South Africa to miss 2030 emissions goal as it keeps coal plants burning
South Africa will miss its binding 2030 carbon emissions targets under the Paris climate agreement, three senior government officials confirmed, as the country plans to run eight coal-fired power plants for longer than planned.
South Africa is the world's 11th biggest greenhouse gas emitter and has one of the world's highest per capita emissions.
It had committed under the Paris Climate Accords - a legally binding treaty on climate change - to cut emissions to between 350 and 420 million tonnes by 2030, from 442 million tonnes in 2020.
To achieve this, it planned to decommission eight coal-fired power plants, six by 2030 and the remaining by 2034 as power makes up half of its emissions, but switching to a renewable energy policy has been hampered by bureaucratic delays.
Now a power supply crisis makes this target unrealistic, said the officials, all of whom declined to be named because the information was not yet public.
"Our models suggest we will miss the 2030 target," an official in the president's office said, although he added that a new decommissioning target for 2035 was being discussed. South Africa has committed to net zero by 2050.
An official from power utility Eskom also confirmed the target would be missed.
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South Africa's decision comes as several rich countries and companies are backtracking on climate pledges, and on Wednesday the United Nations said fossil fuel output by 2030 will be more than double levels consistent with the 2015 Paris climate goals.
Canada's auditor general on Tuesday said Canada would also miss its 2030 Paris targets. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in September delayed a 2030 ban on new petrol car sales by five years.
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