Carbon tax as a climate intervention in South Africa: A potential aid or hindrance to human rights?

Abstract

Carbon tax has attracted attention as an instrument of climate action for transiting towards the objective of stabilising global temperatures below 2 °C. Its significance as a response to climate change is, however, disputed. Also, its possible implications on key fundamental human rights of poor populations are rarely discussed. South Africa enacted a Carbon Tax Act in 2019 amid the challenge of poverty and its commitments to both climate actions and human rights. This paper interrogates the significance of the Carbon Tax Act and clarifies the potential implications that it may have on key human rights of poor populations. It recommends the need to channel the revenue generated from the implementation of the Carbon Tax Act to address its potential adverse impact on human rights of poor populations in South Africa.

Evaluating Environmental Sustainability in Africa: The Role of Environmental Taxes, Productive Capacities, and Urbanization Dynamics

“…Policy considerations, as highlighted by Tchapchet Tchouto et al (2024), point to the potential negative impacts of green tax regimes on the industrialization process in African contexts, advocating for a balanced and cautious approach to the implementation of environmental tax policies. Comparative analyses further call for the tailoring of environmental tax policies to the different conditions prevailing in African countries (Ambareen 2023;Nemavhidi and Jegede 2023).…”

Mapping Carbon Tax: Bibliometric Analysis and Visualization of Relevant Research

“…For South Africa, although new carbon tax regulations in the country are feared to have an impact on disparities and inequalities in income distribution [12]. Carbon prices have reached record highs in many jurisdictions, including the European Union, California, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, and Canada.…”