Mail & Guardian writes that about 60,000 jobs could be lost in the coal sector if SA takes its goal of cutting down on carbon emissions seriously.  

This would amount to three-quarters of existing coal jobs, as concentrated in Mpumalanga.  But, government and unions don’t have a plan for the workers who would affected by this change in the energy system even though they have known for at least a decade that the industry would close down eventually.  Coal and coal-fired Eskom power plants still drive SA’s economy, but replacing those plants has been the source of intense lobbying and debate.  A growing global movement is saying a plan has to be made.  Dubbed a “just transition”, the movement aims to help workers in coal and other fossil fuel industries find new work in a world where renewables power energy demand.  But, the Energy Research Centre at the University of Cape Town and the Stockholm Environment Institute have warned that the discussion about Eskom and coal mine closures has largely been a technical one.  It has not looked at what happens about job losses.  It has not put numbers to this problem.  As the Energy Centre’s research said:  “Any decline in production could lead to significant social and economic upheaval if such impacts are not understood and managed carefully.”  People interviewed at all levels of government have warned that local authorities were unaware of the upcoming challenges associated with moving away from coal and were ill-prepared to face them.  Other countries are starting to work out what to do with workers who are no longer able to work in coal jobs.  SA is starting to talk about the problem, but the discussion is happening while jobs are already being lost.

• Read the full original of the detailed report by Sipho Kings on the above at Mail & Guardian

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