Introduction: Climate impacts and the Global South’s reality

One of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century, climate change, is increasingly demonstrating its devastating impacts worldwide. In the face of rapidly shifting ecosystems and intensifying extreme weather events, the imperative for urgent and comprehensive action is clearer than ever. Within this context, the G20 – home to the world’s largest economies – plays a critical role in shaping international climate responses.

South Africa’s G20 presidency offers a strategic opportunity to influence this global dialogue, especially with a focus on a just energy transition (JET). This transition is particularly important for the Global South, comprising nations in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific that, despite contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, face the harshest consequences of climate change.

Due to limitations in financial, technological and infrastructural capacities, these countries are disproportionately vulnerable to climate disasters such as rising sea levels and prolonged droughts. A JET for the Global South is not merely an environmental need but also a socio-economic necessity. The transition to low-carbon economies must offer an opportunity to reduce inequality, generate green jobs and build climate-resilient communities.

The role of the G20: Government tracks and Think20 engagement

The G20, by virtue of its economic clout, has significant influence in global climate governance. While Task Force 5 (TF5) of the Think20 (T20) – the G20’s official engagement group – focuses on accelerating climate action, the JET is primarily deliberated within the government tracks of the G20. These include the:

• Energy Transitions Working Group
• Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group
• Sustainable Finance Working Group under the Finance Track

TF5 of the T20 plays a supportive and strategic role in proposing policy ideas that guide these government tracks and amplify the voices of the Global South in decision-making forums.

South Africa, as a leading nation of the Global South and the current G20 president, is uniquely positioned to bridge divides between the developed and developing world. It can advocate for climate justice and inclusive growth, using insights and proposals from TF5 to influence government-level commitments.

Importantly, rather than setting direct emission-reduction targets – which the G20 has limited authority to enforce – the group sets collective ambitions, such as tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030, as agreed in the Delhi Declaration (2023). These kinds of targets provide direction for global markets, technology providers and multilateral financial institutions.

Policy recommendations: Advancing a just energy transition through the G20

To ensure that climate action aligns with the principles of justice, equity and inclusivity, the G20, under South Africa’s presidency, should pursue the following specific and actionable policy recommendations.

1. Mainstream the JET in all G20 working groups

• Integrate JET principles explicitly into the Energy Transitions, Environment and Climate, and Sustainable Finance working groups.
• Include language on ‘social equity’, ‘accessibility’ and ‘inclusive development’ in communiqués and ministerial statements.

2. Mobilise targeted climate finance for the Global South

• Push for reform of multilateral financial institutions to provide dedicated JET funds, including concessional loans and grants.
• Expand funding channels under the Green Climate Fund to prioritise community-led renewable energy projects in developing countries.

3. Facilitate public–private investment partnerships

• Launch a G20 Public–Private Facility for Renewable Energy Investment focused on de-risking clean energy projects in low-income and vulnerable economies.
• Provide guarantees and credit enhancements to attract institutional investors to JET-aligned infrastructure projects.

4. Strengthen technology transfer and capacity building

• Promote open-source access and South–South cooperation for clean energy technologies.
• Endorse a G20 Digital Green Energy Exchange Platform to facilitate knowledge transfer, capacity-building workshops and best practice sharing across countries.

5. Promote just transition frameworks for workers

• Encourage G20 members to adopt national frameworks that ensure social protection, retraining programmes and job transition packages for workers in fossil fuel sectors.
• Establish a G20 Just Transition Global Toolkit for governments to adapt based on their national contexts.

6. Monitor progress through inclusive indicators

• Develop a G20 Just Transition Index to track implementation across member states, incorporating metrics such as energy access, employment shifts and gender inclusion in the green economy.

Conclusion: South Africa’s leadership and global opportunity

The G20, representing over 80% of global GDP and emissions, has a crucial responsibility to champion a JET that reflects the needs of all – especially the most vulnerable. South Africa’s G20 presidency offers a golden opportunity to steer climate policy toward equity, inclusivity and sustainability.

By leveraging TF5 of the T20 to generate impactful policy insights and influencing government tracks to translate these ideas into action, South Africa can catalyse a transformation that brings the Global South to the centre of climate leadership. The road to a just and sustainable energy future runs through collective vision, financial solidarity and equitable governance – and the G20 must lead the way.