A weekly roundup of climate news and research from around the world.

Progress for SA's climate pact as Cabinet approves long-awaited plan

At its meeting on 16 November, Cabinet approved the long-awaited Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan (JET-IP).

The plan sets out the investments required for South Africa to shift to a low-carbon economy and underpins the climate finance pledges made by rich nations at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, two years ago.

The UK, US, Germany, France and the EU – known as the International Partners Group (IPG), made an initial pledge of $8.5 billion (R152 billion) to aid the decarbonisation of the South African economy, mainly by targeting changes in the energy sector (decommissioning coal-fired stations and deploying more renewables), and developing green hydrogen and electric vehicle industries.

Denmark and the Netherlands joined the pact this year, increasing the pledge to $9.3 billion, according to the IPG.

Grant funding, in particular, has expanded to $713 million, the group said in a statement.

The IPG has also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting South Africa's plans to roll out more renewables by funding the expansion of the transmission network.

"Approximately half of the pledged grant funding has now been committed, with a further 35% in the planning stages.

"A significant proportion of these funds are being spent on economic diversification, training and reskilling projects in Mpumalanga, where over 85% of coal-related jobs are currently based. Research is also focused on the JET's impact on the most vulnerable and on inequality," the IPG said.

READ | SA takes on an extra R34 billion in loans to help fund transition to renewable energy

According to National Treasury, South Africa has entered into multiyear loan agreements – amounting to R34 billion – to support its transition.

This includes a $1 billion loan from the World Bank as well as €500 million from Germany's KfW Development Bank and (as part of its commitment to the climate pact) $300 million from the African Development Bank.

Karpowership SA granted environmental approval for Saldanha Bay project

Karpowership SA  has been granted environmental authorisation for its proposed Saldanha Bay project.

The 320 MW plant is one of three floating gas power plants awarded preferred bidder status in the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme in 2021.

The others are 450 MW plants in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal and Coega, Eastern Cape.

The environmental authorisation that was granted for Karpowership's Richards Bay plant is now facing a challenge in October after an appeal was lodged. Karpowership SA cannot proceed with the project until the appeal process is complete.

READ | Karpowership SA granted environmental approval for Saldanha Bay project

New analysis shows Earth recorded its hottest 12 months

Analysis by Climate Central, an independent group of scientists and communicators, shows that Earth recorded its hottest 12-month streak from November 2022 to October 2023.

Climate Central uses the Climate Shift Index (CSI) – which relies on peer-reviewed methods to measure the influence of climate change on extreme heat. Climate Central used the CSI to conduct the analysis, which covered 175 countries and 920 cities.

The CSI is on a scale of -5 to +5. A reading of zero indicates that there is no detectable influence of human-caused climate change on temperature. A reading between 1 to 5 indicates that climate change has had a likely influence on temperature while a reading between -1 to -5 indicates climate change has less likely had an influence on temperature.

"Over that time, 90% of people worldwide (and 49% in the US) experienced at least 10 days of temperatures very strongly influenced by climate change," the report read.

"One-in-four people on Earth faced extreme, persistent, and dangerous heat waves driven by carbon pollution," it added.

The analysis shows that Houston, Texas, in particular, experienced the longest streak of extreme heat – 22 days.

For South Africa, the CSI shows that climate change did not have a detectable influence on temperature – with the average reading at 0.3.

The year 2023 is on track to be the hottest on record, according to the EU climate monitor Copernicus Climate Change Service. Multiple heatwaves have been recorded this year so far. Most recently a heatwave in Brazil led musician Taylor Swift to postpone a show in Rio de Janero following a fan's death, given extreme temperatures, AFP reported.

International research group Zero Carbon Analytics similarly points out that the months June, July, August, September and October have been the hottest ever this year. Human-caused climate change- such as the burning of fossil fuels is a major driver of temperature increases.

Global one-day temperature spikes above 2°C for first time - EU monitor

More evidence of the boiling planet is emerging with the global average temperature exceeding 2°C for the first time on Friday, 17 November, according to Europe's Copernicus climate monitor said.

According to provisional data, global temperatures on 17 November were 2.06°C above the pre-industrial average, Samantha Burgess, Deputy Head of the EU's Climate Change Service, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The 2015 Paris Agreement enshrined the goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to "well below" 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to aim for a safer 1.5°C.

One day above 2°C does not mean that the Paris threshold has been breached - the deal instead refers to change measured over decades. The current climate is considered to have warmed by nearly 1.2°C compared to that reference period. -AFP

READ | 2023 on track to be hottest year ever, and El Niño will add to warmer conditions

Agency calls on oil companies to devote half their investments to clean energy by 2030

The International Energy Agency called on oil and gas companies to devote half of their investments to clean energy by 2030, urging them to face a "moment of truth" at next week's COP28, the largest UN climate change conference ever held.

The IEA urged producers to make the "pivotal choice" between deepening the climate crisis or helping to limit global warming to +1.5°C, in line with the Paris Agreement. "In a pathway to reaching net zero emissions by mid-century, which is necessary to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C within reach, oil and gas use would decline by more than 75% by 2050," the IEA said in a special report.

It estimated oil and gas companies currently account for 1% of clean energy investment globally. To comply with the Paris Agreement, producers would have to devote 50% of their capital expenditure to clean energy projects by 2030, in addition to the sums required to reduce their own emissions. - AFP

Every industry should be 'held accountable' on climate – COP28 president

The president of a pivotal UN climate summit defended the large presence of industry representatives at the negotiations, saying private sector engagement was essential to curb global heating.

"Everyone needs to be part of this process and everyone needs to be held responsible and everyone needs to be held accountable," COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber, of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, told AFP in an interview.

"That includes all industries and in particular heavy emitting industries like aviation, transportation, aluminium, cement, steel, as well as the oil and gas industry," he added.

World leaders, country negotiators, activists, lobbyists and figures including Pope Francis will be among the 70 000 attendees expected at COP28 in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December, making it the largest United Nations climate change summit ever.

More than 1 000 businesses and philanthropic organisation leaders have registered for a two-day forum on 1-2 December on the sidelines of the negotiations between political leaders on preventing the planet's climate tipping unstoppably out of control.

Jaber said the challenge was so enormous that both nation states and the private sector needed to be involved. "Everyone must be consulted. Everyone must be given the opportunity to contribute," he said. - AFP

Madagascar heatwave rooted in human-caused climate change - study

A prolonged heatwave that hit Madagascar in October would not have occurred without human-caused climate change, a scientific study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) said.

The heatwave on the Indian Ocean island, which affected millions of people, "would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change," according to the study.

The study by 13 researchers looked at three variables to investigate the heatwave: the island's average temperatures over October and the seven-day minimum and maximum temperatures in the country's capital Antananarivo.

"The analysis found that human-caused climate change made the month-long heat, seven-day maximum temperatures and seven-day minimum temperatures about 1-2°C hotter," the WWA report said.

Over 13 000 people in Africa have died in extreme weather events in 2023, more than any other continent this year, according to the EM-DAT international disaster database.

Around 91% of Malagasy people live in poverty, with many lacking access to clean water and electricity, which makes them "highly vulnerable to extreme heat". And many live in informal housing which makes it more difficult to access coping strategies for heat.

Although October is the start of the hot and wet season, the temperatures were as high as the December and January period which is the height of the country's warm season.

Investments in early warning systems and extreme heat forecasting are of great urgency, the WWA said. – AFP

A comedian translates climate science

In the latest video from Climate Science Breakthrough, comedian Jo Brand translates the extent of climate impacts on our lives, Blurb as told by scientist Mark Maslin: