Sasol pollution linked to premature deaths, study suggests
Emissions from Sasol’s flagship Secunda plant are linked to about 1,000 premature deaths annually, a study by a Finland-based nonprofit suggests.
Researchers from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air have linked emissions from Sasol's Secunda plant in South Africa to approximately 1,000 premature deaths each year. The study estimates the overall health cost of these emissions at nearly $1 billion. This highlights the challenge South Africa faces in balancing its climate commitments with its economic reliance on Sasol, which is the world's largest single-site emitter of greenhouse gases.
Recently, regulators have prepared to reinstate criminal charges against Sasol for alleged unlawful discharges of chemical waste into a river, though the company denies any wrongdoing.
A separate study from the University of Cape Town warns that closing the Secunda plant prematurely as part of the green energy transition could cause significant economic damage, potentially reducing South Africa's $400 billion economy by $550 million. South Africa is still heavily dependent on coal, which generates more than 80% of its power, making the Secunda plant and the broader coal-fired power stations both crucial for the national economy and significant contributors to global climate change.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
