Webinar and Launch: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms and their Implications for South Africa

The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) has commissioned a brief study on the European Union (EU) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM); the Working Paper: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms and their Implications for SouthAfrica, authored by John Ward, with inputs from the PCC. This paper will be launched at a webinar:

Presentation of EU CBAM – Process, Analysis, Implementation, and Implications:

• John Ward – Genesis Analytics

Responses and Remarks by Panellists:

• Faizel Ismael – Adj Professor, UCT
• Reitumetse Molotsoane – NBI
• Gaylor Montmasson-Clair – TIPS
• Dave Luke – Professor at LSE

John Ward will present the contours of the EU CBAM, as well as the most recent developments which have resulted in thepolitical agreement between the institutional and political mechanisms of the EU System. This alignment between the administrative and political structures gives more clarity on the elements of the CBAM as well as the implementation timeframes.

However, as we have seen with the recent competitive tension arising between the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act(IRA) and the EU CBAM, the international trade and geo- political environment is likely to get more tense and complex.

As South embarks on its just transition with the dual objectives of economic growth (encompassing job creation, povertyalleviation, skills development, and transformation of the industrial base) and climate response, the competitiveness of the country’s exports will be a critical factor. There is no doubt that South Africa’s energy-industrial-mineral complex will have tonavigate a careful path in its transition to achieve these dual objectives.

You are invited to the seminar to participate in this conversation.