Coal phase-out delays could cost SA 32 000 lives, report warns

Coal phase-out delays could cost SA 32 000 lives, report warns

South Africa risks thousands of premature deaths if the phase-out of coal plants is delayed due to the government’s updated decommissioning dates, climate rights groups said in a report on Wednesday. Coal provides 80 percent of South Africa’s power, according to the OECD, and the country ranks among the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters. It is also a cornerstone of the country’s economy, employing more than 90 000 people, making decommissi…