ON Friday, September 20, Graaff-Reinet residents took part in an international climate strike.
The September 2019 international climate strikes, also known as the Global Week for Future, was inspired by Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist, who started the “school strike for climate” outside Sweden’s parliament last year.
It is a series of international strikes and protests to demand action to be taken to address climate change. The September 20, 2019, protests were the largest climate strikes in history with a reported number of more than 4 million people participating worldwide, and more than 2 000 scientists, in 40 countries, pledging to support the strikes.
In Graaff-Reinet, a local non-governmental organisation, the Support Centre for Land Change (SCLC), in partnership with 350.org, also participated in the global climate strikes.
SCLC and 350.org are partners in the #AfrikaVuka movement – an African movement calling for climate justice and a move towards renewable energy alternatives.
The local climate strike was supported by several local stakeholders – the Karoo Environmental Justice Movement, the Methodist, VGK and Anglican churches, the local Muslim, Khoi and Rastafarian communities, local youth organisations – Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba and Healing Hands – and Spandau, Asherville and Nqweba schools, among others.
The objective of the strike action was to hand over a memorandum calling on the municipality to declare the Dr Beyers Naudé municipal area a frack-free zone and to prioritise investment in renewable energy infrastructure towards a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy solutions. Chriszanne van Vuuren, local organiser of the Climate Strike, said the need for strong policy and just action could not be more urgent.
“The sad reality is that communities in the Karoo are already experiencing the brunt of climate change,” she said.
“Most dams have already run completely dry, leaving communities totally dependent on underground water.
“Borehole levels are dropping alarmingly fast and are completely depleted in some areas.
“In order to keep global warming below 1,5 degrees we need to put an end to the exploration, extraction and consumption of fossil fuels,” Van Vuuren said.
The SCLC has a renewable energy plan proposed by Dr Stefan Cramer, the implementation of which is aimed at taking Graaff-Reinet completely off the Eskom grid and onto renewable energy alternatives.
