South Africa's Energy Security in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation

This research paper examines the challenges South Africa faces in diversifying its energy sources away from coal to ensure energy security and meet climate change mitigation goals, emphasizing the need for institutional reform and a coordinated government vision.

• South Africa relies heavily on coal, which is identified as the "wrong" primary energy source due to its high carbon dioxide emissions, necessitating an urgent diversification toward renewable power sources.
• The transition to a low-carbon economy is hindered by a lack of coherent vision across government departments, resulting in fractured policies where energy and climate measures are undermined by policies in other sectors.
• To secure its electricity supply and meet commitments under the Copenhagen Accord, South Africa should pursue its low-carbon transition concurrently with fossil fuel-based initiatives rather than sequentially.
• There is a significant funding gap for local infrastructure related to the just energy transition, as South African municipalities receive less than 10% of the nation's climate finance.

APA

Kiratu,, S. (2010). South Africa's Energy Security in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/south-africas-energy-security-context-climate-change-mitigation

Chicago

Kiratu,, Sheila. South Africa's Energy Security in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/south-africas-energy-security-context-climate-change-mitigation.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kiratu, |first1=Sheila |title=South Africa's Energy Security in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=28 August 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/south-africas-energy-security-context-climate-change-mitigation |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kiratu2010south, author = {Kiratu,, Sheila}, title = {{South Africa's Energy Security in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/south-africas-energy-security-context-climate-change-mitigation}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }