What the world is learning from South Africa’s nascent Just Energy Transition Investment Plan

After speaking at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which is taking place from November 6 to 18 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, President Cyril Ramaphosa has been praised by world leaders for South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan  (JET-IP), which is designed to accelerate the move away from coal in a way that protects vulnerable workers and communities, and develop new economic opportunities such as green hydrogen and electric vehicles.

... Amos Wemanya, the Senior Renewable Energy and Just Transition Adviser at Power Shift Africa, a Pan-African think-tank, also called for vigilance and caution. He told DM168 that “if done right, JETPs could offer an opportunity for piloting transformative approaches to addressing aspects of the energy transitions – like early coal retirement – in a principled way. They can also potentially help aspiring oil and gas producers such as Senegal choose climate-friendly development pathways.