[imagesource: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach]

South Africans have made it abundantly clear how we feel about Shell’s Wild Coast seismic survey, which is due to start tomorrow (December 1).

The survey is looking for potential oil and gas reservoirs off South Africa’s eastern coastline and is due to run through until February of next year. Environmentalists warn that the constant seismic blasting could irreparably damage the ocean ecosystem.

Despite the pushback, Shell said in a statement yesterday that it was continuing with the survey.

According to The Daily Maverick, a spokesperson for the company said “we have met all our legal obligations for the survey”.

In other words, sorry not sorry.

Worse still, there are at least four other offshore exploration projects in the pipeline or already underway along the coast of South Africa.

Environmental activists are upping the ante in efforts to pile pressure on Shell:

Cullinan & Associates, acting on behalf of Border Deep Sea Angling Association’s (BDSAA’s), Kei Mouth Ski Boat Club and Natural Justice, sent follow-up letters to the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, and Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment on November 23.

On Friday, Express Petroleum, a fuel supplier that owns 35 stations in the Eastern Cape, cut ties with Shell and dropped Shell branding from all its stations and vehicles.

That popular petition which has been widely circulated now has in excess of 350 000 signatures.

It may prove futile in the end but South Africans have also been encouraged to voice their objections using the official public participation process, which is recognised by government.

Barbara Creecy has been quick to distance herself from the survey, saying it is not her department’s concern, and Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has declined to comment.

Shell’s application process was finalised in 2014 shortly before the One Environmental System came into effect in December of that year.

BDSAA Vice-Chair John Luef says they’re not giving up on trying to stop the survey for the following reasons:

• There is no evidence, scientific or other, that seismic blasting will not harm the extreme biodiversity of the Wild Coast and possibly create damage, confusion and even death to the many species of life in the ocean.
• The Wild Coast is home to endemic species such as the red steenbras, seventy-four and wreckfish as well as many other species of fish such as the dageraad, which are endangered to the verge of total collapse, and the planned blasting will take place in and adjacent to their breeding grounds.

Image: The Daily Maverick / Jocelyn Adamson

• The whole world is moving towards greener energy, yet our government, which attended COP26, has agreed to go ahead with this potential environmental disaster in a search for fossil fuels.

We know that Mantashe is a big fan of fossil fuel usage, saying earlier this month that Africa must unite against ‘coercion’ by a global anti-fossil fuel agenda.

The man knows who butters his bread.

Perhaps if the pressure is sustained Shell might still consider changing its course of action.

Let’s keep tightening the screws.

[source:dailymaverick]