In January the South African government  held public hearings on the Gas Amendment Bill. Why should you care? As the government itself has said, this Bill will affect every single person in South Africa. Through this Bill, an Amendment of the Act, the government is, in essence, creating an enabling environment for promoting exploration of fossil fuels and further development of the oil and gas industry. Fossil fuel emissions are causing climate change and exacerbate existing damage to our natural heritage. Here are 4 reasons why South Africa should not extract new sources of gas or oil:

1. The Offshore Oil And Gas Fields That Will Be Developed In The Oceans Will Destroy Livelihoods.

From the West Coast to the East Coast, coastal fishers have repeatedly stressed their deep concerns about the loss of their livelihoods at the Gas Amendment Bill public hearings. Mr Christian Adams, representing the Steenberg Cove fisher community, proclaimed on a platform provided at the Saldanha public hearing in White City Multipurpose Centre, that the exploitation of offshore gas will likely cause fish to move away from fishing areas, and that the regulations would reduce the areas in which fishers could practise their livelihoods. Many fishers are worried about the impacts of environmental degradation of oil and gas on the oceans and added that the sea was the source of their sustenance and spirituality and culture significance.

There are limited job opportunities in the gas industry for local communities. For example, when extensive natural gas deposits were discovered in Mozambique’s offshore waters, whole communities were forcibly removed from state-owned land after granting mining and exploration concessions to private companies. Thousands of people, who had previously farmed and fished, were left without viable livelihoods because they lack the necessary skills to work within the extractive sector.