major companies are retracting unsubstantiated carbon neutrality claims - and recalibrating their commitments around now-accepted best practice. Register below to find out more:

Our latest analysis, in partnership with SouthSouthNorth, on 'Equity & #JustTransition Commitments in #SouthAfrica' - shows that major multinational companies operating in SA either seem not prioritise just transition considerations in their climate strategies - or fail to mention them altogether. The climate plans of the following multinational brands were assessed: Amazon, Apple, Volkswagen Group, Google, Toyota Motor Corporation, Microsoft, Ford Motor Company, Mercedes-Benz South Africa, and Nestlé. While some of these brands may have set robust climate mitigation commitments at the global level, they often lack localisation, failing to address the unique social and economic challenges of South Africa, such as the need to support local workers and communities. This gap reflects a broader trend where multinationals often overlook the critical role they play in fostering equitable transitions within host countries. The analysis calls for multinational corporations to urgently upgrade their climate plans to reflect the following aspects: 🚗 Sector-specific strategies: Company climate plans should include sector and region specific guidelines, incentivising detailed action plans, and enhancing reporting of just transition commitments. ⚖️ Stronger focus on just transition principles: Enhanced disclosure and active stakeholder engagement processes to encourage detailed and specific commitments within their climate strategies. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eDgpawHp John Lang Camilla Hyslop Samson Mbewe Clean Creatives Stephen Horn Fossil Free Media Priyanka Ukabhai Aimee Tredoux Frances Green

Clear reporting by Kim Harrisberg for Thomson Reuters Foundation's Context Newsroom on our new #equity analysis with SouthSouthNorth. The analysis of the #climate plans of #SouthAfrica's key economic engines - reveals an uneven, patchwork of different approaches to achieving a fair, people-focused #justtransition. As Africa’s 3rd largest economy, and the world’s 12th largest CO2 emitter a clear plan for #SouthAfrica to decarbonise its economy would act as a blueprint for the developing world - providing a vital piece of the global #netzero puzzle. For national, subnational and corporate leaders, the most urgent takeaways from this analysis are the need for targeted support to under-resourced provinces and sectors to bridge the gap in climate action. Key recommendations include: ⚖️ Enhancing the alignment and integration of city, provincial, and national strategies through frameworks like the Climate Change Act (2024). 💲 Mobilising financial and technical resources to enable less affluent regions to implement robust just transition measures. 🎯 Encouraging sectors with limited engagement in climate and just transition principles to develop comprehensive strategies, supported by clear guidelines and incentives. https://lnkd.in/dwfwXb3Z Samson Mbewe Shehnaaz Moosa Aimee Tredoux Priyanka Ukabhai Charlotte Phatsimo Rahman (nee Ellis) Nick Robins Jodi-Ann Jue Xuan Wang Oleksandra Plyska John Lang Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit Oxford Net Zero NewClimate Institute Victoria Fischdick Data-Driven EnviroLab Angel Hsu, PhD Camilla Hyslop

South Africa was the first country to sign a JETP in 2021, but how exactly are the just transition and climate strategies of the major multinationals and cities measuring up? New analysis from SouthSouthNorth and the Net Zero Tracker highlights that poorer groups are at risk of being left behind: only one of South Africa’s 9 provinces include adequate planning measures to support communities and workers in the transition, writes Vivian Chime at Climate Home News. The analysis revealed: - Western Cape was the only province leading in climate action, having set a robust net zero target and integrated just transition measures into regional policies. - While Limpopo and Gauteng have committed to net zero or emissions reduction targets, these provinces are lagging on just transition considerations. - Only 2 of 11 cities investigated in this analysis - Cape Town and Johannesburg - had sufficient focus on the just transition within their strategies. JACOB BLESSING MOTSH MANALE, acting executive director of South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission(PCC), told Climate Home “there is a disjoint between national and local policies", despite the country’s strong climate strategy and its commitment to ensure that the risks and opportunities in the transition are “equitably shared”, with workers most affected, who are pursuing sustainable future employment. Samson Mbewe, the paper’s lead author from South South North, told Climate Home that “without such integration, poorer provinces risk being excluded from the socio-economic benefits of decarbonisation, exacerbating existing inequalities.” Read the full article here:  https://lnkd.in/d27Zsy_z The report below 👇 https://lnkd.in/eDgpawHp

ICYMI: Alongside Net Zero Tracker, South Africa-based non-profit organisation South South North has conducted an analysis investigating the extent to which South Africa’s major entities - spanning multiple sectors - are planning for an equitable, Just Transition within their climate change mitigation targets. The report includes an analysis of just transition and equity considerations in climate strategies across 10 of the largest South African-based companies, 10 multinational companies, and 8 fossil-fuel based companies operating in South Africa. Our findings revealed: 1️⃣ The country’s top revenue-generating companies have relatively strong commitments to climate action, particularly in the financial services, technology and telecommunications sectors. 2️⃣ Amongst the 10 multinational companies operating in South Africa, there is a varied landscape of targets and commitments, with companies such as Apple, Amazon and Google’s lacking specific references to equity principles in climate mitigation targets. Camilla Hyslop, Data Lead, Net Zero Tracker (University of Oxford): said: “Our analysis of the climate plans of the key engines of South Africa’s economy reveals a patchwork of different approaches to achieving a fair, people-focused transition. “Some plans are progressive and responsive to the needs of citizens and workers, but lack the ambition to drive real business model change. Some plans set by multinational firms appear to be credible at the global-level, but lack detail on how they will work on the ground here in South Africa. And some companies entirely overlook the need for a transition - just or otherwise.” Read the full report here: https://buff.ly/4aom3cG