For Immediate Release
From the 19th – 24th August 2024, environmental activists from organisations across the African continent and beyond will meet at the Blue Waters Hotel in Durban, South Africa to discuss what it means to go beyond colonialism and extractivism towards energy democracy and the imperatives of a just transition. The Oilwatch conference will be hosted by local Oilwatch partners, groundWork, Friends of the Earth South Africa and the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA).
Oilwatch was created in February 1996 in Quito, Ecuador, by15 participating organisations from the following countries: Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, East Timor, Gabon, Guatemala, Mexico, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Thailand and , Peru, and . Now, the network has members in over fifty countries around the world. Oilwatch has national and regional networks in Africa, Asia and Latin America and there are a number of organisations in the global North that support its activities.
The historical context of colonialism and extractivism has profoundly shaped global energy systems. These practices have led to environmental degradation, social inequalities, and economic dependencies. As the world confronts the urgent challenges of climate change and energy transition, there is a pressing need to move beyond these paradigms towards more equitable and sustainable frameworks. Energy democracy offers a pathway to achieve this, emphasising the democratisation of a just energy transition, community empowerment, and ecological sustainability.
Colonial powers have exploited natural resources in their colonies, spanning Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia and created economic systems based on extractivism. This pattern of intensive extraction of natural resources with minimal regard for local ecosystems or communities, has led to devastating long-term socio-economic and environmental consequences. Current energy landscapes in many countries continue to grapple with the legacies of colonialism and extractivism driven by global corporations, supported and enabled by governments.
Fossil fuel dependence, centralised energy systems, and inequitable access to energy resources persist, exacerbating social and environmental injustices. The global shift towards renewable energy presents both an opportunity and a challenge. While it offers the potential to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change, there is a risk that new forms of extractivism (e.g., mining for rare earth minerals) could replicate old patterns of inequality and environmental harm. Oilwatch views democratising and decolonising energy frameworks as keys to achieving equitable and socialised access to energy, prioritising the needs of local people and the integrity of the planet.
As the world drifts towards extreme climatic conditions, Oilwatch demands an urgent transition from fossil fuel dependency and a rejection of the claims that the petroleum civilization is inescapable.
The convening will be an opportunity to learn from our struggles and enhance synergies to co-create pathways to a future that promotes life and halts fossil driven dispossession, impoverishment and accumulation.
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Conference Enquiries: Cassandra Abboy: Organising Consultant via email at oilwatchdbn@groundwork.org.za +27 82 710 8320
Media Enquiries: Tsepang Molefe, media@groundwork.org.za, +27 74 405 1257
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