A new world report fingering Kriel in Mpumalanga as the second-worst global hotspot for sulphur dioxide (SO2), has pitted government and environmentalists against each other.
The department of environment, forestry, and fisheries are weighing up a proposal to relax SO2 restrictions from power stations – but world climate experts are calling for the South African government to “not waste any more time” and clean up the toxic air.
“We are, in fact, in the midst of an ‘airpocalypse’,” said Melita Steele, senior climate and energy campaign manager at Greenpeace Africa, about the latest Greenpeace India study using National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellites.
“South Africa’s air is absolutely filthy and data analysis consistently confirms this. We already know that Mpumalanga is among the worst nitrogen dioxide pollution hotspots in the world,” Steele said.
Read more article on Citizen News