The National Treasury has been realistic in taking a phased approach to carbon tax, which would have broken the kneecaps of beneficiating smelters had it been let loose in its original form. While some British newspapers are insisting that the words ‘climate change’ must be replaced with ‘climate crisis’ to get the emergency message across, the current delicate state of the South African economy would have been badly hurt had ferrochrome plants been forced to close. By imposing the tax in a milder first-phase form, government has been able to give notice that the country has to acknowledge the importance of decarbonising the atmosphere, while, at the same time, not imposing too much additional hardship on an economy as it struggles to recover.