Greenpeace - Africa

The science is clear: we are witnessing the climate crisis unfold before our very eyes. Recent research by Greenepace Africa has confirmed that, as the climate crisis worsens, and if we neglect to take immediate action to reduce our carbon emissions, extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and cyclones, will only become more intense and less predictable. Our report, titled Weathering The Storm, provides the scientific background needed for us to make our call clear: we need to declare a Climate Emergency - and we need to act accordingly.

Public infrastructure is not prepared to deal with the impacts of the climate crisis. In recent memory, Tropical Cyclone Eloise pillaged through neighbouring countries Mozambique, Zambia, and zimbabwe. But the effects were felt locally as well in parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces. Schools were damaged, healthcare centers were left unusable, and bridges were destroyed, leaving people in remote rural areas stranded without assistance or access to services. The threat to public infrastructure has been seen and felt internationally as well. Hurricane Ida, which pillaged across Louisiana before rippling across New York, was a stark demonstration of how ill-prepared public infrastructure is for the imminent wave of extreme weather events. Flooded underground railways became obsolete, cars swept away during flash floods and hospitals, already at capacity with COVID-19 patients, were forced to contend with the influx of extreme weatherrelated injuries and diseases.

South Africa's infrastructure challenges, without considering the potential risks that come with future climate shocks, remain a barrier to economic growth. A report released by the UN World Meteorological Organisations (WMO), anticipates that Sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) may contract by 3% by 2050.

South Africa cannot afford to take such risks in the face of a growing climate crisis.

With COP26 imminent, it is imperative that every country across the world plays its part in combating the climate crisis. Now more than ever, we need to see real action to start phasing out fossil fuels. No new oil wells or pipelines, no new coal plants, no new coal mines and no new gas projects. And no government support for existing fossil fuel projects, which should be phased out. Coal - the most carbon-polluting fossil fuel - should be phased out as quickly as possible. We cannot waste precious time flirting with energy options that will lock us into a high emissions trajectory.

Firm rules need to be properly put in place to connect nature. When we protect nature, nature protects us. It is timeless wisdom that governments and corporations seem to have forgotten in the race to pursue development, extractivism, and profit. There is no room for any more irresponsible leakages into the uMbilo river, no room for exploding chemical warehouses, no room for new gas projects creating havoc in our oceans, and there is certainly no room for another oil spill off the coast of Mauritius. Most important of all, there is no more room for the fossil fuel industry to fight against science and avoid taking action to safeguard our futures from catastrophe.

It must be made clear on the global stage that Africa is not the new frontier for oil and gas extraction and exploitation. We must find ways to undo the legacy of colonial exploitation and extraction which still drives most of the fossil fuel investments in Africa. Africans must see themselves as key stakeholders in addressing the climate crisis and not as mere victims of a crisis manufactured elsewhere. The complacency of African leadership and the greed of foreign governments/corporations must be dealt with to deal with the climate crisis.

South Africa has the opportunity to leap over this toxic industry and begin making investments in renewable energy, and rapidly implement a just transition that will protect the lives and livelihoods of countless people across the country - and indeed the continent.

Greenpeace Africa is part of a growing movement of people who are fighting for environmental and social justice, and calling on governments to declare a Climate Emergency. South Africa has the opportunity to be a leader on the continent by leading the way on climate action and climate ambition. We know what the solution is: a just transition to renewable energy will protect the planet and protect the future - all of our futures - from further catastrophe. All we need is the political will to act on it.

GREENPEACE AFRICA

293 Kent Avenue Ferndale Randburg 2194 011 482 4696 coafrica@Greenpeace.org www.greenpeace.org