Sisiwe Khanyile from South African group Groundwork. Credit: Servaas van den Bosch/IPS

By Servaas van den Bosch

COPENHAGUE (IPS/TerraViva) Powerhouse South Africa last week promised a reduction of growth in emissions, making it the momentary star of the negotiations. But the plan is ‘an absolute non-starter’, say environmental groups, as power utility Eskom fires up more fossil plants with five billion dollars of World Bank funding.

In a well-timed move, South Africa, responsible for half of the continent’s greenhouse gas emissions, announced a reduction of CO2 emission growth – down 34 percent from business as usual in 2020 and 42 percent by 2025. The announcement, released the day before the start of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, predicts a decline in emissions in 2035. Continue Reading