Download a PDF version of the speech here

From left: UKZN Senior Lecturer, Dr Mark Dent; Director of groundWork, Mr Bobby Peek; and Chair of the Wilderness Action Group, Mr Ilan Lax.

The central focus of the 2011 Ruth Edgecombe Memorial Lecture, which each year is dedicated to highlighting issues of environmental significance, was on climate justice. The lecture is held in honour of UKZN Professor, Ruth Edgecombe, who was a passionate scholar of environmental history who contributed to the growing research in this field of study in South Africa.

Hosted by UKZN's School of Environmental Sciences and the Wilderness Action Group, this year's lecture featured renowned environmental activist, Mr Bobby Peek. Director and founding member of groundWork, a non-governmental environmental justice organisation in Pietermaritzburg, Peek spoke on the topic: "Climate Change and COP17: is climate justice a reality for South Africans?"

GroundWork operates at local, national and international levels to advocate for democratic environmental governance and justice. Peek formed the organisation in 1999, prior to which he worked with South Africa's Environmental Justice Networking Forum as National Campaigns Manager. He was also co-founder of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, a multi-racial alliance of community people challenging for democratic environmental governance in south Durban. In 1998, Peek received the Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa, the world's largest prize for excellence in protecting the environment.

In light of the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change gathering, known as COP17, in Durban later in the year, the issue of climate justice is pertinent. A form of environmental justice, climate justice aims to ease, and ultimately to eliminate the disparate burdens and problems created by climate change. Central to climate justice is the view that those least responsible for climate change are the ones most affected. In opening his lecture, Peek said: 'It is critical that we reflect on the history of how we got to this point of climate catastrophe, where the world's governments are ineffective and moribund and lack leadership in forging a new tomorrow for humanity and all who rely on the earth as their home.'

According to Peek, despite 16 previous major climate conferences, together with countless other smaller preparatory meetings, the world is no closer to a real climate change solution than it was 17 years ago. He is also firmly of the opinion that climate justice in South Africa is 'wishful thinking' and is, sadly, not a reality. He explained that one has to look at climate justice through 'its environmental justice lens' which he defines as, 'Empowered people in relations of solidarity and equity with each other and in non-degrading and positive relationships with their environments.' Ultimately this involves the spirit of Ubuntu, but unfortunately, 'As South Africans today, we do not live Ubuntu and our government does not provide us with a moral compass to promote it. We have to take it upon ourselves to do this. We have to be agents for climate justice,' said Peek.

Peek presented some of the stark and hard-hitting facts which illustrate how the irreversible effects of climate change are negatively impacting the Earth and its people. Rising global temperatures, increases in greenhouse gases, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events will continue to spiral out of control as our government is 'bent on continuing its fossil fuel expansion in the false illusion that this will service the poor,' said Peek. The facts and figures paint a sad and depressing picture of South Africa: 42 percent of Africa's greenhouse gases are emitted by South Africa; 44 percent of the country's energy is used by 36 companies; South African residents consume 16 percent of the country's energy; and in 2010, Eskom lost R9.7 billion because it provided cheap electricity to BHP Billiton.

Despite the above-mentioned facts, the government is increasing its energy "security" by allowing, for example, the exploration of crude oil on the KwaZulu-Natal coast; an increase in coal mining for export and local use; the development of oil refineries and coal to liquid plants; and the building of the world's third-and-fourth-largest coal-fired plants, with loans amounting to R6.25 billion. 'More alarming is the reality that the climate change negotiations are not about saving the climate but rather about furthering the economic agenda of the corporate and political elite,' said Peek.

The only solution to this dire situation is for South Africans to take control and ownership of how energy is produced and to start challenging the 'political greenwash' which is being perpetuated by the country's leadership. Peek explained that the only way to achieve climate justice for the people of South Africa is for the people, and not multinational corporations, to be the centre of energy delivery. This means persuading local municipalities to take the initiative and look at local energy development for their needs, calling for better houses so that people do not lose energy due to leaking roofs or poorly constructed homes. It means providing communities with access to affordable energy that does not cost seven times more than what big industry is paying. It also means 'ensuring that industry pays the real price of energy and doesn't continue to get the cheapest electricity in the world at the expense of people.'

In closing, Peek said: 'No matter how difficult it is in South Africa, we have to "keep the coal in the hole." A new energy and climate future is needed and we have to make it happen, for history will judge us harshly if we do not act with our conscience urgently.'