Don’t wait for us, take the lead

Leading climate scientist Professor Sir David King has called on South Africa to take a leadership role in tackling the climate crisis, describing it as "the greatest challenge humanity has ever had to face" during a public lecture at the University of the Witwatersrand.

The former UK Chief Scientific Adviser urged SA to join a "progressive" group of nations – where it comes to fighting combating climate change – including Brazil, China, and Kenya in driving climate action, especially as the United States withdraws from international climate agreements.

"Please South Africa, lead Africa and the Global South in this journey. Don't wait for the United States. Don't wait for the North. Work with the North, by all means, but don’t wait for us," King said. This, he said, was also the message he was going to deliver to the Presidential Climate Commission, which he was also scheduled to meet during his visit to South Africa.

King presented alarming new data showing global temperatures have reached 1.7 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in early 2025, with record ocean temperature rises and rapid Arctic ice melt that he called "very, very worrying and very strange".

"What we're seeing is that damage we were thinking we would avoid in 2005," King said, pointing to extreme weather events worldwide, including floods, heat stress, and forest fires that have caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.

He criticised the fossil fuel lobby's influence on climate policy, particularly in the United States, saying: "They're paying them to vote the way they want them to vote. You can't get progress if you're handing over to the fossil fuel system the decision-making of that country".

King outlined a global four-point strategy developed by the Climate Crisis Advisory Group that he said should be taken to fight climate change: rapidly reducing fossil fuel use, removing excess greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, repairing damaged ecosystems, and building resilience in vulnerable regions.

For South Africa specifically, King recommended an integrated plan to transition away from coal by rapidly expanding renewable energy while maintaining existing power supply. He noted methane emissions from SA's coal mines were particularly concerning.

A rapid switch to renewable energy in South Africa, he said will be “so good for your economy, and so good for the world”.

"What if you left Eskom to deliver [current energy needs] and put an additional 20-30 gigawatts from renewables onto the grid and then slowly shut down coal power stations? Why not start that process right away?" King suggested. “[That would lead to the] End of blackouts [loadshedding] – the beginning of economic recovery in this country.”

He dismissed concerns about the costs of transitioning to renewable energy, citing offshore wind as the UK's cheapest electricity source. "This rapid switch to using renewable energy would be so good for your economy and so good for the world," he said.

King also detailed innovative climate solutions including ocean fertilisation to remove billions of tons of greenhouse gases annually and marine cloud brightening technology to protect polar ice.

The lecture comes as South Africa continues to face electricity supply challenges and debates its energy future, with coal currently providing about 80% of the country's electricity.