Local Communities Demand an End to Shell Petroleum Exploration in South Africa’s “Wild Coast”
GHRTV Reporter
08-12-2021
Sina Heckenberger
Environment and Human Rights Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defense.
This December, an alliance of environmental groups and local communities from South Africa’s “Wild Coast” delayed Royal Dutch Shell’s plans for offshore petroleum exploration, which were scheduled to commence last week. Shell intends to use a technique called “seismic surveying”, which can have harmful impacts on marine life and local communities.
Seismic surveying uses soundwaves to map oil and gas reserves in marine environments.These surveys involve “extremely loud underwater explosions or discharges at intervals of 10 to 20 seconds which are to continue 24 hours per day, for four to five months” (Centre for Environmental Rights). Scientists have raised concerns over the harmful impacts of this technique on marine life in the “Wild Coast” - which they designate an “ecologically sensitive marine sanctuary”. Ocean species are particularly sensitive to acoustic disturbance. The sound blasts will cause significant noise pollution on a wide geographic scale, which can disrupt larger and smaller marine animals’ feeding, reproduction and migration patterns. This also affects local communities which depend on the region’s biodiversity for fishing and tourism.
Together with local associations and environmental justice organisations, coastal communities have applied to the Makhanda High Court to issue a coastal protection notice that would prohibit Shell from commencing with the project until it has obtained further environmental authorization. Next to the adverse impacts on marine life and the local communities' livelihood, they argue that further petroleum exploration in the South African coastal region contradicts the country's pledge to phase out carbon-based energy at the Glasgow climate summit in November. Instead, South Africa must explore more climate-friendly sources of energy.
Sources and further reading:
Challenges to Shell’s seismic blasting on South Africa’s “Wild Coast” (December 2021). (2021, December 06). Centre for Environmental Rights. https://cer.org.za/virtual-library/case-watch/challenges-to-shells-seismic-blasting-on-south-africas-wild-coast-december-2021
Incompatible developments of concern on Wild Coast. (2021, November 30). World Wildlife Fund. https://www.wwf.org.za/our_news/news/?37522/Incompatible-developments-of-concern-on-Wild-Coast
Jordan B. (2021, December 02). Stop Shell’s wild coast survey, top SA scientists beg Ramaphosa. Sunday Times.
South African environment groups demand an end to Shell exploration. (2021, December 05). Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/south-african-environment-groups-demand-an-end-to-shell-exploration/a-60028027
