In a bid to have Africa commit to 100% renewable energy and to increase transparency in the continent’s energy sector, Zero – a coalition campaign between climate change volunteers and Non-Profit Organisations (NGOs) around the continent – was launched yesterday on the side-lines of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Africa Investment Forum in Johannesburg, South … [Read more...]
Court victory for South Africa’s protected areas in Mabola case
Today, the North Gauteng High Court set aside the 2016 decisions of former Mineral Resources Minister Zwane and the late Environmental Affairs Minister Molewa to permit a new coal mine to be developed in the Mabola Protected Environment near Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga. The case was brought by the coalition of eight civil society organisations challenging a range of … [Read more...]
Working together to prevent raptor electrocution
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) recently helped to make history in Australia when Constant Hoogstad, Senior Manager: Industry Partnerships, travelled to Tasmania to facilitate the formalisation of a partnership between Raptor Refuge, a local raptor rehabilitation centre, and Tasmania’s electricity company, TasNetworks. The Eskom/EWT strategic partnership is an example of … [Read more...]
World’s largest air pollution hotspot is Mpumalanga
A groundbreaking analysis of satellite data from 1 June to 31 August this year reveals the world’s largest NO2 air pollution hotspots across six continents in the most detail to date. Greenpeace analysis of the data points to coal and transport as the two principle sources of air pollution, with Mpumalanga in South Africa topping the chart as the world’s largest NO2 hotspot … [Read more...]
Busting the “clean coal” myth: why coal can only ever be dirty
“Clean coal” is promoted as the lifeline that will allow governments to continue to depend on coal for energy generation. But there is no such thing as “clean coal”. South Africa is the biggest coal producer in Africa. Over the past 10 years alone, we have produced an average of 254 million tons of coal per year. 70 million tons of the coal we produce is exported, and the … [Read more...]
Unpacking the social and financial costs of SA’s energy plan
As the country braces itself for the National Treasury’s Medium-Term Budget, the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) joins other NGOs, faith leaders and citizens from around the country to present its comments on the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2018 proposed by the Department of Energy (DOE). In recent years, the IRP has been at the … [Read more...]
African youth develops cooling technology for heating cities
Young people around the world are encouraged to think about the challenges facing the world’s cities and to draw upon their imagination and innovative ideas to create real, practical solutions that global cities can implement. Sian Cohen, business development manager and key account specialist of the Green Building Council South Africa, is to mentor the African winner and … [Read more...]
NGOs release list of world’s top coal plant developers
Four days before the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) puts forward its special report on 1.5°C, NGOs have released a new list of the world’s top 120 coal plant developers. “Building new coal plants is an assault on the Paris climate goals,” says Heffa Schuecking, director of the German environment NGO Urgewald. “Our list names the top companies investors and … [Read more...]
Journalist dies in clash over dirty coal in Germany
Over the last week, the German Police have deployed thousands of officers, backed up by water cannons and armoured vehicles, to evict hundreds of climate activists trying to defend the last remnants of an ancient forest in Germany from being destroyed by RWE, which wants to expand the biggest open coal mine in Europe. And yesterday this brutal eviction ended in tragedy when … [Read more...]
SA makes positive step by dropping nuclear expansion plans
Environmental NGOs welcomed South Africa's decision to scrap the plan on boosting energy supply from nuclear plants, and expressed hope that further steps will be taken by the country in embracing renewables, in comments to Sputnik. On Monday, Energy Minister Jeff Radebe released the draft Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) for South Africa for the period up to 2030, which … [Read more...]
Two new water-intensive coal plants will cost SA billions
The inclusion of new coal in the updated draft Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity (IRP) will cost South Africa close to R20 billion more than we need to spend, and will make electricity more expensive for all South Africans. If the Department of Energy were to publish the least-cost plan that civil society organisations have been demanding, it would not include any new … [Read more...]
Oppose these mining applications and defend your rights to a healthy environment
Eskom has once again announced that it will not meet pollution standards for 14 of its coal power stations. Although Eskom has already been given permission to postpone its compliance with the Air Quality Act’s minimum emission standards, and despite overwhelming evidence of the devastating health impacts of its emissions, it now plans to ask the Department of Environmental … [Read more...]
Tell SA’s biggest investment funds to help us divest from coal
South Africans are threatened by climate change, by the health and environmental impacts of fossil fuels – coal, gas and oil – and by the role of parts of the fossil fuel industry in state capture and in holding back wind and solar energy development. To build a just, sustainable, and healthy future for all South Africans, we need ethical savings and investments in our economy … [Read more...]
