South Africa will transition to renewable and sustainable energy following the announcement from President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday that the country had reached an agreement for funding over the next five years amounting to R131 billion.
The landmark deal is the first financing deal to come out of the climate conference currently underway in Glasgow, Scotland, COP26, and is in partnership with the US, the UK, Germany, France, and the EU.
But as we know South Africa loves coal with more than 80% of the country’s power coming from coal, which makes the country the 15th largest carbon dioxide emitter. Transparency on the funding and how it will be used as well as good governance policies are all going to be key to ensure the funding does indeed help us make the switch to a greener energy supply.
As The Citizen writes in its editorial today (Subscribe to read), “the money – as long as it is not looted – will go a long way to putting us on the path to a greener future.”
South African cities also need to come up with innovative ways of producing clean energy with the devasting effects of climate change taking hold, writes Nosipho Hlatshwayo in Sunday Times Daily (Register to read).
Hlatshwayo says, “World Cities Day (October 31) put climate change firmly on the global agenda with its focus on adapting cities for climate resilience,” and he cites Joburg’s initiative of recycling landfill gas and putting it back into the power grid as just one example of the way forward for SA’s metros.
Meanwhile a scientific report what government backed and promised to fund has never seen the light of day, reports Reuters.
In the report researchers found that more than 5 000 South Africans die annually in the coal belt region because air quality standards haven’t been fully enforced by government.
“It also revealed that nearly a quarter of households in the region, where 3.6 million people live, have children with persistent asthma. That’s double the national rate.
Here’s some interesting opinions and analysis today:
SA Business
GIULIETTA TALEVI: Can you speak Fed? – Financial Mail
JEAN PIERRE VERSTER: Stocks for the metaverse – Financial Mail (Subscribe to read)
Sipho Pityana scandal: Office relationships, sexual harassment and AngloGold – Daily Maverick
Jabulani Sikhakhane | Pityana should have resigned from the Absa board – or been pushed out – Fin24 (Subscribe to read)
Election Roundup
Low voter turnout is a sign of a hopeless nation – The Citizen (Subscribe to read)
JONATHAN JANSEN | Red flag: SA is ripe for capture by right-wing authoritarianism – Sunday Times Daily (Register to read)
The ANC must wake up and smell the coffee – the people are gatvol and the party is in crisis – Daily Maverick
Pieter du Toit | Losing its swagger: Pummelled everywhere, ANC’s chances at redemption look slim – News24 (Subscribe to read)
Mbhazima Shilowa | The numbers don’t lie, the ANC is now a rural party – News24 (Subscribe to read)
