Transcript Climate Change and South Durban

Climate change in south Durban,
South Africa
Copyright © 2010 CCAA Project
Who is the South Durban
Community Environmental Alliance?
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A non-governmental coalition of 16 community and
environmental organisations concerned with environmental
justice and sustainable development in south Durban and
eThekwini (the broader Durban municipal area)
Launched in 1995 to unite members in a common struggle for a
healthy living environment and environmentally sustainable and
socially just development in south Durban
South Durban is home to approximately half a million people,
and is also the location of South Africa’s largest chemical
industry cluster including two major oil refineries (Engen and
Sapref) and two big paper mills (Mondi and Sappi Saicorr) as
well as the transport infrastructure associated with Africa’s
largest port
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Location of poor and mostly black people
close to polluting industries. The history of
racially-motivated planning has resulted in
the difficult circumstances in which south
Durban communities continue to find
themselves: choking on noxious fumes,
suffering pollution-related illness, and
rapidly deteriorating neighbourhoods
In 2002/2206 a health study was carried
out by the eThekwini Municipality and
University of Michigan – results had
shown that 52% of the children from
Settlers Primary School (found in close
proximity to Engen refinery) had asthma
These stats had made the Guinness Book
of records for the highest percentage of
affected children
Overview of climate change project
in south Durban
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Climate change book launch – February 2009
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Climate change and poverty hearing – August 2009
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Durban’s build up to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, COP 15
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7th Dec 09 – Video screening (The story of stuff and carbon trading)
9th Dec 09 – Picket outside Sapref, Engen and Mondi refineries
12th Dec 09 – Global day of action Youth Rally
12th Dec 09 – Candlelight vigil outside Engen refinery
14th Dec 09 – Press briefing – The World Bank and Eskom: Banking on
climate destruction
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Attending COP 15 in Copenhagen – December 2009
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Copenhagen review workshop – February 2010
Kids painted banners and t-shirts with messages
to President Jacob Zuma
Protest outside Mondi paper mill
Global day of action, Youth Rally
Climate change in south Durban
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Scientific evidence:
increases in temperature
 increased rainfall variability
 extreme weather events (e.g. flooding and drought)
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CO2, N2O, CH4 exceed values over the past
650 000 years
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5% chance this is natural variability
What can we expect?
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Rising temperatures
Water shortages and extreme
weather events
Sea level rise
Ocean currents, ocean
temperatures, and marine
biodiversity
Terrestrial biodiversity
Illness and disease
Air pollution
Social problems
A hint of things to
come?
March 2007
November 2008
Stories from South Durban
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Clarabelle Mthembu has
serious asthma
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Patience Green has a
son and grandson with
chronic breathing
problems
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Siga Govender (farmer)
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Farmed near Durban Airport
since 1976
March 2007, March & June 2008
Faced financial ruin
Water resource is compromised.
In May 2010, water from the canal
had dried up because of warmer
conditions experienced leading to
farmers having to dig up bore
holes. Usually the bore hole water
resource is used in September.
Water scarcity leads to farmers
planting crops that require less
water like parsley, thyme, spinach
and coriander
Flooding had lead to loss
of newly planted
seedlings
 Community
empowerment and
education
 Farmers are still farming
on land
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Essop Mohammed (fisherman)
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Fishing off the harbour since
1860
Move to different areas along the
harbour due to scarcity of species
Time of day has also been
moved, from mornings to the
evenings
Strong winds influence
movement of the fish
Fishermen’s involvement with
government
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Draft policy for the development
of viable (resilient) small scale
fisheries sector in SA
Interim relief measure granted in
the Cape and parts of KZN
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Fishermen’s
involvement with the
city
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Access to fishing piers
In 2004
defiance of the link road
campaign
 Formed the KZN
Subsistence Fisheries
Forum
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Pyramid of power and responsibility:
climate change
Climate
change is a
global
problem, yet
each one of us
has the power
to make a
difference