Nov 24, 2021 | Position papers
The editor
Fin 24
Sir/Madam
WESSA understands the concerns that many people currently working in the coal, oil and gas sectors might have when there is talk of changing to a more renewable energy-based economy.
Employees around the world are dealing with this too as “decarbonising” becomes more urgent to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and deal with new global trading conditions. South Africa has good solar and wind resources and these will not run out as coal, gas and oil do.
Though they do not need to be mined they will provide many jobs at various skill levels and these will be distributed more evenly around the country than the coal mines and power stations of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. This should allow for a more widely resourced electricity grid with the opportunity for community co-ownership of new installations.
Eventually all electricity and energy for transport will have to come from the sun, wind and a few other sources like tidal flows and waves. This means lots of development of new infrastructure and much less pollution of air, soil and water. South Africa is Africa’s biggest carbon emissions polluter at the moment but we could change that round to being one of the main producers of clean energy.
Unfortunately, if we do not take climate change and its impacts seriously we won’t have good reason to expect large loss and damage pay-outs from Western and Northern polluters. South Africa, already an arid country with a long coastline, is especially vulnerable to drought, crop failure, wildfires, flash floods and storm surges which can further undermine an already struggling economy.
Like the oil industry in other parts of the world South Africa has also started exploring non-conventional sources of fossil fuels such as off-shore gas and oil and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for gas in places like the Karoo. There have even been proposals to mine coal in protected areas or right next to communities. Such activities are not sustainable as they disrupt or pollute, water supply, reduce biodiversity and negatively impact livelihoods like fishing as well as human health.
A just transition should mean a steady moving away from coal and other fossil fuels as old mines and power stations close giving workers a chance to learn new skills and do more interesting and cleaner work. Humans have had to make this sort of change for thousands of years as new technologies develop. It’s our turn now and we can do it.
Nov 23, 2021 | Position papers
South Africa as a signatory to the Paris Climate Agreement, COP26, and as a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature [IUCN] has aligned and committed to divestment in fossil fuels and a just energy transition to renewable energies and lower carbon emissions. Operation Phakisa’s gas and oil exploration and extraction are contrary to the Paris Agreement in that the oil extraction targets, if realised, will dramatically increase emissions; and the IUCN Resolution 5.079 urging all State Members of the IUCN to facilitate the adoption of the precautionary principle with respect to deep-sea mining and to support and implement a moratorium on deep seabed mining.
WESSA is unreservedly opposed to the 3D seismic surveys for oil and gas in the Indian Ocean coastal waters off the Wild Coast region of the Eastern Cape, and elsewhere off the coast of South Africa. Seismic surveys are high energy, low frequency, consistent impulse signals delivered through airgun blasts over extended periods into the marine environment. They disrupt and potentially destroy healthy marine ecosystems.
Seismic activity impacts marine species in a variety of ways that jeopardise their survival. Noise pollution and shock waves lead to stress, disorientation, embolisms and tissue damage, larvae deformity and species displacement. These have been recorded across all levels of the marine ecosystem. 1-4 While some attention, albeit inadequate, has been paid to whales and dolphins, an ecosystems approach to the protection of our marine resources has not been properly adopted.
For example, zooplankton is critical to both the health and the productivity of our marine ecosystems. McCauley et al, “Nature Ecology and Evolution” (June 2017) highlights that a negative, two to threefold increase in dead adult and larval zooplankton, was found up to 1,2km away and not, as previously assumed, restricted to an impact range of 10m.
Cognisant of the fact that new scientific research on the impacts of seismic activity on marine ecosystems points to risks far beyond those considered in the approval of the current seismic survey permits, WESSA demands that South Africa comply with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to which it is signatory, especially goal 14 on Life Below water which is explicit about impacts of seismic exploration noise and apply the precautionary principle by refusing to permit any and all seismic surveys with immediate effect in order to avoid unacceptable ecological degradation of our offshore coastal resources.
1. Pearson, W. H., Skalski, J. R. & Malme, C. I. Effects of sounds from a geophysical survey device on behaviour of captive rockfish (Sebastes spp.). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 49, 1343–1356 (1992)
2. Fewtrell, J. L. & McCauley, R. D. Impact of airgun noise on the behaviour of marine fish and squid. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 64, 984–993 (2012).
3. McCauley, R. D., Fewtrell, J. & Popper, A. N. High intensity anthropogenic sound damages fish ears. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 113, 638–642 (2003).
4. Kostyuchenko, L. P. Effects of elastic waves generated in marine seismic prospecting on fish eggs in the Black Sea. Hydrobiol. J. 9, 45–48 (1971)
Oct 27, 2021 | Archives
WESSA (The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa), the National Operator for Blue Flag South Africa officially launched the 2021/22 Blue Flag Season this year at Hermanus in the Western Cape.
The award ceremony was held at Grotto Beach on the 27 th October 2021 and attended by Ms Shamilla Chettiar, the Deputy Director General of the National Department of Tourism, Mr Dudley Coetzee, Executive Mayor of the Overstrand Municipality and the new WESSA CEO Dr Andrew Baxter. In recognition for their excellence in safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards, 60 Blue Flags will be proudly flown at 51 beaches, 5 marinas and by 4 sustainable tourism boats around South Africa over the forthcoming 2021/2022 Blue Flag season. The season officially opens on the 1 st December 2021. In his welcome address at the launch, Mr Dudley Coetzee of Overstrand Municipality gave his commitment to a safe and clean environment for the Western Cape treasures to be enjoyed!
The award also allows for potential Blue Flag sites to participate in a pilot programme. Thirty-three Pilot beach sites were recognized this year for their efforts toward reaching Blue Flag status in the near future. With a national goal of 100 Blue Flag sites by 2030, all efforts are now focused on assisting these pilot sites to become fully awarded with the Blue Flag. Please go to: https://wessa.org.za/our-work/sustainable-tourism/blue-flag-south-africa/ for a list of all full status and pilot sites for the 2021/2022 Blue Flag season.
Blue Flag South Africa is proudly in its twenty first year. In 2001, South Africa was the first country outside of Europe to join the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) on the Blue Flag Programme. Since then, many countries outside of Europe have followed South Africa’s example and joined Blue Flag giving the programme its international recognition. Speaking on behalf of the National Department of Tourism, Ms Shamilla Chettiar, in her keynote address for the day praised the tourism sector for being resilient and rising again, and that South Africa’s strong relationship with our stakeholders will be built on to bring back tourists to our shores. Ms Chettiar went on to say that Blue Flag represents excellence in service delivery by municipalities, who are the heartbeat of our country. WESSA continues to celebrate the great work of Grotto Beach and the Overstrand Municipality, hosts of the 2021/2022 launch who proudly achieved their Blue Flag status for 21 years! WESSA is committed to continue working together with municipalities and tourism operators to build the Blue Flag programme to its full potential and to restore the tourism industry after the devastating effects of COVD-19. We also aim to expand on conserving our marine and coastal environment, raise environmental awareness and increase sound environmental practices amongst tourists, coastal communities and beach managers.
Image 1: Blue Flag Overstrand Municipality Sites 2021 2022
Back left to right: Dr Andrew Baxter WESSA CEO, Councillor Kari Brice, Anver Wyngaard, Mayor Dudley Coetzee, Francoise Myburgh, Shamilla Chettiar Department of Tourism.
Front left to right: Whale Crier Bulelani Ngidi, Dencil Arendse
Image 2: WESSA Flag Hoisting ceremony
From left to right: Morgan Griffiths WESSA, Dudley Coetzee Overstrand Municipality, Kari Brice, Shamilla Chettiar NDT, Bulelani Ngidi, Tevya Lotriet WESSA, Andrew Baxter WESSA.
Image 3: Ray Nkonyeni Special Award
From left to right: WESSA CEO Dr Andrew Baxter, Nomfundo Dlamini Umdoni Municipality (representing Ray Nkonyeni Municipality), Shamilla Chettiar National Department of Tourism.
Image 4: WESSA Blue Flag Team
From left to right: Lindokuhle Mkhize, Sakhile Sithole, Morgan Griffiths, Vincent Shacks, Tevya Lotriet, Andrew Baxter
Image 5: WESSA Blue Flag hoisting with Mayor
From left to right: Executive Mayor Dudley Coetzee, Shamilla Chettiar, Andrew Baxter and officials
For more information please contact:
WESSA Communications Manager
sarah@wessa.co.za : 076 213 9873
www.wessa.org.za
Sep 28, 2021 | Position papers
WESSA as a partner in the Climate Justice Coalition, will be joining the mobilisation during the week of the 22nd of September 2021 in actions taking place across the country under the banner of cUprootTheDMRE. We do so because the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) under the leadership of Minister Gwede Mantashe, has been a major obstacle to progress on a just energy and mining future.
We are facing interconnected social, economic and ecological crises, which require us to transform our archaic and harmful energy and mining sector to ensure a more socially, economically and ecologically just future. The Business-as-usual approach of the minister and department is out of synch with the global trends that generally show more awareness of and compliance with the letter and spirit of the 2015 Paris agreement.
We need genuine transformative action now, not the slew of new gas, oil and coal related exploration and implementation projects such as the Karpower ships, Limpopo SEZ, and Gazania1. Furthermore, over-eager granting of mineral exploration and mining rights in or near sensitive coastal and protected areas is causing great social and biophysical damage that cannot be aligned with South Africa’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.
We urge the DMRE and minister to take this national call from civil society seriously and to act purposefully in changing for the better our unenviable status as the most carbon-intensive and inefficient energy sector of all G20 countries. This will entail an absolute decline in our emission trajectory before 2025 to achieve below 300 MtCO2e by 2030. By acting boldly and appropriately many thousands of diverse new job opportunities around the country will be created.
For more information contact:
Patrick Dowling – Chair of the WESSA Environmental Governance Committee
084 966 1249
communications@wessa.co.za
Sep 28, 2021 | Archives
For eThekwini-based Tourism Blue Flag Beach Steward, Nomfundo Ndaba, World Tourism Day means exciting possibilities! Across the world, tourism creates millions of jobs for youth and equips them with the necessary skills needed to excel in this industry. Nomfundo pointed out that tourism creates income, not just for stewards, but also for women and youth in rural areas and small businesses that contribute to this sector.
Tourism for inclusive growth means that everyone from any part of the country can participate. The lady who makes traditional beadwork and even the man who takes rickshaw rides along the promenade. WESSA Tourism Blue Flag Project Coordinator, Lindo Mkhize, explained that Beach Stewards are funded by the National Department of Tourism, with the aim of contributing to the tourism sector by supporting local coastal businesses. Stewards are hosted for a year at various tourism companies or organisations, providing capacity to the host, while gaining valuable work experience. Lindo pointed out that the Stewards are also trained in guiding, innovative skills and career development.
This support is also evident in the numerous coastal clean-ups that stewards participate in, especially after the devastating looting that took place in July. Stewards were active across KwaZulu-Natal helping small businesses and our City get back on their feet. The beach clean-ups help keep our Blue Flag Beaches clean; Blue Flag Beaches being internationally accredited for their exceptional standards of cleanliness, water quality, safety and security. These beaches are often the main attraction for visitors to enjoy in various coastal towns and cities. Stewards provide valuable environmental information to visitors and keep these Blue Flag Beaches protected.
Nomfundo Ndaba said that: “World Tourism Day celebrates inclusive growth in tourism and new employment opportunities for South African youth. We aim to support the tourism industry as it rebuilds stronger and more resilient after Covid, and we are here to make sure of it!”
For more information contact:
Sarah Alcock
WESSA Marketing and Communications Manager
Tel 033 3303931 / 076 213 9873
Email: sarah@wessa.co.za
www.wessa.org.za
Sep 10, 2021 | Archives
This week, WESSA welcomed Dr Andrew Baxter as the new Chief Executive Officer. Andrew starts his journey at WESSA in September 2021 with the key priority of leading the organisation through an important strategic review and implementation process as it seeks to reaffirm its role as one of the country’s leading conservation and environmental organisations.
Andrew is known for his strategic and innovative approach to leadership and has experience both in the corporate and non-profit sectors. He is the former head of business development at WWF-South Africa and more recently was the care-taker CEO of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust. Andrew has consulted to a wide range of organisations on strategy development, business development and leadership development. He hails from Cape Town and has a well-developed professional understanding of the environmental and conservation sectors in South Africa – across both public and private spheres. Andrew holds a PhD in palaeoecology from UCT and has special interests in landscape ecology, biodiversity conservation and climate change. He is a director on the boards of the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, African Habitat Conservancy and is a founding Trustee of the Cape Leopard Trust.
Asked what environmental challenges facing South Africa he believes are critical to address, his list included: Climate change; habitat destruction/biodiversity loss; advocacy – especially around poor environmental governance (both corporate and government); hydric stress and water scarcity – with implications for agriculture and food security; pollution in all its forms and the implications for human wellbeing; the transition from carbon-intensive to renewable sources of energy; protecting our oceans and; addressing issues of (over) consumption and waste.
Andrew is mindful that the tremendous legacy of WESSA, coupled with the commitments from many loyal supporters and stakeholders, will provide strong rallying points to take the organisation forward as it seeks to address critically important environmental issues that confront the well-being of South Africans and the nation’s biodiversity and protected areas on a daily basis.
Andrew believes that Integrity, empathy, and communication are the most important attributes of successful leaders today. He is extremely humbled to be entrusted with the leadership of WESSA, an organisation with a long and proud history rooted in conservation, environmental education and public participation. In a rapidly changing world, he will be leading a diverse, innovative and extremely passionate team of champions. We are looking forward to beginning this new phase of WESSA’s work under Andrew’s leadership.
For more information contact:
Sarah Alcock
WESSA Marketing and Communications Manager
Tel 033 3303931 / 076 213 9873
Email: sarah@wessa.co.za
www.wessa.org.za
