South Africa is falling far behind the third industrial revolution because of our government's stubborn support for the fossil fuel industry. Speaking at a panel discussion hosted by SACSIS and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) on May 25, commissioner on the National Planning Commission (NPC), Tasneem Essop, a low carbon advocate at the World Wildlife Fund candidly pointed out that South Africa's energy policy is driven by vested interests in the minerals-energy-complex. She reported that South Africa is spending very little on renewable energy compared to planned expenditure on fossil fuels such as coal and gas -- not to mention the fact that our nation is being plunged into the nightmare of perpetual debt with our government's plan to build a new nuclear power plant.
To remain globally relevant, many in this country already agree that we need a highly skilled workforce, but where consensus still lacks is on the significance of building a new economy based on renewable energy and clean technologies. This requires a nationwide commitment to renewable energy. And as the public we must be careful that the solutions being presented to us are genuine and not just "greenwash" emanating from official sources. On May 29, minister in the presidency, Jeff Radebe reportedly said, "Our independent power producer programme (IPP) is the most exciting and biggest in the world." While the minister may be excited, the barriers to entry into the renewable energy sector are extremely high for independent, especially small producers.
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To remain globally relevant, many in this country already agree that we need a highly skilled workforce, but where consensus still lacks is on the significance of building a new economy based on renewable energy and clean technologies. This requires a nationwide commitment to renewable energy. And as the public we must be careful that the solutions being presented to us are genuine and not just "greenwash" emanating from official sources. On May 29, minister in the presidency, Jeff Radebe reportedly said, "Our independent power producer programme (IPP) is the most exciting and biggest in the world." While the minister may be excited, the barriers to entry into the renewable energy sector are extremely high for independent, especially small producers.
Read more....
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