Every day, people living and working on the Mpumalanga Highveld are breathing toxic, polluted air that is harmful to their health and well-being. This is the basis of the Deadly Air case, which will be heard by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on 17 to 19 May 2021. The applicants in the court case, environmental justice groups groundWork and the Vukani Environmental … [Read more...]
Major climate impacts destroy another coal power plant
Major climate impacts and exorbitant costs have sounded the death knell for one of the last new proposed coal-fired power stations in South Africa: Thabametsi in water-scarce Limpopo. Last week, environmental justice groups Earthlife Africa and groundWork, who have been challenging the Thabametsi power station in court since 2016, secured agreement from both Thabametsi and … [Read more...]
Constitutional Court rules against Mpumalanga coal mining
The Constitutional Court has had the final say on the approvals for a coal mine inside an Mpumalanga Protected Area and Strategic Water Source Area. Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court refused the mining company’s final challenge of a 2018 High Court decision to set aside Ministerial approvals for the proposal coal mine. The Mabola Protected Environment near … [Read more...]
SA’s plans for more coal electricity condemned
In the wake of a new bout of load-shedding, the long-overdue Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity (IRP) was finally published for implementation today – following nearly a year of deliberations, behind closed doors, at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC). The Life After Coal Campaign (LAC) and Greenpeace Africa (GP) are appalled to note that the … [Read more...]
Coal mining venture could wreck iMfolozi Wilderness Area
The final Spatial Development Framework for the uMfolozi Municipality has been released. The uMfolozi Municipality stretches from the southern borders of the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park to the coast. Map 18 on mining areas shows the area identified for coal mining running along the southern border of the HIP. What is especially problematic is this paragraph from page 102 of … [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...]
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...]
Health and water impacts of coal still missing from energy plans
The Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle campaign, [1] together with Greenpeace Africa, welcome the rigorous research undertaken by the energy unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). [2] This research has been described as a “comprehensive alternative” to the draft Integrated Resource Plan Base Case (IRP) published for comment by the … [Read more...]
First SA climate change ruling – minister guilty of not considering impact
In South Africa’s first climate change litigation the court’s key finding was that Earthlife Africa (ELA) was correct in claiming that the Minister should have considered the new power station’s climate change impacts before deciding whether to authorise it. On 8 March 2017, the North Gauteng High Court handed down a landmark ruling in Earthlife Africa Johannesburg’s (ELA) … [Read more...]
Call for urgent clarification of SA greenhouse gas objectives
A range of civil society organisations are taking their call for urgent clarification of greenhouse gas emissions objectives to the Public Protector. The complaint regards failure to implement provisions on mitigation in the National Climate Change Response White Paper, adopted by Cabinet in October 2011; most particularly the setting of “desired emission reduction outcomes” … [Read more...]
Environmental justice organisations call for clean energy rollout
While most of South Africa’s attention is focused on Medupi and Kusile – South Africa’s much delayed and over-budget, new coal-fired Eskom power stations – little public attention has been given to the additional 2500 megawatts (MW) of privately owned coal-fired electricity that the Minister of Energy has planned. The new coal energy will be sold to Eskom by those … [Read more...]
Eskom up for worst corporation award
Eskom is in the running to win the international award for this year’s worst corporation in the annual Public Eye Awards, taking place parallel to the World Economic Forum. The power utility supplies 90% of South Africa’s electricity needs through its 18 coal-fired power stations. Eskom has applied for two-thirds of its coal-fired power stations to be exempt from and/or … [Read more...]
Eskom spying: NGOs quit stakeholder forum
Environmental NGOs Earthlife, groundWork, and Greenpeace have suspended their participation in Eskom’s NGO forum following reports that Eskom contracted an intelligence company to spy on the organisations. "Eskom’s shocking move highlights the deep rot within the organisation that takes us back to the dark days of apartheid. If we cannot trust Eskom’s leadership to deal … [Read more...]
