On 20 September, the youth of Cape Town will take to the streets for the third time this year to protest the SA Government’s lack of action on the climate emergency: South Africa is warming at a rate nearly double the global average.

Dealing comprehensively with the climate crisis arguably demands cultural, political and social changes that run far deeper than just dropping coal power in favour of wind and solar.

Climate change and the risks associated with it should be a key part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address. How SA chooses to respond to climate change and its impact on the country will affect economic growth and social development for decades to come, yet climate change remains sidelined by the government and key sectors that are most vulnerable to its effects.