The platform www.ClimateJusticeCentral.org was created by the Southern Africa regional office of the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung to publish stories about climate crises from around the African continent. Our stories are not short, aloof news items but rather a deep-dive on issues, narrated by young journalists and activists. Using well-researched longform journalism, writers take you to different parts of the continent to show how different protagonists and communities are grappling with climate shocks, from coastal erosion and salinisation in Senegal, rising sea levels in the Seychelles and debates on the just transition in South Africa. We cover a wide diversity of topics that are sure to pique your curiosity and possibly lead to some kind of engagement and action.
ClimateJusticeCentral is not just a platform but a project. It is about connecting people, exchanging experiences and amplifying the voices of young activists. In this way, really technical issues are simplified for all audiences. This approach to climate science and stories is probably the only one of its kind that is produced by young Africans and 100% focused on the African continent.
Unrelenting anthropogenic emissions of dangerous Greenhouse gases is leading to unprecedented climate-related shocks in Africa and around the world. The result is an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, multi-year droughts, crop failures, opportunistic diseases, pandemics, etc. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and others agree that to protect the wellbeing of present and future generations, we must limit anthropogenic global warming below 1.5 degrees.
To achieve this objective, we must increase advocacy for a just transition to low carbon economies. We must make the case against hyperconsumerism, mallification, supermarketisation etc., and call on those who bear the greatest responsibility for pollution and ecocide to pay for adaptation and mitigation. It will take a collective effort by all stakeholders, public and private, to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. It is a battle we cannot lose. It is for this reason that the website www.ClimateJusticeCentral.org was set up to shine the spotlight on the problems and point the way to appropriate solutions.
African voices are underrepresented in the global discourse on climate change and yet the African region is the fastest warming part of the globe. To learn how climate change affects people’s daily lives or even to find solutions, it is important to listen to the ones who have first-hand experience of the problem in Africa. Our stories present some truly unique perspectives that give a window into the continent’s struggles.
Firstly, we have adopted the position that climate crises are human rights issues, and therefore we must keep shining the spotlight on these crises so that mitigation and adaptation measures are adopted.
Secondly, the climate crisis is a global emergency and justice can only be achieved when we all work together. The political agenda here is really also about promoting collaboration between the people from the global south and the global north. This is particularly important when we are dealing with dispersed value chains. The only way to hold such structures accountable for their emissions is through international collaboration. Influencing decisions in major for a like the Conference of Party (COP) meetings also requires close international collaboration.
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