Following the widespread publication of plans by Royal Dutch Shell to conduct a non-stop, five-month-long seismic survey of South Africa’s pristine ‘Wild Coast,’ national outrage has erupted. The last two weeks have seen protest actions by communities and activist groups the length and breadth of our country, attempting to amplify the voices of our compatriots on the Wild … [Read more...]
Working together to solve South Africa’s crises
My journey in activism started about four years ago, after my family was severely affected by the water crisis that hit the Western Cape. I saw first-hand how the drought was affecting small-scale farmers, including my mother, who rely on rain to grow crops and feed cattle. When you see your cows dying, you see money going down the drain. I conducted research on the internet … [Read more...]
Make-a-Difference Week beach cleanup a great success
The 5 to 13 June 2021 was Make-a-Difference Week, a worldwide effort to reduce negative environmental impacts. The Cape Town Environmental Education Trust (CTEET) team kicked off the nine-day commitment with a beach cleanup from Sunrise Beach to Muizenberg on World Environment Day, which was also the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. There was … [Read more...]
YouLead Warriors receive youth empowerment award
One of South Africa’s prominent youth climate activists, Ayakha Melithafa along with her fellow ‘YouLead Warriors’ who have completed the year-long YouLead Initiative, have received their Bronze Presidents’ Awards for Youth Empowerment at a ceremony on the 22 November 2019 at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. The YouLead Initiative is run by local environmental … [Read more...]
How political parties plan to address climate change
“We urge South Africans to vote for the environment when they head to the polls on 8 May. Citizens must choose leaders who recognise the urgency for climate change action and prioritises it in its policy agenda. We need a political party that stops protecting big business, but instead develops policies that will protect the environment, protect our workers and empower our … [Read more...]
Call for urgent clarification of SA greenhouse gas objectives
A range of civil society organisations are taking their call for urgent clarification of greenhouse gas emissions objectives to the Public Protector. The complaint regards failure to implement provisions on mitigation in the National Climate Change Response White Paper, adopted by Cabinet in October 2011; most particularly the setting of “desired emission reduction outcomes” … [Read more...]
Youth go for low-carbon actions
Learners and educators from eight Cape Town schools attended the annual Project 90 by 2030’s Leadership Clubs Summit hosted by Rhodes High School in Mowbray. Project 90 by 2030 is a national organisation that seeks to bring about massive change in how people engage with the environment and each other. The Leadership Clubs are a part of the Young Leaders Programme - its aim … [Read more...]
The energy facts are in for SA
The facts are clear. Numerous recent detailed reports with peer-reviewed hard facts from experts working within major civil society organisations are now in the public domain. All of them show that South Africa can meet its energy and many socioeconomic needs through renewable energy and energy efficiency. With rapidly developing technological advances, and dwindling water … [Read more...]
Learners tackle 10% challenge with fun
On World Environment Day Project 90 took seven of their Western Cape school clubs on an outing to Goedgedacht Farm near Malmesbury. Fifty learners from seven schools joined us for a day of fun in the sun. Project 90 clubs are tasked with reducing their school's carbon footprint by 10% each year. Clubs decide on how they are going to do this and formulate a project, getting … [Read more...]
Wind power for Two Oceans Aquarium
South Africa is one of the world's most carbon intensive economies, primarily because the majority of the country's electricity demand is satisfied through coal-fired power stations. This heavy dependency on coal and fossil fuels directly contributes to the current environmental crisis that is climate change and global warming. Unless the citizens of the world, including … [Read more...]
