The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) is a partner of NiZA's PPP-programma. Together with the Danish Naturfredningsforening (DN), SDCEA recently published books on flaring and permitting.

Press release by SDCEA

Flaring - (c) Bobby Peek

On the 18th of May, at the Civic Centre in Austerville, the SDCEA & DN launched the above books to Community, Industries, Government, Academics, Educators and Learners from Schools and Universities, throughout Durban, South
Africa and Internationally.

Guest speaker, Mr. Bobby Peek, spoke about the fight for the right to create, collect and present information. "Since the beginning of the struggle for environmental justice in south Durban, it has been clear that industry and government were not to comfortable with the idea that community people talk about industrial process and pollution... it has often been said, community people cannot understand complex issues such as industrial process."

Mr. Peek continued to say that: "SDCEA must be commended for challenging industry at their own game, and coming away with their heads held up high. This could not have been done alone, and the assistance of the Danish Society for Nature Conservation has played a critical role in this comparison between flaring in Denmark and flaring in south Durban. The flaring booklet is an honest opinion on the status of flaring between these two societies.

When reading the booklet, you will find it interesting to note that it is not allways the Danish refineries that come out on top. A certain industry was not too happy with the process and the information that SDCEA was placing in the document. To this extent legal recourse was even considered. All I can say on this issue is that the truth can never be buried. Civil society has the right to collect information and present it in the manner in which it chooses.


Download:

Flaring at oil refineries in south Durban and Denmark

Permitting - a comparison between south Durban and Denmark


See also:

SDCEA

Danmarks Naturfredningsforening

NiZA's PPP-programme