Greenpeace calls on Creecy to revise weakening minimum emission standards
Nongovernmental organisation Greenpeace Africa has called on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy to revise the weakening of the minimum emission standards (MES) to avoid further air pollution.
The organisation has also requested the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries to disclose the circumstances around the emission of high levels of sulphur dioxide (SO2) pollution, as was seen in Johannesburg and Pretoria this past week.
Greenpeace said the department should “act accordingly against the culprit of the emissions and halt activity in this regard”.
The organisation’s concerns and request follow as Johannesburg and Pretoria residents in the past week were exposed to high levels of SO2, which Greenpeace Africa climate and energy campaigner Thandile Chinyavanhu said is “only a glimpse” of what other communities – like Kriel, Secunda and other towns in Mpumalanga – are exposed to on a daily basis.
In the past year, Creecy has indicated that incidents such as this would become more regular, through weakening the MES and approving Sasol’s application for the postponement from compliance with these.
"The current air conditions are not only dangerous to children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions but also the thousands of South Africans battling Covid-19 infection,” Chinyavanhu lamented.
Chinyavanhu, on behalf of Greenpeace, further also expressed concern about the lack of transparency and accountability for the emissions, as neither Eskom nor Sasol have claimed responsibility for the emissions, in accordance with Section 30 of National Environmental Management Act.
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
AxFlow AQS Liquid Transfer (Pty) Ltd is an Importer and Distributor of Pumps in Southern Africa
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
