For many climate justice advocates, the trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic is unsurprising, as it mirrors the very systems and structures that underpin the climate crisis. A new report by the Institute for Economic Justice, 350Africa and the Climate Justice Coalition attempts to show the way to a Just Recovery. The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically altered the lives of the … [Read more...]
Load shedding here to stay: energy efficiency vital
While South Africans celebrate the lifting of many Covid-19 restrictions and the full reopening of the economy, the news is not all good as Eskom has reported a severely constrained power system, resulting in continued load shedding. This latest round of load shedding comes as ten generation units at seven power stations have suffered breakdowns in the last 48 hours. “These … [Read more...]
Greenpeace Africa activists demand clean air now
Last weekend, at least six Greenpeace Africa activists wearing superhero costumes leapt onto the SuperSport Park cricket field during the international T20 match between England and South Africa. Their mission was to hand the Proteas captain Quinton de Kock and his team an air pollution mask. This follows the release of a new study by Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Center … [Read more...]
Air pollution from fossil fuels costs the world billions daily
Air pollution from burning fossil fuels – primarily coal, oil, and gas – is attributed to an estimated 4.5 million deaths each year worldwide and estimated economic losses of approximately 3.3% of global GDP, new research from Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) shows. The report is the first of its kind to assess the global cost … [Read more...]
CER challenges government secrecy on climate emissions
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has challenged a decision by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) to refuse access to crucial climate change data for several of South Africa’s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters. The data to which DEFF refused the CER access include key (GHG) emission data and emissions reductions plans for heavy polluters … [Read more...]
IT entrepreneur tackles e-waste one town at a time
Cracked mobile phones, leaking batteries, broken kitchen appliances, obsolete televisions… The twisted cords of toxic electronic waste are strangling South Africans. Seeing the danger, a North West entrepreneur has taken matters into his own hands, reports Rebekah Funk. As the use of technology grows at a seemingly insatiable pace, so too does the staggering amount of … [Read more...]
Africa’s opportunity to turn climate change crises into prosperity
No job is too important to be created or sustained at the expense of the well being of our children and their future, writes Mamphela Ramphele. There is no place to hide from the climate emergencies upon us. We have the responsibility as the people and citizens of Africa, to put pressure on our leaders to respond urgently and decisively to turn these crises into … [Read more...]
Anti-pollution activists block Eskom entrance with emergency “hospital” scene
Anti-pollution activists from Greenpeace Africa have completely blocked the entrance to Eskom's Megawatt Park headquarters with a makeshift emergency hospital scene to highlight the premature deaths and diseases caused by Eskom's polluting coal-fired power stations. This follows Greenpeace India's release of a new study detailing the world's worst sulphur dioxide (SO2) … [Read more...]
Tax breaks for South Africans who install solar power systems
South Africa’s government, energy regulator and Eskom have often been criticised for obstructing the introduction of distributed, small-scale embedded generation, which would help businesses to cut costs and ensure the stability of their power supply during load shedding. But in fact, there are significant and far-sighted tax breaks which have been put in place by National … [Read more...]
Coal power: 50% less jobs, 1000 times more destruction
As our new Minister of Mineral and Energy Resources fights to keep our economy in the dark ages, aided and abetted by a media sector credulous enough to repeat ‘clean coal’ rhetoric,* it’s worth trying to get a sense of the full damage being done. As a Minister, his duty is to a Constitution that aims to extend the human and socio-economic rights of all South Africans; but his … [Read more...]
SA falling behind on renewable energy
South Africa is falling behind on renewable energy project implementation, even as other nations accelerate their plans for green energy. According to data from Greenbyte, a renewable energy management systems manufacturer, SA lags far behind fellow BRICS country China which has 188 232MW (megawatts) of wind power capacity and 106 921MW of solar energy capacity. SA has … [Read more...]
Government sued for air pollution in Mpumalanga coal belt
South Africa’s government is being sued for failing to crack down on some of the world’s worst air pollution emitted by power plants operated by Eskom and refineries owned by Sasol. The case was filed in the Pretoria High Court by groundWork, an environmental-rights organisation, and the Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action, according to a statement sent by their … [Read more...]
Whatever happened to South Africa’s new Green Deal?
There is a question mark in the headline precisely because whatever new Green Deal there was in the making in South Africa has come to a standstill. Elements of it were contained in the National Growth Plan (NGP), the National Development Plan (NDP), the Green Fund run by the Development Bank of SA (DBSA) and an endless caravan of policy papers, conferences and jamborees on the … [Read more...]
