Thinking into the Future: Constructing Social Security Law as Climate Change Adaptation Strategy in Urban South Africa

Abstract

With more than half of its population living in urban areas, the effects of climate change in South Africa are well documented in its key national documents on climate change. South Africa is committed to a range of international and national instruments on human security and climate change. Whether and how the law on social security may respond as an adaptation measure to the adverse effects of climate change in urban South Africa, however, is the focus of this paper. With insight from the theory of resilience, this paper articulates the link of climate change to human security and demonstrates how the framework on social security law may be implemented as an adaptation measure to address the challenges of climate change in urban South Africa.