SA can’t afford to be left behind in the energy transition, but it must be managed
The country must continue its transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and resist growing pressure to slow it down
The global energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is gathering speed, thanks to technology advances, falling costs and the growing realisation that climate change is a growing threat — and this shift is likely to have a dramatic impact on the world. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has noted that the transition will result in geopolitical and socio-economic shifts, including “changes in the relative position of states, the emergence of new energy leaders, more diverse energy actors, changed trade relationships and the emergence of new alliances”. Countries that fail to adapt, risk being left behind. In SA, the energy transition is under way: as energy minister Jeff Radebe, recently pointed out, consultations on this date back to 1998 when the White Paper on Energy Policy was published. But it still has a long way to go; the World Economic Forum’s energy transition index, published in March, ranks SA 114th out of 115 economies in measuring progress i...
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