We should be sceptical of climate loans

Who does the government serve? As people across the country struggle to survive, witnessing their country deteriorate because of pervasive economic dysfunction and misgovernance, the lethargy and inaction of the ANC government invites questions about to what ends its power is being used. 

Whose political and economic interests are served by the ANC’s governance and policies? An answer lies in critically assessing the climate finance deals entered into by the government. 

The government has for years acknowledged the reality of climate change, promising to make policy out of its environmentally friendly rhetoric and initiate a “just transition” by shifting the energy sector onto renewable energy, thereby cutting fossil-fuel emissions and transforming South Africa into a low-carbon economy. 

To finance the transition, tremendous amounts of money have been pledged, primarily as loans, to aid in our ambitious but crucial objectives to shield the population from the escalating climate catastrophe. But what will all the money be used for?