SOUTH Africa has defended its use of coal saying that it was unfair to expect emerging markets to decarbonise their economies at the same rate as developed economies, said Bloomberg News citing the country’s deputy energy minister.
A key element of the Paris agreement that was signed in 2015 by nearly 200 nations was the promise for the developed world to transfer $100bn a year by 2020 to the developing world to support them in transitioning their energy, industrial and agriculture systems, said Bloomberg News. South Africa is looking for progress on that goal, it added.
“There can’t be a transition that’s one-size fits all, we need a transition that brings everyone along because there are different levels of pollution,” said Thembisile Majola in an interview with Bloomberg News.
South Africa hopes to attract about $25bn of foreign investment in the next five years for its energy industry. The biggest opportunity is in networks, upgrading the country’s aging transmission and distribution systems, the newswire said.
