South Africa: Toxic air is now legal

The statement criticizes the South African government for granting air quality standard postponements to Eskom, Sasol, and Engen on 24 February 2014. It asserts that these postponements effectively legalize toxic air, contradicting Section 24 of the constitution and a 1995 promise by President Mandela. The document highlights the severe health impacts of Eskom's pollution, estimating 20,000 premature deaths and an economic cost of R230 billion, while arguing that industries have had sufficient time since 2004 to implement pollution control technologies.

• On 24 February 2014, the South African government granted postponements for meeting air quality standards to industries including Eskom, Sasol, and Engen, which the author claims makes "toxic air legal air" and renders Section 24 of the constitution redundant.
• The pollution from Eskom's activities is estimated to cause approximately 20,000 premature deaths over the remaining life of its power plants, including about 1,600 deaths of young children.
• The economic burden of Eskom's pollution, including sickness, death, and the neurotoxic effects of mercury exposure, is estimated at R230 billion (US$20 billion).
• In the Highveld region, Eskom is identified as the cause of half of all hospital admissions and half of all respiratory-related illnesses.
• Despite the government's claim that compliance would be too costly or time-consuming, the document asserts that industries have had eleven years since 2004 to adapt their plants and implement pollution control technologies.

APA

admin (2015). South Africa: Toxic air is now legal. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/south-africa-toxic-air-is-now-legal/

Chicago

admin. South Africa: Toxic air is now legal. Friends of the Earth International, 2015. https://www.foei.org/south-africa-toxic-air-is-now-legal/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=South Africa: Toxic air is now legal |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=9 March 2015 |url=https://www.foei.org/south-africa-toxic-air-is-now-legal/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2015south, author = {admin}, title = {{South Africa: Toxic air is now legal}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.foei.org/south-africa-toxic-air-is-now-legal/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }