South Africa has told the UK that its plans to impose a carbon tax on imported goods will deepen global inequality and hamper Africa’s ability to adapt to climate change. The criticism of the measure, which the UK plans to introduce by 2027, comes as developing economies such as South Africa accuse industrialised nations of shifting the obligation to combat global warming to poorer countries. The European Union began levying its own so-called Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism last year.
is punitive and forecloses possibilities for industrial development to meet real socio-economic needs,” South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition said in the submission seen by Bloomberg. “The UK should consider cooperative mechanisms rather than punitive mechanisms in incentivising third countries to adopt greener technologies.” The UK Treasury declined to comment, while South Africa’s DTIC didn’t respond to a query.