Africa is the fossil fuel industry’s last frontier.
With 600 million Africans living without access to modern forms of energy, the need for electricity is as clear as day. But while oil and gas companies claim an anti-poverty mantle for their operations on the continent, the companies actually export most of the fossil fuels extracted from African soil, leaving behind a legacy of toxic contamination, human rights violations, and political corruption. To make things worse, Africa is the world’s most sun-drenched region—but home to a mere 1% of installed solar capacity on the planet.
That’s where GreenFaith Africa comes in.
For three years, our brave team (Baraka in Tanzania and Maxwell in Uganda, led by Global Organizing Director Meryne in Kenya) has organized grassroots opposition to the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and called instead for universal access to clean, safe, affordable, reliable energy for all.
In 2023, they took their case to African heads of state at Africa Climate Week, where they were the sole religious voice at work. Their message: “Don’t Gas Africa,” “Stop EACOP”. They put pressure on European and North American interests to fund the clean energy transition—which would cost far less than the war in Ukraine. Religious leaders carry substantial influence across Africa. GreenFaith Africa’s voice is a powerful agent for change.
In November, in collaboration with GreenFaith France, our African team released As If Nothing Is Sacred, a report documenting the widespread disturbance and destruction of local grave sites along EACOP’s proposed route. The report attracted global media attention. It rattled the project’s corporate sponsors (whose PR department issued a non-specific denial of the report’s eyewitness testimony) and governments in the region (one national energy minister nonsensically said that his country would not be “blackmailed” by an NGO.) Courageous African religious leaders issued their own statement supporting the report, despite threats of harassment and violence from corporations and governments alike. Newspaper editors told us that they had been told by higher-ups in no uncertain terms not to cover the story.
That’s why we were so proud when more than 120 newspapers across Africa and around the globe shared the stories our team had gathered.
In 2024, GreenFaith Africa will increase our activity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana and Nigeria—geopolitical front lines in the climate crisis.
Our African team has an abundance of courage. They need your support.
In faith,
Rose and the GreenFaith Digital Team
Building a Worldwide, Multi-faith Climate and Environmental Movement.
1216 Broadway
Floor 2 PMB 1005
New York, NY 10001
+1-917-997-8783
Copyright © 2022 GreenFaith - All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment