Keyword: environmental degradation

South Africa's Weak Green Governance and Virtually Non-existent Green Politics

Picture: Peter Blanchard/flickr Glenn Ashton - Both the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party and the South African flag have prominent splashes of green featuring in their respective colour scheme. After 1994 the new government was keenly focussed on demonstrating its green credentials in line with our constitutional commitment to environmental protection and sustainable use of our diverse natural resources. Twenty years into democratic experiment we need to reassess how green our political commitment remains. Liberation...

Do Environmentalists Lack a Theory of Change?

Picture: Sabino/Flickr Saliem Fakir - Environmentalists in South Africa are largely seen as lone and desperate voices. Often they are perceived to be white and middle-class, but that is changing slowly. Environmentalists remain at the margins of the mainstream economy and outside of key decision-making channels. Where they cannot control the excesses and harm belched out of the belly of a gluttonous economy, they mop up the aftermath. Their fire fighting battles range from dealing with issues such as acid mine drainage to...

Adding Insult to Injury: The Impacts of Coal Extraction

Picture: www.freefoto.com Glenn Ashton - Significant developments in the energy sector are underway in western Limpopo because of the extensive coal resources in that region. Besides Eskom’s massive Medupi power station, near the existing Matimba power station, there are several other mega-projects in the pipeline. The question is whether these are sustainable or in some cases, even viable. Other developments in the area include expanding the massive Exxaro Grootgeluk mine, which supplies Matimba and Medupi, as well...