We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
Climate Lobbying Overview: Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) appears to have mixed engagement with climate policy. BUSA has supported renewable energy legislation and GHG targets in South Africa in 2020-22. However, it also continues to support a sustained role for fossil gas in the energy mix contrary to IPCC guidance, and has also historically lobbied to weaken or oppose key climate policies in South Africa.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: BUSA’s top-line communications on climate change appear to be broadly positive. In August 2021, BUSA’s Energy and Environment Policy Manager, Jarredine Morris, recognized the science of the IPCC and the need to reduce GHG emissions as quickly as possible. In an August 2021 press release, BUSA appeared to support emissions reductions in line with net-zero by 2050. In the same press release, BUSA also advocated for a more ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for South Africa under the Paris Agreement. Support for the Paris Agreement was reiterated in a February 2022 press release.
However, BUSA CEO, Cas Coovadia, has qualified this support for ambitious climate action. In a May 2021 speech, Coovadia acknowledged the global pressure to limit global warming to 1.5°C and supported the implementation of climate policy in South Africa. However, he also warned of framing the discussion “only around net-zero and the science” without considering national circumstances and cost constraints. In this speech, Coovadia appeared to emphasize the technological feasibility and economic viability of ambitious emissions reductions in South Africa, for example the need to consider the challenges of the lack of energy alternatives at scale.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: BUSA appears to have engaged positively on GHG emissions and renewable energy legislation in South Africa in 2020-21, however in 2022 it was unsupportive of the South African Carbon Tax and Climate Change Bill. BUSA signed a joint statement with other South African industry associations in September 2022, expressing their positions on the South African carbon tax proposals under the South African Taxation Laws Amendment Bill (TLAB). In the statement, BUSA supported the extension of phase 1 of the tax to 2023, called for lower tax rates from 2023-25, supported introducing free allocations and subsidies up to 2030, and advocated for a delay in increasing the carbon price until post-2035. Additionally, in an October 2022 submission to a public hearing on the Climate Change Bill, BUSA opposed the implementation penalties for emitters that do not comply with proposed carbon budgets under the Bill, and emphasized the economic impacts of the bill and that there are other ways to "deal with emissions". In contrast, in an August 2021 press release, BUSA supported a more ambitious 2030 GHG target for South Africa under its NDC. In May 2021, CEO Cas Coovadia reiterated this position, although did not support any further increases in ambition until 2030 to allow for “economic recovery and stabilisation”. From 2020-222 BUSA has consistently supported the public procurement of renewable technologies under South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) via {839700 October 2020], November 2021 and July 2022 CEO statements.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Despite broadly positive top-line statements, BUSA does not appear to be fully supportive of the energy transition in line with IPCC science, supporting a sustained role for fossil gas in the energy mix alongside low-carbon technologies such as green hydrogen and renewables. In a July 2022 Climate Home News article, BUSA Head of Energy and Environment Happy Khambule supported South Africa’s new ‘energy action plan’ and its provisions for renewable energy, however it also supported the integration of natural gas into the energy mix without reference to carbon capture and storage (CCS). In an August 2021 press release, BUSA supported a transition away from coal in the energy mix, including no new coal plants built after 2030 and the phase-out of coal in the economy by 2042. However, this statement also supported investment in gas into the 2040s, without placing clear conditions on the need for CCS or methane abatement measures.
In contrast, in a June 2022 press release BUSA CEO Cas Coovadia supported an increase in the embedded generation licensing threshold to 100MW, and the approval of 16 new renewable energy projects in South Africa. BUSA further supported this amendment in a July 2022 Daily Maverick article. In an August 2022 interview with iono.fm, Coovadia supported South Africa's 'Energy Action Plan', calling for a more sustainable, cleaner and more efficiency energy system. The Plan also aims to remove the 100MW cap on embedded generation, allowing for higher capacity in new generation projects, including renewables. Coovadia also advocated for 15GW of new energy capacity in South Africa, which would consist of mainly renewables, in a July 2022 press release. Furthermore, in a November 2021 Engineering News Article, Coovadia supported an $8.5-billion (R131-billion) financing package, mobilized by developed nations at COP26, that aims to aid the energy transition of less developed countries including South Africa.