Our Burning Planet
DIRTY AIR
State of South Africa’s air quality under the spotlight in Parliament
29 Oct 2024
Parliament heard on Tuesday that air pollution continues to be a leading national environmental human health risk, especially in metropolitan and priority areas.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) briefed the forestry, fisheries and environment committee in Parliament on Tuesday, 29 October 2024, on the state of air quality in the country, air quality monitoring stations and lack of enforcement of the Air Quality Act in the Vaal Triangle Airshed, Highveld and Waterberg-Bojanala priority areas.
Greenpeace Africa briefed the committee on its air pollution report, Major Air Polluters in Africa Unmasked.
Both presentations concluded that more urgent efforts and enforcement were needed to improve the quality of air as priority areas, metropolitan areas and air quality hotspots continued to exceed the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), posing increased risks to public health.
Greenpeace Africa briefed the committee on its air pollution report released earlier this year, revealing regions that exceeded the WHO’s recommended air quality levels, posing significant health risks to millions.
Read more: South Africa among top air polluters on the continent, NGO report finds
Cynthia Moyo, climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Africa, told the committee that based on their report, compiled from peer-reviewed literature and externally peer-reviewed by experts, including the WHO, South Africa was home to some of the biggest air pollution sources on the African continent as a result of its energy sector.
According to the report, a number of the world’s largest nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide emission hotspots are in South Africa – including the Kriel, Matla, Duvha and Tutuka power stations.
Six of the world’s 10 largest nitrogen dioxide emission hotspots were in South Africa, with thermal power stations in the country making up nine out of the 10 largest nitrogen dioxide point sources.
South Africa was also responsible for two of the world’s largest sulphur dioxide emission hotspots. Of the 10 largest sulphur dioxide sources in Africa, nine were thermal power stations in South Africa. “All these are owned by Eskom Holdings,” Moyo said. One source was linked to a smelter complex in Mali.
“The exposure to air pollution is the second-leading risk factor for death in Africa. South Africa has been found to have a large disease burden from fossil fuels…
“If WHO guidelines were met, life expectancy improvements could really be achieved in South Africa… Premature death rates from fossil fuel air pollutants are higher in South Africa than other southern African countries,” Moyo said.
Comments