Can South Africa Move From Fossil Fuels to Just Transition?

South Africa is currently ranked eighth in the world in terms of the total amount of coal used for electricity generation. When it comes to dependency on coal power plants, South Africa is in a class of its own, writes Hartmut Winkler for The Conversation.

85% of its electricity is produced in coal power plants. This is way higher than all countries - bar two. Only Mongolia and Kosovo have a higher dependency. They have tiny populations - Mongolia has just over 3 million people, Kosovo just under 2 million. South Africa's population is over 60 million.

Additionally, the residents of Lephalale, a coal mining town in Limpopo Province have had enough, wrote allAfrica's Melody Chironda. The state-owned power utility's Medupi power station has caused much destruction not only of the land, but has had an impact on the health of the community as well. South Africa's dependency on coal comes at a time when the government seeks to make a Just Energy Transition to more sustainable forms of energy.

A just transition, according to the Paris Agreement, rests on creating decent work and quality job opportunities, and implementing climate policy in a way that is as fair and inclusive and leaves no one behind, says the International Trade Union Confederation], rests on creating decent work and quality job opportunities, and implementing climate policy in a way that is as fair and inclusive and leaves no one behind, says the International Trade Union Confederation.