Envisioning South Africa’s Just Transition and Climate Pathways – Realising opportunities for the Youth

South Africa’s economy is highly carbon and energy intensive and is also extremely vulnerable to both the transition and physical risks from climate change. We are also an acutely unequal society, marked by gross levels of economic exclusion. South Africa must achieve a just and inclusive transition to realise economic opportunities and competitiveness, to enhance social cohesion and to address intergenerational climate impacts and justice for country’s youth in generations to follow.

Meaningful engagement with South Africa’s youth, who constitute almost a third of the population, is crucial for ensuring that climate action is ambitious, inclusive, and timely.

In recognition of the key role that South Africa’s young people must play in order to achieve a just, inclusive, and economically competitive transition, the NBI and SAIIA (South African Institute of International Affairs) are pleased to host a series of Business-Youth engagements on transition issues and climate pathways for key sectors in South Africa’s economy, providing a platform for a strong youth voice in guiding this transition.

An initial closed roundtable session is proposed with the following objectives:

• To present South African business voices on climate change mitigation advocacy and action
• To hear and understand youth perspectives on climate change mitigation and their expectations from business
• To understand how the youth envisions businesses of the future to look like in the context of an achieved Just Transition in South Africa

This roundtable discussion will take place online on Wednesday, 17^th March 2021, from 15:00 to 16:30.

Kindly click here to RSVP for this session.