On 5 September 2022, 15 activists from around South Africa will gather in Cape Town for the Centre for Environmental Rights’ 2022 Rights and Remedies course for environmental justice activists. This year, the course will focus on enabling activists effectively to participate in the biggest conversation about the future of environmental and climate justice: the… continued
Article by Melissa Fourie, original article published by Daily Maverick What President Cyril Ramaphosa’s energy crisis plan did not mention, even once, is the ongoing toxic air pollution being spewed forth by the same coal power stations that we’re now trying to fix. It’s almost as if the public health emergency that is the Mpumalanga… continued
As a fulltime volunteer for the Khuthala Environmental Care Group and co-founder of the Khuthala Women’s Movement in Mpumalanga, Nelly Nkosi has first-hand experience of the ways that environmental issues affect the lives of South African women. Over the years Nkosi’s work has included everything from helping to run environmental awareness programmes at schools and… continued
Article by Mellissa Fourie, originally published by Business Day. Karpowership is trying to exploit load-shedding to tie SA into a long-term contract that would be a financial and climate albatross around the country’s neck After news broke on Monday of its unsuccessful appeal against the refusal of environmental approval for its floating gas powerships, Turkish… continued
Environmental justice group Earthlife Africa, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), is challenging the environmental authorisation of a proposed new coal mine in Limpopo in light of the serious threats that it poses to the region’s air quality, climate impacts and for dismal consultation with affected communities. On 29 July 2022, environmental justice… continued
26 July 2022 We welcome the President’s decision to take action on the energy crisis, and to bring an end to loadshedding. The plan leaves us with many questions that require clarification. We support the decision to roll out the remaining renewable and battery storage allocation in the 2019 IRP – a decision that civil… continued
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Environmental justice groups, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), were disappointed to learn of the 8 July 2022 decision by the executive council of the Limpopo Economic Development and Tourism Department (LEDET) to reject their appeal of the approval for the MMSEZ project. The appeal by Earthlife Africa, Dzomo La Mupo,… continued
Original Article by Tatenda Muponde & Khumo Lesele, published by Mail & Guardian It is South Africa’s youth, the children of today, as well as future generations, who will bear the brunt of the poor decisions currently being made by the older generation. And when it comes to climate change impact, make no mistake, these… continued
Article by Brandon Abdinor, originally published by Daily Maverick The thriving — or destruction — of one solitary urban farm is a relative blip in our overall trajectory to a climate-resilient country. But the destruction of the Bertrams Inner City Farm highlights deep concerns about our holistic response to the climate crisis. Last month, the… continued
Original article by CER attorney Paul Lado published by IOL Amidst soaring gas and oil prices and global shifts in energy markets, many decision makers in the private and public sectors in South Africa seem intent on investing in gas. But if we really want long-term energy security – and a just transition to a… continued
Applicants in South Africa’s first youth-led climate change case have learned that the Minister of Mineral Resources & Energy will oppose their application to compel the release of documents about the Minister’s decision to include new coal power in the 2019 IRP, and the Ministerial determination for new coal issued under the IRP. The #CancelCoal… continued
Long-suffering communities in Sharpeville and Bophelong in the Vaal area have gathered outside ArcelorMittal South Africa Limited’s (AMSA’s) main steel plant in Vanderbijlpark today to protest against ongoing pollution, non-compliance with environmental laws, failure to engage meaningfully with fenceline communities and unclear plans to decarbonise AMSA’s operations. The protest follows AMSA’s annual shareholders meeting held… continued
Climate change, and the Climate Change Bill, will profoundly impact all corners of society and the economy, and it is important that all voices are heard in the shaping of this critically important law – especially the voices of youth and of women who are particularly exposed to the impacts of climate change. On 27… continued
The Board of the Centre for Environmental Rights NPC is pleased to announce the appointment of two experienced and accomplished lawyers, Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh and Kerry Williams, as new non-executive directors to the CER Board. “We are honoured to welcome Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh and Kerry Williams to the CER Board,” says CER Executive Director, Melissa Fourie. “Both… continued
The Centre for Environmental Rights is excited to announce that nominations are now open for the 6th edition of our annual Environmental Rights & Remedies Course for environmental justice activists. WHEN: 5 – 24 September 2022 WHERE: Cape Town HOW: To apply or nominate someone for this course, download the Call for Nominations form: The… continued
IMMEDIATE RELEASE 23 May 2022 The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and groundWork, Friends of the Earth South Africa (gW), represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), have approached the Pretoria High Court to review and set aside an environmental authorisation granted for Phinda Power’s proposed 320MW gas-to-power plant, proposed for the Richard’s… continued
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 19 MAY 2022 Today Environmental activist groups the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) and groundWork (gW), supported by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), will attend steelmaker ArcelorMittal SA’s annual shareholders’ meeting to demand detailed plans to decarbonise its operations. The groups will take AMSA to task over ongoing environmental non-compliance and… continued
IMMEDIATE RELEASE In light of the serious climate change impacts that the project will have and the absence of any assessment of these impacts, environmental justice groups groundWork (gW) and the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) – represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) – are challenging the amendment of an environmental authorisation… continued
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE On 3 May 2022, the Pretoria High Court confirmed that the environmental authorisation for the planned 600MW KiPower coal-fired power station had expired. KiPower would have been built outside Emalahleni in Mpumalanga, already plagued by toxic air pollution from twelve of Eskom’s coal-fired power stations, Sasol’s coal-to-liquids plant in Secunda and the… continued
Article originally published by City Press In his letter to the nation last October, President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “It is no exaggeration to say that the world is facing a climate crisis of unprecedented proportions.” It is also no exaggeration to say that South Africa’s Climate Change Bill is one of the most important draft… continued