Quarterly Newsflash: Taking a stand against oil and gas, our organisational strategy, and the road to COP28
A 2023 Fourth Quarter Newsflash From The ACA Team
Just like that, we have made it to December! It feels as though the final quarter of the year has flown by and we are looking forward to a much-needed break.
Before we take our annual organisational break from 15 December 2023 to 15 January 2024, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on a few highlights from the final quarter of the year:
October
Mental Health Awareness
Since October was International Mental Health Awareness Month, our educational focus was on health and wellness in the climate justice movement. Mental health and wellbeing are seldom conversations that are brought up when we are talking about climate change and climate justice. In our Back2Basics Workshop and ACA Dialogue, we discussed how climate change affects our mental health and how to equip ourselves with skills and practices to work toward mental well-being in the time of a climate crisis.
Protesting Africa Oil Week
Africa Oil Week also took place in October. This meant that government representatives, energy policymakers, financiers, and dealmakers gathered at a conference in Cape Town to discuss how the fossil fuel industry could continue and expand production on the continent, under the guise of “Maximising Africa’s Natural Resources”. To take action against this, we hosted an online advocacy consultation to unpack the dash for oil and gas in Africa and understand its connection to intersectional justice.
November
Protesting TotalEnergies
Photo by Elena Lopriore
November was a very busy month. We kicked it off with a collaborative Power Up for Climate Justice Protest. Young people, civil society organisations, and fishing communities from across the Western Cape gathered outside Parliament to demand that TotalEnergies stop exploring oil and gas in South Africa.
This action was part of a month of “Power Up for Climate Solutions” actions taking place across the world, ahead of COP28. All around the world, people came together to demand a renewable, peaceful, and equitable future for all.
A mine visit & published article for the Cancel Coal team
On the same day as the protest, a few of the young people from our Cancel Coal Youth Task Force visited a working mine in Mpumalanga, organised by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, against the backdrop of the historic Cancel Coal court case. Our Task Force members were joined by a group of youth including climate justice activists from across South Africa.
The young people in attendance saw it as an opportunity to ask difficult questions and take action to hold polluters accountable and build a more sustainable future. We were reminded of the importance of this in a recent op-ed by our Cancel Coal Campaigner, Sibusiso Mazomba, about how youth are demanding an urgent voice in climate change decision-making.
Being a young person and a dedicated activist is no easy feat, which is why our final Youth Activist Gathering of the year focused on reflecting on our activist journeys in 2023.
Strengthening strategy and collaboration
And while our work as individuals is essential, it’s when we come together and act as a collective that we can make the biggest differences. This was the prevailing sense from our end-of-year organisational team strategy day where we spent time mapping our goals and ambition for the new year. It was an important marker of how far we have come, and how much we still have to do.
On the note of the power of collaboration, our November in-person workshop focused on how community-led adaptation can be strengthened through collaboration and partnerships. And, our final Back2Basics Workshop and ACA Dialogue for the year – in the build-up to COP28 – unpacked why international conferences are important for addressing issues of justice.
December
Messages to COP28
The start of December is all about COP28 and ensuring that the voices of young people from across the continent are heard loud and clear in the decision-making rooms. With this in mind, we ran our annual online #Messages2COP28 campaign where we asked young people from across Africa: If you could say one thing to the leaders at COP28, what would you say?
Tembi Yoti, from South Africa, asked: “Do you not care that your great-grandchildren will not have the luxury of playing outside?”
“We urge you to enact and enforce policies that address climate change, promoting the creation of climate-smart green businesses,” says Caren Kadammanja from Malawi.
“How many Conferences of Parties are going to have and host to stress the urgency of addressing the climate crisis?” adds Basetsana Pitso from South Africa.
These are just a few messages of concern that young people have been voicing regarding the 28th Conference of the Parties.
Wellness and the Climate Justice Movement Open Space Workshop
Aptly, our final open space workshop for the year focussed on wellness and the climate justice movement. As we reach the end of a long and busy year, we wanted to remind you that rest is an essential part of movement building.
We cannot sustain the movement for justice if we don’t sustain ourselves. So, we hope that you can take a few moments to rest and reflect at the end of 2023. We’ll see you in the new year!
