Systems Change Not Climate Change - Intro

Yesterday, we launched the 78th issue of Amandla magazine that focuses on the local government. Amandla Collective’s Shaeera Kalla was in conversation with Issue #78 contributor Ayabonga Cawe.  We are in the middle of what some call the ‘silly season’, while the poor are plunging deeper into the abyss of poverty due to the high unemployment rate and severe joblessness aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic, politicians are out in full force waxing lyrical about what they plan to do in addressing this calamity as they campaign for the upcoming local government elections. These are empty promises poor communities receive every five years when politicians are on the campaign trail. Very little has changed since the dawn of democracy but every five years brings a glimpse of hope to some neglected and excluded communities as they believe things will change for the better once they vote. In this special issue of Amandla, we featured a different crop of leaders. Community leaders who have been active in our communities for years, campaigning for decent housing, land, affordable basic services, jobs and against corruption have decided to come together to campaign in this year’s local government election under a common banner – the Cry of the Xcluded. They are not politicians but activists. They affirm that their campaign is not only about the crisis of local government or for the delivery of better services, but for a SOCIALIST South Africa where the enormous wealth of this country would be freed from the greed of the few and be used to ensure that everyone has a decent life, a life of dignity. Also in this issue, Ayabonga Cawe delves deeper into municipal dysfunction and how it negatively impacts economic production. Poor service delivery does not only affect households but some municipalities are also losing investors as factories are closing down and moving production to towns with better infrastructure and this has a negative impact on job-creation efforts and poverty alleviation. Cawe states that no industrialist will locate themselves in an area without roads for example. Lastly, we also looked at water scarcity in Eastern Cape and Gauteng. Our constitution states that everyone has the right to clean water and basic sanitation and Chapter 4 of the National Development Plan envisages a South Africa that recognises the importance of secure and equitable access to water and sanitation as catalysts for socio-economic development. But for communities like Lurholweni township, in the Amadiba administrative area in Mbizana, Eastern Cape this is nothing but a pipe dream as their taps run dry. Twenty years later, there is no free basic water in Lurholweni. Water provision is private, via the informal economy.

This webinar illustrates that equity is a central issue in public health and that there is an inescapable link between poverty, the feminization of poverty and access to health care, particularly in the South African context. This webinar furthermore, seeks to build systems of solidarity among affected marginalised groups as a result of the pandemic. Hosted by the Alternative Information and Development Centre + the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Southern Africa

Is there a way to save Eskom, manage the climate crisis, protect jobs, and keep electricity a public service all at the same time? For a while now, an international coalition of trade unionists, researchers, and environmental groups under the banner of the Eskom Research Reference Group has been working on a research document that answers “Yes!” to all of the above. In anticipation of this document’s launch on the 23rd of July, Keamogetswe  Seipato of the AIDC joined Sandra van Niekerk of the Reference Group for a conversation around some of the key elements of this research.  #EskomTransformed: Achieving a Just Energy Transition for South Africa.

This episode outlines the various ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in pursuit of preventing a 1.5°C increase. Timestamps: 1:27 - The overall solution 2:05 - What is a climate model? 3:18 - 1.5 to stay alive 4:23 - How to reduce emissions 6:20 - Nature as a solution 7:20 - Carbon sequestration 9:55 - Going net-zero 10:26 - Not just solutions to climate change 12:02 - The puzzle of climate change Key questions: What needs to happen to stop climate catastrophe? How does nature help us in stopping climate change? What are the alternatives to releasing emissions, why are they appealing? Additional materials: IPCC Special Report: Global Warming of 1.5 ºC (Summary) https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/SR15_SPM_version_report_LR.pdf Climate solutions https://drawdown.org/solutions One million climate jobs http://aidc.org.za/download/climate-change/OMCJ-booklet-AIDC-electronic-version.pdf Miguel Altieri: On agroecology, and why it is the solution to hunger and food security https://www.tni.org/en/article/miguel-altieri-on-agroecology-and-why-it-is-the-solution-to-hunger-and-food-security Visit us at: https://aidc.org.za/systems-change-not-climate-change-podcast/ for more information.

The episode unpacks the two major components of climate injustice. Firstly, the uneven contribution of emissions by countries, individuals, and corporations, both presently and historically. Secondly, the uneven effects of the climate impacts, on both developing nations/global south and on the poor and working-class. Timestamps: 1:59 - What do we mean by justice? 3:12 - The core components of climate injustice 3:38 - Country contributions to climate change 4:54 - South Africa’s role 6:01 - Historical emissions 8:19 - Class contribution to emissions 10:10 – Uneven impacts of climate change 10:17 – Example of cyclones and hurricanes Key questions: Why is climate change an issue of justice? Who is responsible for climate change? Who and how will climate change affect differently? Additional materials: Climate justice - in depth http://www.foeeurope.org/climate-justice-in-depth The unfair burden of climate change https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/unfair-burden-climate-change Who has contributed most to global CO2 emissions? https://ourworldindata.org/contributed-most-global-co2 World's richest 10% produce half of global carbon emissions, says Oxfam https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/02/worlds-richest-10-produce-half-of-global-carbon-emissions-says-oxfam Just 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions, study says https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change Visit us at: https://aidc.org.za/systems-change-not-climate-change-podcast/ for more information.

The second episode on the impacts of climate change that focuses on the melting of ice as well as storms. Some other impacts are touched upon. Timestamps: 1:11 - Recap 2:28 - Why the melting ice matters 4:02 - How sea-level rise happens 5:25 - Why sea-level rise matters 7:24 - Melting of sea-ice 8:53 - Storms 9:19 - Cyclone Idai 10:52 – Other impacts Key questions: What are the impacts of the ice melting in the arctic? What’s the difference between the melting of sea-ice and ice on land? How does climate change affect storms? What are some other impacts of climate change? Additional materials: Sea-level rise explained https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/sea-level-rise/ Cold and calculating: what the two different types of ice do to sea levels https://theconversation.com/cold-and-calculating-what-the-two-different-types-of-ice-do-to-sea-levels-59996 2019 Cyclone Idai: Facts, FAQs, and how to help https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2019-cyclone-idai-facts Hurricanes and Climate Change https://www.c2es.org/content/hurricanes-and-climate-change/ Climate Change Will Expose Half of World’s Population to Disease-Spreading Mosquitoes By 2050 https://e360.yale.edu/digest/climate-change-will-expose-half-of-worlds-population-to-disease-spreading-mosquitoes-by-2050 Visit us at: https://aidc.org.za/systems-change-not-climate-change-podcast/ for more information.

The first episode on the impacts of climate change that introduces the feedback loop process and explains how climate change creates droughts and wildfires. Timestamps 1:00 – Recap 1:57 – Why a 1°C increase matters 2:42 – Why we say climate change 4:44 - Droughts 5:54 – Feedback loops 6:26 – Droughts as a feedback loop 7:32 – The Cape Town drought 8:38 - Wildfires 10:17 – Arctic wildfires 11:06 – Arctic wildfires as a feedback loop Questions Does a 1°C increase matter? Why do we usually call it climate change instead of global warming? How do impacts of climate change interact with one another, what is this process called? Links Temperatures: Warming projections https://climateactiontracker.org/global/temperatures/ Arctic fire fills the skies with soot. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145380/arctic-fires-fill-the-skies-with-soot How feedback loops are making the climate crisis worse. https://climaterealityproject.org/blog/how-feedback-loops-are-making-climate-crisis-worse Drought and climate change. https://www.c2es.org/content/drought-and-climate-change/ Harsh winters under climate change https://climatekids.nasa.gov/harsh-winter/ Visit us at: https://aidc.org.za/systems-change-not-climate-change-podcast/ for more information.

The episode gives an overview of emissions: what they are, the important ones with regards to climate change, and where they come from. Additional materials: Emissions by sector with interactive infographics. https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/02/greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-country-sector The carbon cycle https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle What is methane? https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a28858699/what-is-methane/ The F-gases https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/f-gas_en Key questions: · What are emissions? · Which gases the primary emissions causing climate change? · Where do each of these gases come from? Visit us at: https://aidc.org.za/systems-change-not-climate-change-podcast/ for more information.

This episode explains the processes that warm the earth and why global heating is different to the usual, natural processes. Key questions: How is 'climate' related to 'weather'? What are 'greenhouse gases' and how they affect the earth’s temperature? What is the difference between the 'greenhouse effect' and 'global heating'? Additional learning materials: Greenhouse Effect 101 https://www.nrdc.org/stories/greenhouse-effect-101 Image of Greenhouse Effect https://climatechange.lta.org/wp-content/uploads/cct/2015/02/Greenhouse-effect.jpg Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/weather-vs-climate Visit us at: https://www.aidc.org.za/systems-change-not-climate-change-podcast/   

Welcome to System Change not Climate Change, an audible course for activists on the climate crisis! The course is primarily aimed at youth activists, particularly those in school, but is certainly suitable for adults as well. With that in mind, the course will aim to cover the basics, but there will also be something for those who already know a fair bit about climate change. Visit us at: https://aidc.org.za/systems-change-not-climate-change-podcast/ for more information.