The power of Climate Hope
Fossil Free SA has just launched a campaign called Climate Hope to share a host of little-known truths about the best ways of ensuring a stable climate and a future in which we can all flourish.
If well understood, these insights could empower us to build such a future.
Why is this important and why now? Climate myths are rife in our society, preventing us from holding those in power to account over our collective carbon emissions, and over the speed and justice of the national transition to renewable energy.
The facts of #ClimateHope, all backed by reputable research, are that a cleaner, greener future is well within reach. It would be cheaper than the status quo, would make us all healthier and wealthier, and is better not only for the planet, but also for job creation and development. We address the first myth, about jobs, in the next story - and in a video on Insta, TikTok and LinkedIn.
“But you drive a car”
Our Fossil Free team repeatedly hear the myths that Climate Hope will address when we explain our work to our fellow South Africans. We also read them constantly in the media. “We need the coal industry for jobs,” “fossil fuels are cheaper,” and “you drive a car, so even you can’t do without fossil fuels,” are some of the myths we hear constantly.
Some of the people who believe these myths understand certain aspects of climate science. Others are experiencing global heating first-hand in worse and more frequent droughts, fires and floods, but do not believe that humans are causing it.
The many widespread confusions are holding our society in the clutches of climate inertia, unable to push for what is both right and necessary.
The no-brainer
All of this is not to say that the Just Energy Transition is occurring as it should in South Africa (it isn’t) or that it will ever be perfect. As just one example, there have been reports of some coal-facing communities, who should be retrained to take up new jobs in renewables, hearing nothing about the transition and what it holds for them. This is hardly “just” and must be addressed urgently. Another issue is that large solar energy projects tend to be driven and owned by large companies, who reap the profits, rather than local communities, who remain disempowered.
Yet when we weigh up the pros and the cons, it’s a no-brainer that the transition should happen, and fast.
Our bold statements in this and other Climate Hope stories are built on a wealth of information that our team has dug up and will bring to you in bite-sized pieces, with in-depth explanations for those who want them. The messaging will appear in this newsletter, on our socials pages, on our website, and in the legacy media.
The climate crisis is no laugh, but we’re trying to inject some levity into aspects of the campaign to capture people’s imaginations. As always, we’d love your thoughts, suggestions, and creative criticisms.
Find out more about #ClimateHope here. Follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, Tik Tok, LinkedIn and YouTube.
