South Africa's Ramaphosa urges green energy to avoid carbon border tax

15/7/2024 19:51

        South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa warned other developing nations on Monday that future carbon taxes proposed by rich countries would damage
        their economies unless they act swiftly to ditch fossil fuels in favour of green energy.
        
        Addressing a National Treasury and World Bank climate change conference in the capital Pretoria, Ramaphosa said the carbonintensity of South Africa's economy, which relies heavily on burning coal to produce electricity, was unsustainable.
        
        "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 said, chiefly carbon taxes proposed by trading blocs like the European Union.