The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges to global justice, especially for developing nations. These countries, while contributing least to greenhouse gas emissions, are disproportionately affected by climate change and the global energy transition. It is the vulnerable who suffer displacement, job losses, and worsening poverty.
Now more than ever, the G20 must recognise the significance of its leadership in shaping a fair, inclusive climate response. At the heart of the G20 agenda should be support for developing nations to embrace a just transition that allows for a climate-resilient future.
South Africa’s Just Energy Transition (JET) illustrates how climate action can be integrated with poverty eradication, reduction of inequality and job creation.
South Africa’s 2025 G20 presidency is a historic opportunity to shape global priorities around climate resilience under the theme “Solidarity, Equality & Sustainability”.
This theme aligns with principles of a just transition to address the climate crisis and is a significant platform for SA to highlight the needs of developing nations towards sustainable development.
To avoid further economic disparities, a holistic understanding of the existing vulnerabilities of developing nations is crucial.
It is a call to the G20 to prioritise inclusive approaches that allow the marginalised to be active participants in the development process. This can be accomplished by investment in education, public awareness and local capacity building in the context of climate change to ensure sustainable futures.
The climate crisis is a unique opportunity to transform institutional responses to global reform by shifting power dynamics from the privileged to those who have been historically excluded from access to prosperity.
Equipping marginalised individuals with the necessary resources and creating pathways for opportunity will enable them to build successful businesses within the green economy. To ensure meaningful financial investments for an equitable future, it is crucial to consider investment in people, as well.
Empowering the youth and women through education and awareness to take up opportunities in the green economy is a social investment that cannot be ignored.
Fostering public-private partnerships to build local collaborative adaptive strategies is another crucial investment to consider.
The commitment to local empowerment has the potential to project the G20 from being a forum of dialogue to an action-oriented global phenomenon with a legacy rooted in global solidarity and shared responsibility.
While the United Nations advances sustainable development under the theme “Leave No One Behind”, the G20 has the potential to go further, championing a model of development founded on connection, collaboration, and climate justice.
The climate crisis calls G20 leaders to action through unity, supporting efforts like South Africa’s JET with a broader environmental, political, financial and social perspective to ensure that decarbonisation efforts are equally attached to empowering workers and communities who have been dependent on coal for their livelihoods.
The G20 needs to be proactive and prioritise retraining and upskilling programmes, creating opportunities for the vulnerable in renewable energy, and supporting policy for social protection of those affected by the move towards decarbonisation.
It is these efforts that will ensure that the affected populations fully participate in the transition rather than perish in the face of uncertainty about the future. Ultimately, this is what makes the climate change transition truly just.
In South Africa’s case, technology transfer and knowledge-sharing are significant. Many developing countries require expertise to develop technical skills and infrastructure to implement clean energy solutions.
The G20 is uniquely positioned to bridge this gap, helping developing nations transition toward cleaner, more sustainable alternatives.
Furthermore, policy coherence is required to align trade and climate policy. Policies designed to regulate international trade and those aimed at tackling climate change need to be made compatible and mutually supportive.
In conclusion, the G20 holds a crucial position in driving a cohesive climate response to achieving meaningful climate action. South Africa has the potential to lead the way by ensuring that JET addresses the triple challenges of poverty, inequality, and unemployment that plague the nation.
As the 2025 G20 president, South Africa stands in a powerful position to champion the interests of the Global South by catalysing a new era of global cooperation grounded in justice and climate resilience.
The legacy of the G20 will be defined by its ability to rise to this moment, ensuring that climate action builds not only a greener world but a more just and cohesive one for the future.
Devashree Naidoo is a lecturer in Sociology at the University of Mpumalanga
