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Although climate activists have been denied the right to protest in the
streets of Paris at the fast approaching United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 21st Conference of the Parties
(COP 21); local activists in South Africa are ready to stand up for the
cause. Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, and her partner community
organisations, will, as they have done for the past 10 years, hit the
streets of Johannesburg to protest against the impending climate
disaster and the unwillingness of world governments to do anything about
it.

Earthlife Africa Jhb will march together with other Community Based
Organisations, Non Governmental Organisations and social movements on
Saturday the 28th of November 2015. The march will begin at 10 am at the
West Gate Taxi Rank in Marshalltown Johannesburg and will end at 1 pm at
the Eskom Regional Offices in Smit Street in Braamfontein.

Earthlife Africa Jhb's 2015 climate march demands that the South African
Government reduces its local emissions drastically and immediately in
order to play its fair share in global climate change mitigation. But
more importantly, Earthlife Africa Jhb's climate march culminates its
long standing campaign against South Africa's addiction to coal-fired
electricity generation, and the associated coal climate criminals.
According to Dominique Doyle, Earthlife Africa Jhb's Energy Policy
Officer: “Eskom and Sasol alone have earned South Africa the title of
being the 13th highest emitter of greenhouse gas in the world, and the
highest in Africa. A title which has brought the vast majority neither
development nor wealth”.

Eskom and Sasol are not the only entities in South Africa hastily eating
away at the African carbon budget, which with careful management could
maintain a global warming below two degrees Celsius. The Department of
Energy has grand plans to increase global climate change through
transforming the idyllic and culturally important Waterberg into an
energy hub with increased coal mining, more coal-fired power stations
and coal fracking. Like hyenas after the kill, transnational coal
companies are lining up to disembowel South Africa of one it's last
remaining natural gems.

The conditions of Johannesburg, and indeed South Africa, over the past
few weeks should spur everyone into taking action about climate change.
Senior Programmes Officer at Earthlife Africa Jhb, Makoma Lekalakala,
further explains: “Recently we have seen severe drought resulting in
water shortage, crop loss, food price increase, raging fire, risk to
human health and massive damage to the economy. This is just what was
reported on. When the rains came, they came with vengeance, leading to
hail and destruction, further crop loss and further economic damage. How
much more will it take for the public and for government to act on
climate change?”. “ We seek action, for ourselves, and for the
generations of Africans to come”.

Issued by Earthlife Johannesburg