Parliament, Monday, 6 March 2023 – Climate change is a fact and has been for many years, and it affects everyone, farmers, stocks, humans and the poor. These were the views of community members who expressed their support for the draft Climate Change Bill at the Westville Civic Centre on Sunday, 5 March, where the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment concluded its KwaZulu-Natal leg of public hearings on the Bill.

All role-players and stakeholders must be held accountable, community members said, and those communities and industries that contribute to global warming in whatever way should be penalised through hefty fines or jail time.

Community members from the Durban South Basin, an area with a sizable concentration of petrochemical industries including Engen and SAPREF, said they are plagued by various health problems due to these industries. They also complained about the trucks along the N2 south route, which contribute towards carbon emissions. They proposed a return to rail transport to reduce South Africa’s dependence on truck transportation.

Meanwhile, representatives from fishing communities told the committee that they, as subsistence farmers, are not responsible for dwindling fish stocks, but it is all the illegal and legal trawlers, pollution and global warming that are the culprits. They further said fishing licences and quotas for subsistence fisherman should be done away with. They complained about polluted oceans and sewerage spillages, which have also affected their livelihoods.

The committee said all submissions received will be considered when the committee deliberates on the draft legislation before it. Gauteng is the venue for the next round of public hearings on the Bill.

ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND ENVIRONMENT, MR POGISO MODISE.

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