THE South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), in partnership with the Africa Climate Justice Group (ACJG), recently hosted the African Peoples Counter COP (APCC) 2023 ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP28.
The COP28 is set to take place at Expo City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to December 12.
Kershni Ramreddi, SDCEA’s energy and just transition project officer, said the two-day workshop saw communities and organisations from all across Durban join in the fight against climate change.
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“The workshop was attended by women and youth as the focus for the APCC was women and children affected by climate change in several aspects of their lives, such as farming, agriculture, food and water sovereignty and education, among others.
“The workshop allowed for fruitful engagements and for attendees to draft up a declaration statement, containing all their demands and needs and the immediate effective changes that need to be implemented now. The workshop was successful according to the evaluation forms,” she said.
Ramreddi said some of the campaign messages and demands were climate-change education for the youth, unemployed, uneducated, women and elderly; leaving fossil fuels behind; transparency from government, scientists and experts; saying no to oil and gas, and voices being heard and allowed freedom of expression, among others.
“The campaign messages and demands were put towards the declaration statement that will be a part of the APCC and added to the demands we require from the COP,” she said.
Ramreddi added that there was an urgent need for transformative action.
“[We need] a rapid and just transition to a socially owned, renewable-energy-powered economy, providing clean, safe and affordable energy for all, with no worker and community left behind in the transition. We need our government to support socially owned renewable energy systems at a local level. There needs to be an inclusive transition, one that includes women and children equally,” she said.
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