- Yesterday, Tuesday 30 September, climate justice activists, community leaders, students, and ordinary Capetonians gathered outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) – the venue of Africa Energy Week 2025 – with one clear message: “fossil fuels are driving our social and environmental crises, not solving them.”
Civil society organisations joining the protest include The Green Connection, African Climate Alliance, Extinction Rebellion Cape Town, Project 90 by 2030, SAFCEI, and the Climate Justice Coalition.
The Green Connection’s Advocacy Officer, Lisa Makaula says, “We can’t continue to have leaders constantly push for development of more fossil fuel projects when we are at a turning point. Climate change is impacting marginalized communities and without a just energy transition away from fossil fuels, negative impacts could worsen. Development must be centred around people and take into account socio-economic development and environmental sustainability. Oil and gas exploration could threaten the livelihoods of coastal communities who depend on fishing to survive.”
Africa Energy Week is marketed as a celebration of “business opportunities” offered by further coal, oil, and gas extraction on the continent, in the name of economic growth and development. However, these are false solutions to the climate crisis and are a stumbling block to a truly just transition in the energy sector. These fossil fuels heat our planet, pollute our air and water, and lock communities into a vicious cycle of poverty and dependency. This is regressive and is the opposite of societal development.
Fossil fuel wealth lines the pockets of an elite few, leaving the rest of us – especially those in marginalised communities – to face the worsening effects of climate change, endangering livelihoods, deepening inequality, poverty, threatening cultural heritage, and public health crises. Instead of throwing lifelines to oil and gas, governments should be investing in the real solutions already at our fingertips: community-owned solar and wind, resilient food systems, and a just and inclusive transition that protects workers and puts people first.
Extinction Rebellion (XR) Cape Town’s Judy Scott-Goldman says, “Oil and gas companies spread climate disinformation to lull decision makers into thinking that we have decades to address the climate crisis. This is false. Catastrophic consequences are upon us with scientists and actuaries predicting two billion deaths by 2050 and 25% loss in GDP globally. We call on decision makers not to be hoodwinked into building fossil fuel infrastructure in South Africa which will either kill us from climate change impacts and pollution or destroy us financially by ending up as stranded assets. We call on decision-makers to be future-orientated and invest in clean/renewable energy technologies including socially owned solar and wind power.”
Source: The Green Connectio
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