For a fair move towards renewable energy, the livelihoods of workers and communities dependent on coal must be addressedIn his response to the debate on his state of the nation address , President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “If we are a country that prioritises the interests of the poor and the vulnerable, then we need to act with greater urgency to respond to the effects of climate change and make our contribution to preventing it.
Unemployment drives poverty and inequality. Yet the old mind-set that we must use our"endowment" of coal is persistent. That old thinking will not do for the 21st century. We need to shift our development path from the patterns that have produced high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality, and at the same time reduce the dependency on coal that has made us one of the most emissions-intensive countries in the developing world.
Renewable energy development is a key part of reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and inequality. Yet it will not solve either the climate or inequality crisis on its own. Our understanding of how to respond to these twin challenges remains incomplete, but some aspects of what is needed are emerging.
The decentralisation of electricity systems in the future will shift political power. Once consumers generate some of their own power , the relationship with Eskom or the municipal distributor will change. We need to re-imagine the role and identity of municipal distributors. Given the emergent nature of energy transitions, modelling uncertainty and understanding risk is critical.