President’s comment

Green interventions for a healthier planet

South Africa’s experiences with intermittent load-shedding may make renewable energy especially attractive. Rising fuel prices also make electric cars a far more viable option. However, beyond energy security and cost savings, a far more important motivation for going green is the increasing threat of climate change.

Over the past decades, there’s been heated debate from opposing camps about whether carbon dioxide (CO ) is a serious contributor 2 to global warming. However, the growing body of evidence confirms this. A case in point is the research from US agency NASA, which reveals an alarming escalation in CO emissions, and greenhouse gases in 2 general. According to their analysis, CO2 concentrations have increased by 48% over the past 171 years, chiefly driven by human activity and industrialisation.

These finding are further supported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), of which South Africa is a signatory. A recent UNFCCC report, entitled Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, asserts that unless more concerted action is taken, the goal of limiting global warming targets committed to in terms of the Paris Agreement will not be achieved. In terms of the latter, the objective is to limit global warming to around 1.5°C compared to preindustrial levels. That means cutting back significantly on greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon shift

Many countries, including South Africa, have responded with a range of interventions. These include a carbon tax on industries using fossil fuels, incentivising them to Papers confirmed so far tie in with a common theme that supports environmental stewardship and responsible, engineered responses to climate change. These include water security and water demand management, the maintenance and construction of sustainable infrastructure, geospatial planning, renewable energy, and bankable funding models.

The final session before the close on the third day will feature a panel discussion chaired by Professor Wikus van Niekerk. Entitled ‘Can municipalities become independent of Eskom?’, it’s certain to generate some interesting debate.

switch to more energy-efficient sources, like renewables (e.g. solar and wind).

South Africa’s Carbon Tax Act (No. 15 of 2019) came into effect from 1 June 2019 and is an evolving process forming part of the country’s overall climate change response policy. This includes the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, which promises to provide more immediate and longer-term solutions regarding the future energy mix.

There are also other independent power producer (IPP) developments in the pipeline. These include the amendment to schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act (No. 4 of 2006). Gazetted in August 2021, this amendment now enables IPPs to operate plants up to 100 MW without requiring a licence from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.

The need for consistent, clean power has clearly resulted in a major shift to self-generation and metros like Cape Town, eThekwini and Johannesburg have sent out requests for proposals from the IPP market.

IMESA 2021 Virtual Conference

In the meantime, the IMESA team is forging ahead with preparations for our first annual virtual conference, taking place between 17 and 19 November 2021. The conference is being hosted by IMESA’s Cape Town branch.

Bhavna Soni, president, IMESA