The British High Commission, in partnership with the National Press Club, held a conversation on the anticipated well-being of communities in Mpumalanga, the core of coal production. As stakeholders in various climate change sectors and the world in general counts down to COP26, the economic development and livelihood of communities to be affected by the transposition in the energy sector is of concern.
In South Africa, the movement focuses on ensuring the aftermath of climate change is of minimum degree and that participants in relevant sectors must not be left to suffer.
UK Acting High Commissioner to South Africa Adam Bye stated that there is need to have, top of mind, strategies to avoid the severe effects of climate change on communities, and the severe impact on people and nature. According to him, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties is to be held in Glasgow in the UK on November 1-12. The main areas of focus will be sustainability of the communities.
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Measures to be put in place to stop the harsh climatic changes include, but are not limited to embracing renewable energy, to replace the mining, production and supply of coal.
South Africa has been termed as one of the world’s largest carbon emitters and there is need to change this narrative. Of the 15 large up and running coal plants, 12 are located in Mpumalanga, which, aside from their contribution to global warming, also cause substantial amounts of air pollution which results to numerous health risks. According to satellite images, Mpumalanga has severally been identified as a region with high levels of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide in the world.
Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies’ Saul Levin admitted that the views of communities and workers were of essence stating that they don’t just want to transition, but want people who work in power stations and small businesses to be part of it.
“They are a key part of the economy which keeps the Mpumalanga coal and economic industry going, so we must take transition from the ground up. Workers would also like to benefit from economic opportunities, and this is the common thread worldwide. They are concerned that when coal mines close what will happen to them,” he said.
He acknowledged, in the course of their discussions on the ground that the people understood that they were in distress from carbon emissions, and needed to be a part of the solutions especially as the world starts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
