Tasneem Essop is an independent expert on climate, energy, poverty and social justice issues. She previously worked as Head of Low Carbon Frameworks for the Global Climate and Energy Initiative in WWF International, which included leading a global team of WWF climate experts as head of delegation to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Before joining WWF International she worked for WWF South Africa as an International Climate Advocate. She is also currently serving her second term as a Commissioner in the National Planning Commission of South Africa.
Prior to joining WWF she held the positions of Provincial Minister for the Environment, Planning and Economic Development in Western Cape and, before that, Provincial Minister of Transport, Public Works and Property Management.
Before becoming a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature for the ANC in 1994, she was the Education Officer for the Congress of Trade Unions (COSATU) in the Western Cape and prior to that the Education and Media Officer for the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU).
She is a qualified teacher and taught at Glendale Senior Secondary before joining the trade union movement.