WATCH LIVE | Departments address how their policies support climate change efforts

The department of mineral resources & energy, department of forestry, fisheries & the environment and the Petroleum Agency SA is hosting a digital dialogue from 9am - 1pm on July 15 to address how SA climate change commitments translate into energy policies.

This dialogue — watch the livestream above — is part of a series of events that will culminate in a joint seminar hosted by both departments later this year, where the environmental impact of upstream oil and gas activities will be discussed. 

It comes in the wake of a research report by the International Energy Agency, which outlines possible pathways for Africa’s energy systems that would promote a clean energy future and achieve the continent’s economic development goals.

The recently released Africa Energy Outlook 2022 report says while renewables should have been the driving force for Africa’s electricity sector this decade, the continent’s industrialisation required the increased use of natural gas. The report placed the role of gas at the centre of the continent’s industrialisation efforts. 

The report found that if Africa, which is home to 20% of the global population, was to develop and use all the natural gas discoveries it has made to date, it would only increase its share of global carbon emissions to 3.5%, up from 3%. 

Speakers participating in this dialogue include: 

• Jacob Mbele, director-general of the department of mineral resources & energy;
• Nomfundo Tshabalala, director-general of the department of forestry, fisheries & the environment; 
• Phindile Masangane, Petroleum Agency SA CEO; and
• Lwazi Ngubevana, Wits University professor.