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

The Centre for Environmental Rights, on behalf of the Life After Coal Campaign, submitted a letter and technical report to the South African Minister of Environmental Affairs arguing that "clean coal" is a myth and a misnomer. The document asserts that coal-fired power generation is unsustainable due to environmental, health, and climate impacts, and advocates for a just transition to renewable energy sources like wind and solar to meet global climate targets.

• The concept of "clean coal" is described as a "misnomer and highly misleading," with the authors stating that no technologies exist to neutralize the majority of the environmental, health, and climate change impacts resulting from the full coal cycle, which includes mining, beneficiation, and combustion.
• The document argues that coal-fired power generation is unsustainable and that a phase-out is the only viable option. It notes that emission reduction technologies used to comply with South African air pollution laws often increase capital and operating costs and exacerbate external impacts compared to wind and solar power.
• Domestic indicators in South Africa suggest a shift away from coal: direct employment in coal mining fell from approximately 89,000 in 2011/12 to about 82,000 in 2017, and Eskom's coal consumption decreased from 132.7 million tonnes in 2007/8 to 115.5 million tonnes in 2017/18.
• To align with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's target of limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced by nearly 45% by 2030 and to almost zero by 2050. The authors state that South Africa's ability to meet this trajectory depends on the government refusing to authorize 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} }