First SA climate change case next week

The first local court case dealing directly with global warming will get under way in the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) next week, according to a Beeld report. The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of Earthlife Africa and groundWork, will ask the court to stop Exxaro’s planned Thabametsi coal power station project near Lephalale (Ellisras) in Limpopo. The organisations say Thabametsi’s own initial climate impact study showed the station will emit extraordinary amounts of greenhouse gases, but Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa still proceeded to approve the project. Thabametsi and Molewa are opposing the application. Beeld notes that Molewa and Thabametsi are objecting to the handing in of the preliminary report as evidence.