LIFE AFTER COAL FACT SHEET AND TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE MYTH OF “CLEAN COAL”

The Centre for Environmental Rights asserts that "clean coal" technology is a misnomer used by vested interests to sustain the coal industry despite its severe environmental and health impacts. The letter argues that coal-fired power is unsustainable and that South Africa must transition to wind and solar power to meet global climate targets and avoid stranding its workforce.

• The concept of "clean coal" is described as a "misnomer and highly misleading," as no technology can neutralize the majority of the environmental, health, and climate change impacts associated with the full coal cycle, including mining, beneficiation, and combustion.
• Emission reduction technologies used to comply with South African air pollution laws are not a sustainable solution because they increase capital and operating costs and exacerbate external impacts compared to wind and solar power.
• Domestic indicators in South Africa suggest an inevitable phase-out of coal, with coal mining employment dropping from approximately 89,000 in 2011/12 to about 82,000 in 2017, and Eskom's coal consumption falling from 132.7 million tonnes in 2007/8 to 115.5 million tonnes in 2017/18.
• To align with the IPCC's target of limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which requires reducing CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 and to almost zero by 2050, South Africa must stop authorising new coal-fired power stations.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2019). LIFE AFTER COAL FACT SHEET AND TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE MYTH OF “CLEAN COAL”. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Mokonyane-28-3-19.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. LIFE AFTER COAL FACT SHEET AND TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE MYTH OF “CLEAN COAL”. 2019. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Mokonyane-28-3-19.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=LIFE AFTER COAL FACT SHEET AND TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE MYTH OF “CLEAN COAL” |date=28 March 2019 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Mokonyane-28-3-19.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2019life, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{LIFE AFTER COAL FACT SHEET AND TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE MYTH OF “CLEAN COAL”}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2019}, month = mar, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Mokonyane-28-3-19.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }