OUR BURNING PLANET: OP-ED: Lessons on a ‘just transition’ from fossil fuels to renewable energy By Happy Khambule
The truth about climate change is that it will make our collective environmental conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa much harsher than what has been experienced before. The impacts of climate-related weather events on Africans indicates the severity of the situation we are facing. The impacts of Tropical Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi are an alarming reminder of how climate change will manifest on the African continent and how African nations are equipped to deal with said events.
South Africa is almost entirely reliant on coal for electricity production and is one of the world’s biggest coal exporters. However, as the world is increasingly carbon constrained, the viability of coal as a real growth industry is rapidly fading away. Countries are taking action to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and in turn make their contribution to addressing climate change.
Also imperative is an understanding of the current electricity supply industry. There is currently a single employer in South Africa within the coal power generation sector, whereas coal mining includes both the “major” and “junior” miners. Mining represents just under 7% of employment in Mpumalanga and its significance is much larger than just the direct employment reported in official sources: it is estimated that each coal worker supports on average three dependants.
The energy transition towards a 100% renewable energy supply will increase the number of jobs in the energy sector significantly.
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