31 December 2025 | 10:34 PM - 30 December 2026 | 10:34 PM
Just Energy Access and Transition Campaign
Everyone has a role. Every climate action counts. #ActNow
Sustainable Development Goals
Contact information
namugwe@un.orgLocation
About the initiative
About the initiative
The Climate Action and Just Energy Access and Transition Campaign is a national effort led by the United Nations in South Africa and The Joint Sustainable Development Fund in partnership with the Presidential Climate Commission and JCDecaux. The campaign mobilises people living in South Africa to take simple, everyday climate actions that support the country’s Just Energy Transition.
This initiative goes beyond raising awareness. It aims to actively engage the public by helping individuals understand the transition, identify their role within it, and take practical actions that benefit households, communities, and the environment. It brings the Just Energy Transition closer to daily life by demonstrating that climate action is not distant policy, but something everyone can participate in starting now.
Using digital, static, and solar-powered billboards, supported by community radio, television, digital platforms, and local engagement, the campaign translates national climate commitments into clear, relatable actions that improve wellbeing, support livelihoods, and contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable future.
The campaign is supported by the Joint SDG Fund as part of broader efforts to advance South Africa’s Just Energy Transition, including work on critical minerals governance, entrepreneurship, sustainable agriculture, women’s economic inclusion, green hydrogen development, and national climate mobilisation. These focus areas are directly linked to the everyday choices people make in their homes, workplaces, and communities.
Why this campaign matters
South Africa’s transition to cleaner energy is already underway. For it to succeed, people living in the country need to understand it, support it and participate in it. The campaign shifts the national conversation from policy to people by highlighting how everyday actions can save money, improve safety, support local businesses and reduce harmful emissions.
The campaign is built around a simple national message: Everyone has a role. Every climate action counts. #ActNow
It promotes twelve everyday actions that anyone can take to support the Just Energy Transition. These messages appear across digital, static and solar powered billboards, radio, television and digital platforms to make climate action visible, accessible and achievable for everyone.
Everyday actions you can take
These twelve actions have been simplified into a set of easy‑to‑share infographics that show what you can do in your daily life. Each one highlights a small step that helps build a cleaner, safer and more inclusive future for South Africa.
Everyday actions explained
| Everyday action | What you can do | Why it matters |
| Support a Just Energy Transition | Learn about the transition and take simple steps at home, such as saving energy and choosing cleaner options where possible. | Understanding the transition helps ensure no one is left behind and supports a cleaner, healthier future for all communities. |
| Consume local | Choose food grown or produced in South Africa. | Local produce travels shorter distances, reduces emissions and supports farmers and local economies. |
| Avoid illegal connections | Use safe, legal electricity connections | Illegal connections cause fires, electrocution and outages that put families and communities at risk. |
| Save energy | Switch off lights, unplug appliances and use energy efficient bulbs. | Reducing electricity waste lowers bills, eases pressure on the grid and supports cleaner energy use. |
| Recycle | Separate paper, plastic, glass, metal and old electronics at home. | Recycling reduces waste, keeps neighbourhoods clean and supports people who earn a living through collection and sorting. |
| Choose eco-friendly products | Use reusable bags, bottles and containers and look for items made from recycled or sustainable materials. | Eco friendly choices reduce pollution and support more responsible production. |
| Reduce fossil fuels | Walk, cycle, use public transport or share a ride when possible. | Reducing petrol and diesel use cuts harmful emissions and supports a more sustainable future. |
| Choose clean energy | Use solar lights, solar chargers or LPG where possible and reduce electricity waste. | Clean energy options like solar, wind and green hydrogen help reduce emissions and support a more secure energy future. |
| Buy from women owned businesses | Choose products and services from women led shops, farms and enterprises. | Supporting women entrepreneurs strengthens local economies and promotes inclusive development. |
| Choose responsible mining | Encourage safe, fair and environmentally responsible mining practices, including rehabilitation of old mine sites. | Minerals power everyday products and renewable technologies, so responsible mining protects workers, communities and natural resources. |
| Choose clean cooking | Use LPG, electricity or improved stoves and ensure good ventilation when cooking indoors. | Clean cooking reduces indoor air pollution and protects family health, especially for children and older people. |
| Pump your tyres | Check and maintain tyre pressure regularly. | Properly inflated tyres reduce fuel use, lower emissions and support cleaner transport. |
A shared national call to action
The campaign aligns with the Presidential Climate Commission’s national narrative, the Climate Change Act of 2024 and South Africa’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions. It provides a shared, people centred message that partners across government, civil society, business and communities can adopt and amplify.
Take action
Climate action starts with everyday choices. Everyone living in South Africa can play a part in building a cleaner, safer and more inclusive future. Explore the twelve actions, access campaign materials and join the national effort to support the Just Energy Transition.
Access the various design posters via this Trello Board:
https://trello.com/b/P0mbJemX/a-just-energy-transition-for-all
