South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa cautioned developing nations on Monday about the potential economic damage from future carbon taxes proposed by wealthy countries, urging them to swiftly transition from fossil fuels to green energy.
Speaking at a National Treasury and World Bank climate change conference in Pretoria, Ramaphosa emphasised the unsustainable carbon intensity of South Africa’s coal-reliant economy.
“For decades, our reliance on coal allowed us to produce electricity cheaply. But the world has changed, and this dependency has come to pose significant risks,” he stated, referencing carbon taxes proposed by entities like the European Union.
“Instruments like the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism have the potential to cause great damage to developing economies,” he added.
Data from think tank Ember shows that in 2022, South Africa was the most carbon-intensive major economy, generating 709 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour of energy. This places South Africa among the world’s top 15 greenhouse gas emitters, surpassing countries like Turkey, Italy, France, and Britain, according to Climate Transparency.
Ramaphosa highlighted the recent storms around Cape Town, which shut down the port and caused widespread devastation to homes, communities, businesses, and infrastructure, as a stark example of climate change impacts.
“The countries of the Global South feel the effects of climate change the most, despite being historically the least responsible for global emissions,” he remarked.
