By Siphosethu Phikelela
Durban - From health risks to interrupted education and ruined infrastructure, South Africa’s youth are also feeling the disproportionate impacts of climate change, with seemingly no way out.
Drought has slowed smallholder farming, according to residents in rural Stellenbosch, who claim government authorities are more concerned with safeguarding large economic sectors, such as tourism.
Amber Julius, a co-founder of the Sisterhood Movement, a rural, female-led youth organisation that seeks to bring various initiatives together to strengthen women’s impact, said that harmful energy sources were not only harming her health but also interfering with her studies.
“Climate change affects me as we had drought issues for a long time. I live on a farm, and there were days that we had no water. We could no longer plant vegetables because of water issues. The current electricity crisis and high dependency on Eskom’s toxic energy sources affects my studies,” said Julius.
The drought in the Western Cape, as well as the possibility of Day Zero in 2018, demonstrated that climate change is real and happening considerably quicker than the public anticipated. Even though the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment claim to have assisted provinces and municipalities in the implementation of climate change adaptation responses through the Provincial and Local Government Climate Change Support Programmes (LGCCSP), it acknowledges that long-term funding is required to build and maintain robust water infrastructure, as the current investment is frequently insufficient during droughts.
Similarly, the province's Central Karoo endured high temperatures and limited rainfall, forcing Jeanika Bostander, who was previously unemployed prior to becoming a clerk at the Merweville Advice and Development Office, to work on a water usage timetable due to water interruptions.
“For example, sometimes we may only have water from 7 to 9am, after which it will be switched off until the afternoon. So it becomes quite difficult for me since water is a basic need in homes, and you need water for almost everything. To wash yourself, clean, and cook. It is quite stressful,” Bostander added.
A recent report by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) states that under a high emanations situation, expanded flood hazards could prompt 48,000 extra deaths in youth under 15 years of age in 2030. The cause? Water borne diseases.
As these disasters are assessed, to intensify each other happening simultaneously and in similar areas, high death rates will affect young populations, as well as expand joblessness.
The research emphasises how rural and urban populations are frequently exposed to distinct sorts of climate-related health effects as a result of ‘urban heat islands’, high concentrations of motor vehicle pollution, and industrial activities.
In addition, people who reside in cities may be more vulnerable to excessive heat stress and air-quality-related respiratory ailments than their rural counterparts. In contrast, rural communities, particularly those reliant on resource-based livelihoods, may be more vulnerable to climatic impacts on food production or natural hazard events, which can have a negative impact on household nutrition and food security.
When asked what the government could learn from the youth when it comes to climate action strategies, Julius said indigenous communities have been taking care of ‘Mother Earth’ for generations, and they only took what they needed.
“There was no greed. People, animal life, plant life were in harmony with each other. They co-existed. We do not need so many things for consumption. There is too much wasting of food, over farming, excessive use of pesticides on our food, too much transport on our roads,” she said.
“Rural people and indigenous communities have for centuries relied on wood for cooking and collected water from rivers and dams. They made means with what they had.”
The government has to get more involved in our future climate change plans and listen to what the people in our community have to say about what they can do to help.
For instance, recycle and reuse your garbage, develop a food garden, and inform our people about climate change and equip them to begin living climate-friendly lifestyles. All of these things are important and can have an impact on our life, added Bostander.
Over 100 young South Africans participated in minister Creecy's virtual Youth Environment and Sustainability Dialogue in 2020 and argued that there was a greater need for haste in addressing the climate crisis.
The youth requested better access to the Green Climate Fund so they could put their ideas to make society more ecologically friendly into action.
A variety of views on how to revive the country's economy and society after Covid-19 also revolved around green recovery finance mechanisms that are gender-and youth-responsive.
In response to a youth call for more support for young innovators and entrepreneurs, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has set aside a R1 million to fund to support the development of innovative youth-led projects tackling the issues of climate change, waste management and biodiversity loss.
The Drivers for Change initiative is in its second year. The Department said it actively engages with a network of organisations that run youth programmes as young people are considered among the most important stakeholders in policy development.
“It should be highlighted that youth are included in South African delegations to international engagements such as the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP) and international climate change discussions.”
Youth have been consulted at national and regional level on the ‘Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework’ through the African Biodiversity Network’s provincial workshops. The Africa Youth Summit is set for July ahead of the COP15 in Kunming, China, where the new framework is set to be adopted next year.
This story was produced through the Youth Citizen Journalism Fellowship, an initiative of the Rural Action for Climate Resilience project which is co-funded by the European Union and the Heinrich Boll Foundation.
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