South Africa’s shift from coal to renewables: how it’s going: Just over 74% of South Africa’s electricity still comes from burning coal. In 2021, the country negotiated the Just Energy Transition Partnership with Germany, the UK, France, the US and the European Union. They committed to providing South Africa with US$ 8.5 billion (R157 billion) …
Moving graves and people for coal mines: the devastating costs of mining in South Africa: About 80% of South Africa’s electricity still comes from burning coal. The country’s 108 coal mines have resulted in many communities being forced off their land from the 1970s to date. They have not only lost their homes and land, …
End of coal in South Africa: what 100,000 workers will need when their jobs go: South Africa’s move to renewable energy means that the coal industry will be phased out over the coming decades. This transition away from a fossil-fuel based economy will affect over 100,000 workers in coal mining and coal-fired power generation – …
Why Germany ditched nuclear before coal – and why it won’t go back: One year ago, Germany took its last three nuclear power stations offline. When it comes to energy, few events have baffled outsiders more. In the face of climate change, calls to expedite the transition away from fossil fuels, and an energy crisis …
South Africa’s new energy plan needs a mix of nuclear, gas, renewables and coal – expert: South Africa’s economy has been hard hit by 15 years of loadshedding (rolling blackouts). The country’s coal-fired power plants have a maintenance backlog and frequently experience unexpected technical failures. On the other hand, South Africa has committed, under the …
Senghenydd colliery disaster: how Britain’s worst mining tragedy revealed the true price of coal: Miners working at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, south Wales, were in the middle of their morning shifts 2000ft below the ground when a massive explosion ripped through the deep pit at 8.10am. A spark from an electric bell had ignited …
For developing world to quit coal, rich countries must eliminate oil and gas faster – new study: Limiting how much coal countries can burn is considered an urgent priority for restraining global heating. After all, coal is the most carbon-rich of all fossil fuels and its combustion has contributed the most to planetary warming. For …
Cumbria coal mine: how to understand local support for the new pit: Whitehaven Harbour at dusk. West Lakes Images/Shutterstock The UK government recently approved a new coal mine in Whitehaven, a small coastal town in Cumbria, northwest England. The first mine to be given the go-ahead in 30 years is expected to produce 2.8 million …
Cumbrian coal: the 18th-century poem that perfectly encapsulated Whitehaven’s mining culture: Whitehaven, Cumbria, Showing Flatt Hall by Matthias Read (1730-1735). Yale Center for British Art The debates waged over the opening of the Woodhouse Colliery in Whitehaven, Cumbria, have laid bare starkly different views about the steps the UK should take to honour its net …
Cumbria coal mine: empty promises of carbon capture tech have excused digging up more fossil fuel for decades: Small smiles/Shutterstock The idea that a technology called carbon capture and storage (CCS) could catch molecules of CO? as they emerge from the chimneys of power stations and factories has been around for more than two decades. …
How coal miners and factory workers helped found the environmental movement: A striking worker at a Fridays for Future march during COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. Fraser Hamilton, CC BY-SA Rachel Carson, a scientist and writer from rural Pennsylvania, published Silent Spring 60 years ago. Many credit this book, which meticulously documented the damage that DDT …
Canaries in the coal mine: why birds can tell us so much about the health of Earth: A Eurasian jay (_Garrulus glandarius_) sighting suggests a productive oak tree is nearby. Andy Jenner/Shutterstock Following a deadly explosion in a Welsh coal mine in 1896, an engineer called John Haldane invented a type of bird cage that …
A new coal mine in Cumbria makes no sense for the climate – or Britain’s energy security: A flurry of newspaper articles has speculated that Michael Gove, the UK minister responsible for planning, will shortly approve the long-debated proposal for a new deep coal mine in Cumbria, northern England. Look closer, and this speculation is …
Coal mining: we’re documenting the voices of unsung English miners before they disappear: Statue commemorating coal mining in Teversal, Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands. Oscar Johns/Shutterstock For centuries coal has been mined in England’s East Midlands and it has helped to shape the identity of the region. Many pit communities formed around the collieries and …
Coal: why China and India aren’t the climate villains of COP26: The Glasgow Climate Pact urges countries to “accelerate efforts towards phasing down”, rather than “phasing out”, coal power that isn’t mitigated by carbon capture and storage. This subtle change to the text surfaced at the end of COP26, the latest UN climate change conference, …
South Africa in the news: Are you kidding, India? Your last-minute Glasgow intervention won’t relieve pressure to ditch coal: As the United Nations climate summit opened in Glasgow, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a surprise positive announcement: a big net-zero tar …: “South Africa” – BingNews Qatar 2022 Race: Eagles back in Lagos, say …
South Africa in the news: Hot Air Inc: Will R131-billion enable a just transition from coal for South Africa?: Just transition agreement is an encouraging sign, but more will be needed. And it requires private financing. Meanwhile, SA coal miners worry about their future.: “South Africa” – BingNews Arsenal Reject GFA’s Request To Have Partey …
Climate finance for a transition away from coal: a chance to change history in South Africa: Aerial photo of a power station and coal stockpile in Johannesburg, South Africa. Shutterstock In the opening days of the COP26 international climate conference, a financing partnership was announced between South Africa and a consortium consisting of France, Germany, …