South Africa is carbon intensive and will face punitive measures if it fails to show genuine decarbonisation intent. Virtually every South African public company that reports these days provides an outline of its journey towards decarbonisation.
This is the correct path to take because failing to lower carbon intensity presents a huge threat to the South African people. The European Union, for example, has introduced border taxes for carbon-intensive products coming into the region. Wisdom insists that South Africa turns this into an opportunity.
So many mining companies are already far advanced in rolling out green energy and agricultural companies should do the same fast. The fact that clean energy is cheaper than the coal-fired power on offer is already a financial incentive. One would hate to see South Africa’s oranges turned away from a European country on the grounds that South Africa burns coal to generate electricity. Or tourists not coming to South Africa because of their need to lower their personal carbon footprints.
Climate change presents a huge opportunity that should be seized with eagerness because mitigating against climate change is not only the right thing to do, but it is also a massive catalyst for job creation and business development.