The Green New Eskom campaign is a project of the Climate Justice Coalition. Individuals can add their name in support and get updates using the box below. An organisational sign-on letter is available here.
Read on for more information about the campaign and its demands.
We are calling for a Green New Eskom – a rapid and just transition to a more socially owned, renewable energy powered economy, providing clean, safe, and affordable energy for all, with no worker and community left behind in the transition.
Join us in calling on the South African government and Eskom to urgently deliver on the promise of renewable energy and a more socially and ecologically just future.
Eskom is killing us. Electricity tariff increases and load shedding are killing the South African economy and hurting the poor. Eskom’s unsustainable debt levels are draining tens of billions in taxpayer money and driving austerity. Its polluting coal power is literally killing our people through air and water pollution. And as the biggest greenhouse gas polluter on the continent, it is causing death and devastation across the world through climate change.
A better Eskom, a new Eskom is possible, if we fight for a just transition to renewable energy that benefits all South Africans. Research shows that a transition to renewable energy can create 200,000 more jobs, compared to sticking with our polluting system. It would also lower the cost of energy by 25%, save 196,000,000,000 litres of water per year, make our energy system more reliable (i.e. no load-shedding), and remove our biggest source of air, water & climate pollution.
If we are to transition to a renewable energy future, we cannot leave behind workers who have given their blood and sweat to keep the lights on. We must protect workers and communities who depend on coal for their livelihoods. For those workers, a just transition is vital. It is not optional. Inyanzelekile. With millions still lacking access to electricity, we must also ensure access to affordable energy for all. Poor South Africans also deserve an expansion of the insufficient indigent free electricity allocation.