Whilst this project focuses on greenhouse gas emissions associated with the liquid fuels sector and its associated value chains, other environmental considerations are also important.

Secunda and Sasolburg are located on South Africa’s central coal basin, spanning the provinces of the Free State, Gauteng and Mpumalanga, alongside most of the country’s coal fired power stations and other mining and heavy industry. The area has therefore been subject to longstanding air and water pollution, with implications for the health of its sizeable population.

Environmental impacts are governed by South Africa’s National Environmental Management Act . Whilst the legislative base is constantly improving and becoming more stringent, compliance is not always consistent, and polluters are not necessarily accountable for their environmental externalities (Source: Civil Society Engagement, Government Engagement, Labour Engagement).

South Africa has an active legal environmental advocacy community, which has been putting increasing pressure on industrial emitters in recent years.

Local environmental impacts associated with Sasol’s facilities and their linked activities include local air quality, water, non-renewable resource depletion, solid waste and impacts on land and biodiversity, which are described here. The project did not, however, comprehensively consider life-cycle environmental impacts, including those related to CO2, either for the current fossil fuel system or for a decarbonising system, recognising that in some cases these may be significant. Some open literature is available that focus on quantifying full life cycle impacts of certain activities.