Centre for Environmental Rights – Advancing Environmental Rights in South Africa

On 27 March 2020, Minister Creecy gazetted sulphur dioxide (S02) air pollution standards (called minimum emission standards (MES)) that are twice as weak as the standards due to come into effect on 1 April 2020. Instead of Eskom, Sasol, and other facilities with coal boilers, meeting the original SO₂ standard of 500 mg/Nm³, they will now only be required to comply with MES doubly as weak (1000 mg/Nm³).

This amendment makes South Africa’s SO2 standard – which exists to protect people’s basic human rights – about 28 times more lax than in China, and 10 times weaker than India’s.