T Essop: World Environment Day

5 June 2006

Minister of Environment, Planning and Economic Development, Tasneem Essop,
celebrated World Environment Day in Porterville on Monday, 5 June, at the Pella
Park Sports Ground. This year's international theme is ‘Deserts and
Desertification.’

The West Coast is already experiencing the effects of climate change with
drastic implications for the agricultural community. Farmers are already
looking at alternative crops to optimise scarce water resources in the area.
Desertification is also affecting rural communities on the peripheries of towns
like Porterville.

Minister Essop and Mayor Sanette Smit handed over bio-gel stoves and gel to
the community. Made from a by-product of sugar cane, bio-gel is environmentally
friendly. The Department will be monitoring the efficiency of the technology to
determine the sustainability, safety and community acceptance of this
product.

It is safer to cook with bio-gel than paraffin, as paraffin has been the
cause of many shack fires.

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) will also be handed over to the
municipality who will run the exchange the programme.

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning will work
closely with the municipality to further roll out energy efficient
lighting.

“We are here today to celebrate World Environment Day. Many times as
government we celebrate with people at universities, non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and organisations in the city.

When have we ever celebrated with you in Porterville? This is the first time
we are celebrating World Environment Day with you.

We want you to know that we as a Department realise how important our people
are in our environment.

We also want environmental issues to be understood on the ground.

Today, the international theme for World Environment Day is deserts and how
countries will become drier. In the West Coast, the Berg River area is already
seeing changes. Last year our Premier, Ebrahim Rasool and our religious
communities went to Piketberg where we prayed for rain. It was a huge prayer
day because it was so dry in the West Coast. It was a crisis and every year it
is becoming drier and drier. It has already impacted and will more so in the
future impact on all our lives. I am sure those who work on farms have already
seen the changes. It is not just here, in the West Coast, where we are
experiencing climate change. It is happening throughout the world. Scientific
studies have shown that in 50 years’ time the northern part of the West Coast
will become like a desert. Think about that, our children and our grandchildren
will be living in a semi-desert. The rainfall pattern will no longer be the
same.

What can we do? We can change our lifestyles and the manner in which we use
energy. Many of you do not have electricity; you use paraffin and wood for
fire. Paraffin is not helpful as it releases gasses into the atmosphere and
this contributes to climate change.

We have to start using renewable energy. My Department is giving 200 bio-gel
stoves and a year's supply of bio-gel to this community. Bio-gel is a
by-product of sugar cane and its gasses are not harmful to the atmosphere.

Mayor Sanette Smit told you how my Department is looking at making the
environment relevant to all of us by tapping into the environmental economy.
Many of you make money harvesting flowers and selling it. The entire world
loves our fynbos; we must care for it but we can make money off selling
flowers, rooi-bos and buchu. We are investigating how we can use our natural
resources in a sustainable way to make money.

In Aurora there are 10 women who used to be unemployed. They realised they
could take used paper and using an easy process they now hand make paper.

I am sure many of you have your own ideas which we would like to hear about
so that we can help you make your ideas a reality.”

Issued by: Department of Environment, Planning and Economic Development,
Western Cape Provincial Government
5 June 2006