- Eskom is likely to keep at least two of South Africa’s coal-fired power plants running, instead of sticking to the government’s earlier approved five-year plan to start shutting them down.
- This needs to be done so that the country can switch to more environmentally friendly energy sources like solar or wind power.
- Failing to decommission all coal-fired plants would set back South Africa’s international commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 to help keep global warming at bay.
- What would the party you plant to vote for do — keep coal-fired plants running or shut them down? Use our elections tool to find out.
Eskom is likely to keep at least two of South Africa’s coal-fired power plants — Hendrina near Emalahleni and Grootvlei about 50 km outside Heidelberg — running, instead of sticking to the government’s earlier approved five-year plan to start shutting them down so that the country can switch to more environmentally friendly energy sources like solar or wind power.
This is according to Eskom’s head of generation, Bheki Nxumalo, who spoke at Enlit Africa’s energy conference in Cape Town last week. Nxumalo warned the country has to constantly balance keeping load shedding to a minimum and honouring its international clean energy commitments.
Failing to decommission Hendrina and Grootvlei would set back South Africa’s journey to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 to help keep global warming at bay.
Net zero means the amount of greenhouse gases the country emits (mostly from burning coal, oil and gas in producing electricity or fuelling vehicles) balances out with the amount the Earth’s ecosystems are able to naturally absorb, so that there’s no build-up of these gases in the atmosphere where they form a layer that traps heat and results in the Earth’s air heating up.
More than 190 countries, including South Africa, signed up to the Paris Agreement in 2015 to help keep global warming to a level at which the Earth continues to be liveable. Each country has their own targets that feed into the global goal, depending on how much they contribute to climate change.
Net zero means the amount of greenhouse gases the country emits (mostly from burning coal, oil and gas in producing electricity or fuelling vehicles) balances out with the amount the Earth’s ecosystems are able to naturally absorb, so that there’s no build-up of these gases in the atmosphere where they form a layer that traps heat and results in the Earth’s air heating up.
Not switching to greener energy sources soon would be a double blow.
Not only will air pollution from coal-fired power stations keep on making people sick and possibly lead to 32 000 unnecessary deaths in South Africa, but experts also predict that, worldwide, climate change will likely cause about 250 000 extra deaths a year from around 2030 and make infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV spread more easily.
With extreme events like heatwaves, storms, floods, droughts and wildfires set to happen more often and become more intense as a result of a changing climate, people’s lives — and livelihoods — will likely be affected even more.
But do politicians truly understand what’s at stake? Here’s what our analysis of parties’ election manifestos showed.
Want to read more from the MKP? Click here.
Want to read what other parties say about climate change? Click here.
Want to read more from the ACDP? Click here.
Want to read what other parties say about climate change? Click here.
Want to read more from the PAC? Click here.
Want to read what other parties say about climate change? Click here.
Want to read more from RISE Mzansi? Click here.
Want to read what other parties say about corruption? Click here.
Want to read more from the ActionSA? Click here.
Want to read what other parties say about climate change? Click here.
Want to read more from UDM? Click here.
Want to read what other parties say about climate change? Click here.
