Elevating adaptation in SA’s new NDCs: an opportunity and imperative for real climate action

By Mandy Jayakody

South Africa (SA) stands at a critical juncture in its climate journey, with its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) offering a transformative opportunity to redefine its response to climate change.

While mitigation has traditionally dominated global climate discourse, adaptation— the frequently overlooked yet equally vital counterpart —must now rise and take centre stage.

For SA, a country acutely vulnerable to climate impacts, adaptation offers a pathway to resilience, equity and sustainable development. It is time for adaptation to feature more strongly in the nation’s climate commitments.

SA’s climate vulnerabilities are real and well understood. From prolonged droughts that threaten water security to devastating floods and rising sea levels that endanger coastal communities, the country faces an array of climate risks. These impacts disproportionately affect marginalised populations, exacerbating inequality and hindering development. Adaptation, therefore, is not just a climate imperative, it is a socio-economic one. It is for this reason that adaptation matters for SA.

Notably, the new Climate Change Act provides a legal framework and executive mandate for embedding adaptation into governance and planning. This is a significant step, but without explicit and actionable commitments in the NDCs, adaptation risks being relegated to the periphery. A stronger emphasis on adaptation in the NDCs can transform this narrative, ensuring that SA’s climate goals address not only emissions reductions but also the urgent need for climate resilience.

According to the Paris Agreement and subsequent agreements (UAE Consensus) from COP 28, an NDC must be more ambitious than the previous NDC, be aligned with the requirements of science, notably a 1.5-degree trajectory, and represent a country’s best effort, considering common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities.

At Baku COP 29 which concluded on Sunday, the outcome on the global goal on adaptation sets a clear path forward on the road to COP30. COP29 also launched the Baku Adaptation Road Map and Baku high-level dialogue on adaptation to enhance the implementation of the UAE Framework. All said, it raises ambition on adaptation agenda moving forward.

Investment in adaptation offers an opportunity for alignment of our climate action with our broader development goals. Initiatives such as water conservation, climate-smart agriculture/ technologies, and nature-based solutions not only build resilience but also promise to create jobs, enhance biodiversity, and improve public health.

We must, therefore, conscientize energy investors about maladaptation in their investment decisions, and equally for adaptation investors to better understand energy access and security in their projects. As an opportunity rather than a burden, we can attract international climate finance and private sector investment and build public support for climate action.

By elevating adaptation in its NDCs, SA can position itself as a leader in climate resilience. This is not merely about meeting international expectations; it is about safeguarding the nation’s future. As global temperatures continue to rise, countries that fail to prioritize adaptation will face increasing socio-economic disruptions.

To elevate adaptation in the NDCs, SA must adopt a multi-pronged approach that entails a few critical considerations:

– Aligning with the new National Climate Act by using the NDCs to articulate and formalise adaptation commitments mandated by the Act across all spheres of government.

– Setting measurable targets in the form of quantifiable adaptation goals that demonstrate ambition and accountability.

– Integrating local vulnerabilities by addressing region-specific risks in the adaptation strategies so that they are relevant and effective.

– Prioritising equity and inclusivity in the planning and allocation of resources to support the marginalized & vulnerable communities including women, children, youth, informal settlements, high density urban centers and rural communities who are disproportionately affected by climate change.

– Emphasising Nature-based solutions and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA) approaches such as wetland restoration and reforestation, that offer cost-effective ways to enhance resilience while delivering co-benefits for biodiversity and carbon sequestration.

– Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as Goal 6 (Clean Water), Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities), and Goal 13 (Climate Action) which align squarely with Adaptation.

– Leveraging International Climate Finance opportunities available for developing countries by positioning adaptation needs more prominently.

– Establishing robust systems to monitor and evaluate adaptation interventions by including adaptation-specific indicators and reporting frameworks in the NDCs.

– Promoting collaboration between government, academic institutions, the private sector, and communities to drive innovative, science based and indigenous knowledge-based adaptation solutions

The next iteration of SA’s NDCs due in 2025 offer a chance to correct the historical imbalance between mitigation and adaptation without creating competition between the two but by positioning adaptation to attract more action and investment. It is a moment to recognize that, for vulnerable nations like ours, adaptation is not optional, it is essential.

By embracing adaptation as a cornerstone of its climate strategy, SA can build a future that is not only resilient to climate shocks but also equitable, inclusive, and sustainable.

Mandy Jayakod is the Just Urban Transition Manager of the Presidential Climate Commission.

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