Fuelwood is an inefficient source of energy for cooking and heating and its use can cause increased respiratory illnesses. However, before this time, it is likely that a significant number of people will switch from wood as a source of fuel to more convenient sources such as paraffin, gas and electricity, thereby slowing down the rate of deforestation. The combustion of coal, oil and wood results in increased carbon dioxide production. As a country needing rapid economic growth in the medium term to satisfy the country's developmental needs, South Africa's potential contribution to global warming is an area of concern. Electricity planners foresee that as electricity demand grows, very many more nuclear power stations will be built.
Nuclear fission produces dangerous radioactive by-products.
At present, low-level radioactive wastes are stored in sealed containers which are buried underground at disposal sites. P. D. Tyson et al. Oxford University Press, Cape Town, 1991. B. Huntley, R. Siegfried and C. Sunter. Human, Rousseau and Tafelberg, Cape Town, 1989.