10 February 2022, Johannesburg – Responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address, Greenpeace Africa Climate and Energy Campaigner Nhlanhla Sibisi said:
“Greenpeace Africa welcomes the President’s reaffirmed commitment to procuring renewable energy capacity under Bid Window 5. However, the President must let go of any fantasies that gas power will light South Africa’s future. Gas will only lock South Africa into a high emissions trajectory and derail our commitments under the Paris Agreement. Hydrogen is not the answer either. The best and most immediate solution to South Africa’s problems is a just transition to renewable energy. It’s that simple.
“On Eskom, we welcome the steps to unbundle the monstrosity that is our electricity supplier. The fact that renewables will be playing a bigger role is an indication that the government is beginning to see reason. Renewable energy across all levels is the answer to load shedding. South Africans need the potential of renewable energy at a residential level to be unlocked.
“Unfortunately, the President is wrong that our climate commitments are ambitious enough. While South Africa’s NDCs have improved, they are still insufficient. Rather, they are in line with a future where average global temperatures have increased by 2°C, a scenario not compatible with human survival.[1]
“The President must remain resolute in our goal to limit global temperatures from exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The R131 billion pledged by global North countries as a part of the just transition agreement remains a crucial opportunity for the government to facilitate a fair and just transition towards a low carbon economy. Greenpeace Africa wants to see the President assuring South Africans that this partnership will be taken seriously, and not taken as an opportunity for graft,” ended Sibisi.
ENDS
NOTES
[1] Climate Action Tracker (2021) Country Summary: South Africa, Available here
[2] A Greenpeace scientific report, Weathering the Storm: Extreme Weather and Climate change in Africa, released on 9 November 2020, explores the relationship between extreme weather events and climate change in Africa. It summarises the scientific data on how the climate crisis is spiralling out of control across Africa, including irregular extreme heat waves, floods, droughts and cyclones at a scale hitherto unknown. Climate-related problems can often be disproportionately felt in the poorest communities because they are least equipped to cope with and adjust to changes. The report can be accessed here.
Contact details
Greenpeace Africa Press Desk: [email protected]
Chris Vlavianos, Greenpeace Africa Communications Officer, +27798837036, [email protected]