Image Source: Egypt Oil & Gas
South Africa – Environmental advocates and groups have widely praised TotalEnergies’ decision to cease its fossil fuels exploration activities on South Africa’s offshore blocks. Despite the company’s withdrawal from Blocks 11B, 12B, and Blocks 5, 6, and 7, Greenpeace reports that TotalEnergies still retains some interest in the West Coast of South Africa.
Lisa Makaula, Advocacy Officer at the Green Connection, welcomed the withdrawal, calling it a pivotal moment in the fight against climate change and the impacts of fossil fuel extraction.
Makaula highlighted that these activities harm the environment and affect coastal communities, who have long voiced their concerns about the detrimental effects of extraction operations on their livelihoods.
The consequences include impacts on marine ecosystems, fisheries, and the overall health of the coastal habitat. Makaula sees this development as a victory for environmental organisations and the communities affected by these activities.
“This is quite a great victory for us and also for coastal communities that depend on oceans for a living. Since we work with coastal communities, we hear their concerns about oil and gas exploration, and we think this was quite a good announcement this week for them.”
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The Need for Companies to Evaluate Their Environmental Strategies
The extraction of fossil fuels, minerals, and other natural resources has significant environmental impacts, contributing to the worsening climate events. These activities often lead to severe ecological disruption, posing risks to local communities and global ecosystems.
Furthermore, such extractions cause environmental and atmospheric degradation, increasing regions’ vulnerability to extreme weather events. Recently, South Africa has experienced various weather impacts, caused by climate change and global warming, across different provinces, including floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes.
Makaula emphasised the urgency for major corporations to reevaluate their strategies to combat these adverse effects. Climate events’ increasing frequency and intensity make it clear that nations, corporations, and households need to transition from fossil fuels to more sustainable and renewable energy sources.
“Climate change is happening, and we can’t speak about it as if it’s not. We are seeing its impact, particularly in South Africa. People in KwaZulu-Natal have been affected, and communities have been displaced because of climate change events, which are now more frequent.”
“As a country, it is high time for corporations in fossil fuel industries to start re-strategising how they will move to sustainable energy development. Given that we are a country that signed international climate commitments to reduce our carbon footprint, it is very important that multinational corporations, especially those focusing on oil and gas, start strategising how they will transition from industries heavily reliant on fossil fuels to sustainable energy development.”
