South Africa’s dirty secret

 ·26 Oct 2024

South Africa is home to some of the largest air pollution sources on the African continent – largely thanks to its energy sector.

This is according to a Greenpeace report titled, ‘Major air polluters in Africa unmasked’, which investigated the biggest human-caused air pollution sources in Africa, especially those associated with major industrial and economic sectors as well as the fossil fuel industry.

The report found that South Africa boasts some of the worst nitrogen and sulphur dioxide hotspots in the world, all of which are primarily linked to thermal power plants. 

Nitrogen dioxide is a harmful air pollutant produced by nearly all combustion processes, including those in fossil fuel power plants, gasoline and diesel engines, and wildfires.

Sulfur dioxide is another harmful air pollutant generated from burning and processing sulfur-containing materials, including in oil and gas infrastructure, coal power stations, and mineral ore processing.

Both of these pollutants, produced from high-temperature fossil fuel combustion, pose serious public health risks.

According to the World Health Organisation, exposure to air pollution, including nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, can cause both short- and long-term health problems including heart and lung diseases, pregnancy problems, kidney issues and cancer.

The report said that it found that six of the world’s ten largest nitrogen dioxide emission hotspots are found in Africa – all of which are in South Africa.

It highlights that nine of Africa’s ten largest nitrogen dioxide point sources are also thermal power stations located in South Africa, with the tenth being the Azito and Vridi CIPREL Power Plants in Côte d’Ivoire.

Similarly, two of the world’s ten largest sulphur dioxide emission hotspots are in South Africa.

Among Africa’s ten largest sulphur dioxide point sources, nine are thermal power stations—four of which are in South Africa—while the remaining sources include a smelter complex in Mali, and additional power plants in Morocco, Egypt, and Zimbabwe.

Africa sulphur dioxide emission hotspots. Source: Greenpeace.

Greenpeace said that in Southern Africa in particular, the energy sector is the main contributor to nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and sulfur dioxide emissions.

South African energy sector

Much of the findings of the report points to the Mpumalanga region of South Africa as “a significant global contributor to air pollution.”

This region’s poor air quality is seen as a result of its bustling industrial activity such as intense mining, coal-fired power plants, iron and steel manufacturing and chemical plants.

Dr Aidan Farrow, Senior Scientist at the Greenpeace Research Laboratories said that “areas like Mpumalanga in South Africa, where coal burning for electricity is a major industry, really stand out.” 

The South African energy supply is dominated by coal, which made up 82% of the primary energy supply in 2021.

These are also the industries the report said most emission hotspots are associated with, with an overwhelming reliance on fossil fuels.

“Eskom, a public utility company that has the government of South Africa as its sole shareholder, operates many of the most polluting plants in South Africa,” added Farrow.

Africa’s ten largest nitrogen dioxide point sources. Source: Greenpeace

In a landmark ruling in March 2022, the Pretoria High Court recognised the unhealthy air quality in Mpumalanga’s Highveld as a violation of residents’ constitutional rights.

The Highveld Priority Area (HPA) is home to 12 of Eskom’s coal-fired power stations, and Sasol’s coal-to-liquid fuels refinery, situated in Secunda, all supplied by numerous coal mining operations.

Environmental justice group groundWork and community organization Vukani, represented by the Center for Environmental Rights, won the ‘Deadly Air’ case initiated in 2019.

Judge Colleen Collis ordered the government to create and enforce regulations for the Highveld Priority Area Air Quality Management Plan, emphasising the Environment Minister’s legal obligation to act.

The Department since appealed the ruling.

At the recent Air Quality Lekgotla,  Deputy Director-General Climate Change And Air Quality, Maesela Kekana said that significant progress has been made in several areas such as decentralising air quality management, established effective regulations, and improved data transparency, but still needs enhanced resources, monitoring, and enforcement.

He added that despite these achievements, air quality remains a major challenge in priority areas like the Vaal Triangle, Highveld, and Waterberg-Bojanala, which struggle to meet national standards.

While the National Environment Management Air Quality Act has seen progress over the past 20 years, he noted that many challenges remain.

BusinessTech repeatedly reached out to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for access to and comment on a recent report published by the national air quality officer, which highlighted that the country’s air quality has “regressed” since 2017.

We could not get any response.

Kissing fossil fuels goodbye…?

The Climate Change Bill was recently signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“The Act establishes, for the first time, a comprehensive South African legal framework for the regulation of the impacts of climate change, with the ultimate overall goal of achieving net-zero by 2050,” explained legal experts at Bowmans Claire Tucker and Marga Jordaan.

At the COP28, the South African government agreed to begin moving away from fossil fuels by ramping up renewable energy to counter the impact of climate change.

“For the first time, we have language which calls for transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science,” said former Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy.

However, in reality South Africa faces significant challenges in significantly reducing its emissions.

Sasol recently won a legal case allowing it to meet emissions targets through alternative methods, which may lead to 50% to 130% higher negative impacts than compliance with Minimum Emission Standards, according to Just Share.

Meanwhile, Eskom plans to extend the life of three coal-fired power stations beyond their retirement dates (2023-2027) to safeguard the national grid, despite receiving $11.8 billion from wealthy nations for emission reduction through the Just Energy Transition Partnership.

Eskom’s head of generation, Bheki Nxumalo, stated that while the company is committed to lowering emissions, efforts must be assessed across the entire generation fleet.

The full Greenpeace report can be found here.


Read: South Africans want CEO and government polluters to pay

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