Clean Air and Renewable Energy

The Climate Justice Charter Movement (CJCM) was responsible for developing the first Climate Justice Charter in the world. It has also developed a climate science document that outlines the effects climate change will have on South Africa and policies on the rights of nature and natural climate solutions, water and zero waste for the country. In addition, it has produced several guides for activists on subjects including food sovereignty and community-based renewable energy technologies. The organisation has brought out a book, People and Workers Climate Justice Charter Futures for South Africa, which looks at subjects such as socially owned renewable energy solutions, protecting the environment, preventing pollution and how to build co-operatives. The organisation worked with the Human Rights Commission to ensure the water and sanitation department released its Green Drop and Blue Drop reports. Education is a large part of CJCM’s work and it has organised webinars to disseminate knowledge on topics ranging from how communities can benefit from renewable energy to the transformation of coal towns. It works with students at several universities, as well as schools, to inform the youth about the environment and climate change and help them develop food gardens. It reaches out to a wide range of constituencies, including trade unions, both local and from other parts of Africa, as well as the media. Among the many feathers in the CJCM’s cap are a crowd-sourcing tool to map out water-stressed communities and a programme on seed saving, sharing and storage to promote biodiversity, multi-cropping and the protection of indigenous species.

What’s been your/the organisation’s greatest achievement in your field?

We have had several achievements in mainstreaming the climate crisis and building systemic solutions that are needed:

• We developed the world’s first Climate Justice Charter. It is available in all spoken languages in South Africa and has been endorsed by 284 organisations.
• In 2021, we launched the activist guide Let’s Feed Ourselves Through Food Sovereignty. This guide demonstrates how activists are building food sovereignty pathways in communities, towns and cities.
• In 2022, we launched the activist guide People’s Planning for a Deep Just Transition. This guide (inter alia) outlines how we can build socially owned and community-based renewable energy technologies and transform our carbon-based economy. It also outlines how communities can build deep just transition alternatives not just in energy, but in all life systems. 
• We launched the book People and Workers Climate Justice Charter Futures for South Africa which has bottom-up solutions on how to build socially owned renewable energies; how to enable communities to own the energy transition; how to protect the environment and prevent pollution and how to build co-operatives and other systemic people-led alternatives. 
• Since 2020, we have had 126 engagements with the media in our attempt to build a climate-conscious society.
• We developed a crowd-sourcing tool to map out water-stressed communities. From this tool COPAC, SAFSC and the CJCM wrote up four reports in 2020. We engaged with the South African Human Rights Commission to ensure that the national department of water and sanitation develops the  Green Drop and Blue Drop reports which have subsequently been released because of the continued pressure.
• For three years we have run a climate justice programme with Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach. Hundreds of students have participated in our talks, garden workshops, food markets and other activities promoting climate education. Our work always goes beyond just the energy transition. 
• We have engaged many constituencies in the fight for climate justice and the path towards renewable energy. For example, on 18 May, we held the Workers and Trade Union Assembly.  We received input from: Cosatu, Naptosa, Saftu and Solidarity. It was attended by many local unions and those from other African countries. .
• We developed a climate science document which outlines how climate change will impact South Africa.
• We have held multiple webinars to educate people on renewable energy potentials; ownership and how communities can benefit and how coal towns can be transformed.

Please provide specific examples of how your/your organisation’s practices and work have a positive effect on the environment

We have developed:

• A  Rights of Nature and Natural Climate Solutions Policy for South Africa. This policy outlines how to protect and promote our biomes, wetlands, forests, riverine systems and oceans. It outlines how we can develop people’s biodiversity registers and protocols. It also calls for transition towns and eco-social housing to be developed to promote the natural commons through parks, agroecology gardening systems at the household and community level, eco-walks and protection of endemic wild species. This policy has been endorsed by the leading environmental organisations in South Africa.
• A zero-waste policy for South Africa. This policy outlines how our economy can be a zero-waste economy through reuse; recovery; recycling; change in manufacturing; minimising pollution to land, seas and air and promoting a healthy environment.
• A water policy for South Africa to effectively manage our water systems, restore our riverine systems, wetlands, groundwater systems and estuaries while preventing the contamination.
• A seed-saving tool which we continually workshop with communities, activists and organisations..

We have a water activists’ guide which we use to train activists and communities on water management, efficient use and sustainable governance. This tool is crucial in the age of droughts. The tool also trains communities on preventing the pollution of water systems.

We have a land tool which we also use to train activists and communities on land use to prevent soil erosion, desertification, soil pollution, salinisation and soil contamination.

We continue to educate the youth on the environment and climate change. We have launched student societies at the universities of Cape Town, Free State, Witwatersrand and Stellenbosch to conscientise students on climate change and build ecological ethics in them. At Wits, we have five food gardens.

We work with several schools to promote student food gardens and again, environmental ethics in the youth.

Our environmental work is widely recognised, hence the CJCM is part of the Wild Animal Protection Forum of South Africa and the Wildlife Well-being Forum setup by the forestry, fisheries and environment department.

What are some of the biggest environmental challenges faced by South Africans today?

• Abandoned mines which have not been rehabilitated (there are more than 6 000 of them).
• Soil erosion and desertification with extreme loss of soil fertility.
• Insect apocalypse caused by insecticides and pesticides.
• Particulates in the air such as the Johannesburg radioactive waste dunes and Eskom air pollution that continues to claim lives. 
• tropospheric ozone pollution and stratospheric ozone loss.
• Acid mine drainage and depositing of toxic chemical waste with heavy metals into land and water systems.
• Asbestos (for example in the Free State) and nuclear waste from Koeberg.
• Accelerating biodiversity loss of all taxonomic species and  acidification of the oceans.
• Hormonal discharges into the water systems.
• Pollution from plastics and human excrement going into the sea.
• Loss of wetlands and groundwater.
• Invasive species.

Our theme this year is Celebrating Environment Heroes. What do you believe could be the repercussions for millions of people in South Africa and the continent if we do not tackle problems exacerbated by climate change, encompassing issues like drought, floods, fires, extreme heat, biodiversity loss, and pollution of air and water?

Droughts, floods, fires, extreme heat and other climate shocks are increasing in their frequency, intensity and duration. The poorest people will continue to suffer the most. If we do not act fast then our systems will collapse. Our water system will collapse. Our ecological systems will collapse and our food system will not be spared. If we do not act now on climate change, this country will become unlivable, thousands will die. We need early-warning mechanisms otherwise, property will be destroyed and many lives will be lost.