Durban civil society, in solidarity with the Climate Justice Charter Movement will play host to the Festival of Alternatives, an event which aims to highlight the effects of oil and gas exploration on our coastline, marine life as well as the livelihoods of the fisherfolk and coastal communities that depend on the ocean.
In a press release, the groups said that “at this critical juncture when more than ever, leaders are needed who are truly committed to the welfare of their people and protecting the planet for present and future generations, COP27 looks set to outdo its predecessors in greenwashing, corporate capture and false solutions that will continue to enrich those who have contributed the most to climate breakdown, while those who have contributed the least suffer the worst impacts”.
The Festival of Alternatives will take place at the Blue Waters Hotel in Durban for four days over the weekends of November 12 and 19.
The start of the festival on November 12 is timed to coincide with the Global Day of Action, civil society’s response to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC’s) Conference of the Polluters Summit.
The event will also focus on the devastating and deadly KZN floods. Damage to water and sanitation infrastructure as a result of the floods has led to dangerous levels of pollution pouring into our rivers and ocean, having a detrimental impact not only on the environment but on already hard-hit businesses that cater to beachgoers and tourists.
The festival will draw attention to the 14 articles of the Climate Justice Charter (CJC), which was first presented to Parliament on World Food Day, October 16, 2020.
The handover included a climate science future document prepared by leading climate scientists and a set of demands from 72 communities calling for an end to pollution, water stress, hunger and climate harm.
Since then, the Climate Justice Charter Movement (CJCM) has gained momentum nationally, with more than 270 organisations formally endorsing the charter. The CJC returned again to Parliament on October 16, 2021 to hand over a petition during its National Day of Action at a global solidarity assembly with the Climate Justice Charter Movement.
Themes, talks, workshops and activities at the festival will include: Storytelling and Artivism; Feeding Ourselves through Food Sovereignty; Anti-waste and Alternative Energy; the Environment and Early Childhood Education; Rights of Nature and more topics covering climate change, the just energy transition and conservation.
There will also be discussion forums, a maker’s hub, barter market, green film festival, and blue-green parade.
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