Who’s Malthusian now?
It is a pity Fiona Macleod didn’t take the time to read the speech on global warming Tony Leon gave at the Oxford Debating Union before lambasting him for it (“The Malthusian musings of Tony Leon”, November 10). She might have spotted these remarks:
“I am not arguing tonight that the developing world must aim for the ecological footprint of, say, the United States. That would compound the impending climate catastrophe … Naturally, as we aim to improve the livelihoods of those in Africa, we must not bypass the goals of sustainability and enter into the path of what is termed ‘overshoot’.”
Macleod also seems unaware that Leon personally committed himself to advancing the use of clean energy sources as well as the use of clean development mechanisms (CDMs), which give credits to developed nations for helping developing countries generate clean energy sources.
Finally, Macleod’s poor reading skills lead her to endorse the logic of the Club of Rome, whose 1972 report she quotes. According to Macleod, this warns that over-consumption by the rich will be the chief cause of environmental degradation.
Actually, the report denounces “the present growth trends in world population” as the cause of future doom — precisely Malthus’s argument.
By endorsing the Club of Rome, Macleod in fact aligns herself with “Neo-Malthusianism”. By contrast, Leon’s argument that Africa can strive for high economic growth and greater prosperity, and that this would be good for the environment, is resoundingly anti-Malthusian. — Motlatjo Thetjeng, MP, national spokesperson for the DA, Cape Town
Leon is not always right and is seldom endearing. But he generally displays the one ingredient absent from the utterances of his critics — integrity.
His latest crime? The temerity to call for investment in Africa and to suggest that “wealth”, used wisely, could also be good for the environment.
A “Neo-Malthusian”, huffed Macleod. A “racist”, puffed the ANC Youth League. Even Yolan Friedmann (conservation manager of the Endangered Wildlife Trust) and Marthinus van Schalkwyk grabbed the chance to put the boot in. What better recommendation than the enmity of this lot.
If the poor did not exist it would be necessary to invent them, since they support a spectrum of parasitic classes whose advance up the socio-economic ladder depends on their existence.
I don’t have the full speech but, simplistically speaking, Leon is right. Population growth is highest in poverty stricken communities and with this comes a sustained assault, driven largely by desperation and partly by ignorance, on the environment.
None of this absolves rich countries from their own exploitation and major contribution to the ecological challenges that confront the global community. I have little doubt that Leon did not suggest otherwise. — Mike Berger
I have just renewed my subscription to the M&G with some hestation. My hesitation was prompted by Macleod’s article.
It is unsatisfactory reporting to assume that ideas expressed in an Oxford Union debate reflect what that speaker actually thinks. Whatever Leon actually believes is not necessarily what he said in debate.
If Macleod wants some important environmental issues to comment on, why not the environmental degradation caused by the mining companies in South Africa? What about the environmental damage caused by the Israeli bombings in Lebanon? — Larry Jenkins MA (Oxon)
Give us water, not words
We’re in danger of believing our own propaganda. The United Nations released its Human Development Report here because our Constitution supposedly recognises water as a human right and our government supposedly honours that guarantee. Trevor Manuel’s “Water is a human right” (November 10) is a case in point.
The constitutional guarantee is not to water but access to water (section 27 (1)(b)). This reflects the commodification of water, with citizens as customers. Need is no longer part of the equation.
The user-pays principle creates huge problems when most people are poor. The government introduced free basic water — 25 litres per person a day — to address this. But this is problematic. Among the issues involved are:
- Using degrading terminology, free water is increasingly being restricted to those officially deemed to be “indigent”.
- Millions of South Africans receive no free water.
- At the present rate of expenditure it will take at least 10 years before the required water and sanitation infrastructure is available.
- Meeting real needs and the guarantee of dignity requires about a fourfold increase.
- The water needs of the very young, the old and the sick remain excluded, even if this fourfold increase were to be made.
- Prepayment meters hollow out still further our pretensions to progressive water policies.
Speaking at the launch of the report, President Thabo Mbeki said it was now time to move beyond words. Wouldn’t it be nice if he heeded his own advice! — Jeff Rudin, national research officer, South African Municipal Workers’ Union
An otherwise classy document, the UN’s report fails to identify key problems poor communities face. Hence Manuel had the UNDP administrator, Kernal Dervis, co-author “Water is a human right”.
As a result he glosses over the biggest problems facing us. Is he aware of the class action residents of Phiri, Soweto, have launched, challenging the constitutional sufficiency of the free water allowance and the effects prepaid water meters have had?
And if he resorts to the same facile argument Joburg Water used to justify installing these meters — that we have a “lifeline” of 25 litres per capita per day — is he aware that it is inadequate?
And is he aware that 25 litres per capita per day should have been delivered to each person between 1994 and 1996 and that at least from 1999 each person should have daily received 50 to 60 litres of water on-site, according to the RDP of 1994? Instead we had to wait until July 2001 for it to become mandatory to provide a mere 25 litres.
A genuine right to water for poor people has to be linked to quantity, quality (service) and regularity of supply and cannot be subject to cash payments because then it is a debilitating conditional “right”.
Why this and other problems? Because his ministry says we can’t afford to allocate more funds to what is a basic service. But he approved an arms deal that siphoned off more than R40-billion of taxpayers’ money. Where are his priorities for building a better life for the poor? — Ebrahim Harvey, water researcher
Scaling down to scale up
I read with interest Nicole Johnston’s articles (Monitor, November 10). Small-scale irrigated horticulture has the potential to significantly alleviate poverty in South-Central Africa.
Irrigated horticulture can be extremely productive, with up to three crops produced in a year on the same piece of ground and yields of 100 tons-plus per hectare a year being easily attainable, provided a number of basic rules are followed.
Dr Douglas Merrey says “Africa is littered with failed irrigation projects”. True; but it must be noted that these are generally large-scale, conventional schemes.
Africa is also littered with small, home-grown vegetable gardens. Training in basic horticultural techniques and an introduction of hand-operated pumps has been shown to dramatically increase production on these plots and, once the mental equation between energy input and financial return has been established, the gigantic step between subsistence and small-scale commercial agriculture is often taken.
Until funders start concentrating their spending at the grassroots level on training and extension, instead of splashing out on conferences and abstract research, meaningful poverty alleviation will remain an illusion. — Alan Windram, Harare
Media interest in environmental issues often focuses on big issues like climate change. Emphasis should be given to how we can be agents of change. Here are 10 practical suggestions for individuals, retailers, employers and municipalities:
- Separate waste — you’ll be amazed how much you don’t need to toss out.
- Put all kitchen waste into a separate bin and make compost.
- Invest in a “Jojo” tank to capture rain water.
- Use energy-saving light bulbs.
- Buy loose fruits and vegetables to reduce packaging.
- Shops should stock and promote the sale of compost bins.
- Set up recycling corners in shopping centres and residential estates.
- Ensure new developments have this feature before approving plans.
- Place paper recycling bins next to every printer.
- Don’t use polystyrene cups or plastic cutlery.
— Dolar Vasani, Tshwane
Hatchet job on PW Botha
Your editorial “PW: The hard truth” (November 3) riles me in its disregard for the truth. It’s a real hatchet job.
You say “during the emergencies of the late 1980s, with the security forces given free rein, tens of thousands were detained, jailed, tortured, maimed and killed”, and you refer later to “this murderous rampage”.
You imply that “tens of thousands” were murdered by Botha’s government. This is sheer inflationary nonsense, like the old nonsense of claiming that the apartheid regime was engaged in a Nazi-style genocide.
The brutality and bloodshed of the apartheid years were dreadful enough, without indulging in this kind of hyperbole.
Remember also the unpalatable truth that “tens of thousands” of South Africans are now murdered each and every year in our new, enlightened democracy, with quite a few victims being tortured and maimed before being killed. — Paul Jackson, Greytown
Oh Pearlie, you have missed the point (“A geriatric send-off for PW”, November 10). It was not about the man — he is gone — nor was it about the age, colour or status of those who attended. — Soli Deo Gloria, a South African
In brief
Your November 3 edition carried a report of the ANC Youth League rally held on October 29 at Matlosana stadium in North West. It is regrettable that your journalists decided to report on peripheral “non-events” and wrote nothing about what the speakers — Jacob Zuma and Fikile Mbalula — said. It’s lies to report people came only to dance to Mafikizolo — no one jived because of the weather. In fact, people were singing revolutionary songs about Zuma and we had to calm their excitement. Your report was a fiction of the journalists’ imagination. — Zizi Kodwa, ANC Youth League spokesman
I was shocked to see a photo in last week’s Mail & Guardian of a derelict Chancellor House building in downtown Jozi. Is this, the site of the former law firm of Madiba and OR, not a national monument? If the government doesn’t have the wherewithal, surely some organisation can restore the building to the status of a national monument? In fact, it should be a shrine! — Clive Swann, Bonaero Park
A few months ago I had occasion to visit the Booysens police station (November 10). Two uniformed policewomen were dancing outside to music blaring out of the station. Inside, people were shouting to be heard. It took a few minutes, but I did find someone to help me and since it seemed that the music was not going to be turned down, we too communicated at full volume. There are many dedicated police officers, but I’m not sure if any of them are at Booysens. — Dave Thorpe