Policy-Awake, Delivery-Drowsy - South Africa’s Adaptation Agenda After the ICJ Climate Opinion

Webinar: Policy-Awake, Delivery-Drowsy - South Africa’s Adaptation Agenda After the ICJ Climate Opinion The Mandela Institute hosted Zunaida Moosa Wadiwala for a talk on the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on climate change: What has changed and why it matters for South Africa’s adaptation agenda. On 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) effectively set a due-diligence standard for adaptation as a binding obligation of State conduct. South Africa is policy-awake, with a Climate Change Act, a National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, a National Development Policy, and an adaptation communication in its NDC. However, against the ICJs due-diligence standard, South Africa remains delivery-drowsy. Zunaida translated the ICJ’s legal benchmarks into practical tests for South Africa’s adaptation commitments and identify where implementation and monitoring are falling short. The session connected international law to concrete governance decisions, asking what full alignment should look like in practice. Prof Tracy-Lynn Field commented on the implications of the ICJ decision for South Africa’s water governance framework. Presenters: Zunaida Moosa Wadiwala, PhD Candidate and Sessional Lecturer at the Wits School of Law. Her research centres on climate law, litigation and governance. Prof Tracy-Lynn Field, Director Mandela Institute and Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Earth Justice and Stewardship. Her work spans water governance, climate justice and resilience, energy transition, and mining governance. The webinar took place on 26 August 2025.