Air pollution kills 42k South Africans in one year – report
An environmental report has revealed that 42,000 South Africans died in 2023 due to exposure to air pollution.
Young children were counted among the premature deaths.
The joint report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and GreenPeace Africa has found that toxic air pollution is behind what they are calling a major public health crisis in South Africa.
It says children are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution, with 1,300 children under five among the deaths reported in that year.
The worst-affected areas have been identified as the Highveld region and the provinces of Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
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According to the groups - in 2023, the health costs linked to sir pollution in the form of respiratory illness, lost workplace productivity and overburdened health systems, were estimated at around R960 billion or 14% of the GDP.
The report has slammed polluting industries, which they claim continue to operate without accountability.
It’s singled out Eskom’s coal fleet as remaining one of the world’s largest contributors to deadly air pollution.
The two organisations are now calling for an end to exemptions for big polluters and a faster shift to clean, renewable energy.
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