The battle against climate change is a world war. South
Africa is in the front lines. Anti-nuclear energy activists are up in arms, and
have taken to vigils outside South Africa’s parliament in Cape Town to protest
against President Jacob Zuma’s push for nuclear development. The protest has
been building since September 2014 when Zuma struck a deal with Russia’s
Rossatom to build up to eight nuclear power stations in South Africa. The
stations would cost the country around 1 trillion South African rands (84
billion dollars). The Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute
(SAFCEI), an interdenominational faith-based environment initiative led by
Bishop Geoff Davies, has said the government’s nuclear policy is not only
foolish but immoral.
“SAFCEI does not believe that nuclear energy is an answer to
climate change but is a distraction likely to bankrupt the country [South
Africa] and lead to further energy impoverishment” – Liziwe McDaid, energy
advisor for the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute. SAFCEI
is demanding that the government take a fresh look at its drive for nuclear
energy. Liziwe McDaid, SAFCEI’s energy advisor argues for a much greater
rollout of renewable energy is the key to shifting the carbon-intensive energy
sector towards a sustainable low carbon future. “SAFCEI does not believe that
nuclear energy is an answer to climate change but is a distraction likely to
bankrupt the country and lead to further energy impoverishment.”
David Hallowes researcher and editor of Slow Poison for
groundWork, another climate change pressure group, feels South Africa is not
doing enough on adaptation. “Government is still allowing mining and industry
to poison water and land in key catchments and agricultural areas,” adding that
the result is that climate impacts will be amplified. The same plants and
developments that are driving climate change are poisoning and killing people,
animals and plants that are in the path of pollution, “so the people’s
struggles for an environment not harmful to their health and wellbeing are also
climate struggles.” According to Hallowes, “there are different views on what
can be achieved with renewable energy. We do not think it can power infinite
economic growth and hence we do not believe it can sustain a capitalist
economy. In the short term, we think we should be looking for a reduction in
energy consumption. The question is who gets it for what.” He goes on to
explain “We think we should have a programme that creates democratic ownership
and control of renewable energy at different levels from community or
settlement, to municipality to national. We call it energy sovereignty. The National Union of Metalworkers of South
Africa calls it social ownership. It’s the same thing.” The groundWork
researcher said that CSOs want to see an end to new coal developments, such as
new mines or power stations. “I think everyone agrees but don’t necessarily
mean the same thing. For some, it’s just a matter of jobs. We think it means
the transformation of the economy towards equality and freedom that is
democratic control rather than plutocratic control.”
Muna Lakhani, founder and national coordinator of the
Institute for Zero Waste in Africa (IZWA), is equally concerned that government
is not doing enough to fight climate change.
“Our government sees
too much of ‘business as usual’ and is very lax in implementing even the
minimal legislation, such as air quality permits, carbon taxes and the like,”
he says. According to Lakhani, CSOs are mostly united on key issues, such as
the call for no more fossil fuel, a bigger push for renewables, and promoting
local resilience especially of poorer communities and the generally
disadvantaged.
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