According to a South African government adviser, the country is “unintentionally” ahead of its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions due to the country’s energy crisis.
The comment was made by Crispian Olver, the head of South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission, during a briefing in Johannesburg.
The country is the 14th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.
Regular failures of coal-fired power plants, which supply more than 80% of South Africa’s electricity, result in less carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere.
Daily rotational power cuts of more than 10 hours per day reduce factory emissions even further.
The president of South Africa has declared a state of disaster in order to deal with a crippling and unprecedented energy crisis.
