S. Africa Pledges Emissions Cut; Biggest Utility Building Worlds Third, Fourth-Largest Coal Plants

[hatrack]

Copenhagen — Powerhouse South Africa last week promised a reduction of growth in emissions, making it the momentary star of the negotiations. But the plan is 'an absolute non-starter', say environmental groups, as power utility Eskom fires up more fossil plants with five billion dollars of World Bank funding.

n a well-timed move, South Africa, responsible for half of the continent's greenhouse gas emissions, announced a reduction of CO2 emission growth – down 34 percent from business as usual in 2020 and 42 percent by 2025. The announcement, released the day before the start of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, predicts a decline in emissions in 2035. "As such, South Africa, being a responsible global citizen and in line with its obligations under article 4.1 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) acknowledges its responsibilities to undertake national action that will contribute to the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," read a statement form the President's office.

The responsible global citizen's move came with strings attached though. "It is not a pledge," South Africa's top negotiator Joanne Yawitch told TerraViva. "The reduction depends on whether developed countries put a fair and equitable deal on the table in Copenhagen, particularly where it comes to financial support for mitigation measures."

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What makes environmentalists livid is that Eskom, responsible for 40 percent of the country's emissions has just secured a $3.7 billion loan from the World Bank for fossil fuel-based power generation and is negotiating to get this figure increased to $5 billion. Using the World Bank money as leverage Eskom, has already secured $2.5 billion from the African Development Bank in a separate deal. The loans are destined for the Kusile and Medupi power plants being constructed in the rural provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. When completed eight years from now, these will become the world's third and fourth largest coal-fired plants, say the campaigners.

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http://allafrica.com/stories/200912150890.html

[tabatha]

1. Yep, Eskom was excoriated for not providing enough

electricity - where gold mines had to shut down on some days.

It may be that renewable energy sources did not arrive fast enough.

But, the World Bank is pretty despicable as well.

There was supposed to be some solar panel development in South Africa that would allow each home to provide their own electricity. I hope that comes to fruition soon.