Ecological Justice

The economy of the Southern African region is deeply rooted in an extractive development model. Economic alternatives including those that recognise the limits of growth, are not considered relevant to the region’s context given the high levels of poverty and unemployment. Economic policy is devised in accordance with aggregate economic indicators, which fail to account for environmental degradation, health and livelihood costs, and unpaid care work. Our work promotes the advancement of development paradigms, which recognize the equitable distribution of economic and natural resources while safeguarding and protecting an ecological balance. Crucial to this work is environmental justice, particularly in the struggles of communities affected by mining activities and air pollution. Our work in energy democracy supports research and advocacy in the renewable energy, fossil fuels and nuclear energy space. Through strong partnerships and alliances with civil society actors across the development spectrum, we are able to advance a collective approach to ecological and social justice. A just development paradigm must be realized if people and communities are to envision a society which values ecological justice.

Cutting Corners? The International Best Practice Safety Upgrades not implemented as part of Koeberg's lifetime extension

Over the past decades, significant safety improvements have been made to nuclear plants as lessons from nuclear accidents have been integrated into reactor design. These are so significant that, France now considers older plants - identical to SA's Koeberg - to be unsafe. Consequently, in extending the life of these plants, France is undertaking significant safety improvements. As public hearings into the life extension of Koeberg get underway, we ask: how do France's upgrades compare to those being implemented by Koeberg?

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Resilient agriculture on the African continent: The proof will be in the Soil

Summary

Africa must find pathways to provide a better life for its people, including access to healthy and sustainably produced food. Published before the start of the African Union’s Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in Nairobi, our policy brief (edited by the Heinrich Böll offices in Abuja, Berlin, Capetown and Nairobi) provides recommendations on fossil fuel-based and ‘green’ fertilizer production and use in Africa.

The Bigger Picture: how the Namibian government envisages the US$190-billion green energy development plan will look in its final form. It will include two new gas-to-power plants at Walvis Bay and Oranjemund, the latter to supply 400MW of electricity to South Africa. Source: Namibia GH2 Strategy, 2nd Revision

Question marks over Namibia’s green hydrogen plans?

Dossier

Namibia is planning a series of million-dollar investments to become a major green hydrogen supplier to Europe and Japan as early as 2028. Both the European Union and the Japanese government have supported the venture, in the hopes of getting new imports to meet their climate change goals. In their new landing page, Oxpeckes brings together a series of articles exploring proposed projects, and what they look like from the ground.

Koeberg Long Term Operation Safety Report

In July 2022, Eskom submitted a Safety Case Report (SCR) on the Koberg Nuclear Power Station to South Africa’s National Nuclear Regulator (NNR), as part of the efforts to extend Koberg’s lifetime. Unfortunately, Eskom refused to make the SCR public, despite its significance to public interest. In January 2023, a heavily redacted version was released to the public, and in June 2023, following court action, the report was released in full. This publication compares the various versions of the SCR with the intention of highlighting what information Eskom sought to conceal.

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