Sasol flies into Angry Mermaid

Johannesburg - Petrochemical firm Sasol hit back angrily on Monday at its nomination by international lobby group angrymermaid.org as one of the world's worst polluters, saying the group's strategy to clean up its act is well under way.

Angrymermaid.org nominated Sasol and seven other global corporates for its Angry Mermaid Award, which organisers said highlights "how corporate lobbyists were scheming to sabotage action to save the climate".

In reaction, Sasol spokesperson Nothemba Noruwana said: "The carbon economy will be a reality in South Africa for some time yet and we believe it would be irresponsible for Sasol to abandon what the country has come to rely on us to do, namely to supply transportation fuels, along with a wide range of chemicals."

Angrymermaid.org was particularly scathing in its comments about Sasol's carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, saying it was nothing more than an attempt to carry on "with the dirty business of producing liquid fuels from coal and gas" under a smokescreen of being environmentally responsible.

"Even if technological advances allow Sasol to reduce the emissions generated by producing synfuels, CCS will not reduce the level of emissions of the vehicles running on the resulting synfuels," angrymermaid.org cited the World Wildlife Fund of South Africa.

However, Noruwana dismissed these allegations. She said Sasol regularly consults with local and international environmental groups on the CSS project, setting itself robust emission reduction targets.

"There is widespread agreement that there is no single solution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and societies, governments and industries are working together to find the optimum mix of solutions for different circumstances," Noruwana said.

Angrymermaid.org is made up of five environmental lobby groups: Attac Denmark, Corporate Europe Observatory, Focus on the Global South, Friends of the Earth International and Spinwatch. The award's name stems from the mermaid statue in Copenhagen (where United Nations climate talks will take place in December). The award holder will be chosen by a public vote running up to December 13 on angrymermaid.org.

Other nominees for the award include the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, the American Petroleum Institute, the European Chemical Industry Council, the International Air Transport Association, the International Emissions Trading Association and Royal Dutch Shell.

- Fin24.com