South Africa’s Climate Justice Coalition (CJC) is excited to launch the first season of Just Us and the Climate – a podcast that brings climate change back down to earth and shows how it’s not only a crisis, but an opportunity to build a better, more just world.
‘Just Us and the Climate’ was created as a platform to unpack and discuss different topics relating to the climate crisis and how it affects different people, aspects of life, and society. Created with the intention of being as inclusive as possible, episodes are recorded in English and Tshivenda and will be made freely available for community radio stations.
According to the podcast hosts, “this podcast is a way for people all over the country and globe to better understand and unpack the basics and more complex issues relating to climate change so that we can build a better world.”
The first season spans topics from environmental conflict, mining and youth activism to the effects of climate change on women, human rights, water and our economy. The basics of climate change are broken down and practical solutions to the climate crisis are discussed. Each episode has a different host from a different organisation and features important conversations between the host and invited specialists on a range of issues.
One of the episodes speaks to women on the frontlines of extractive industries. Mpai Nkali from Women Affected by Mining United in Action shares her experience: “To live in the shadow of pollution is danger. Mining companies are polluting our air, water and soil. It’s a very unusual thing that people get left behind and the land is not rehabilitated. The mining corporations do not really care about us, they care only about profit”.
Another episode explores what a just recovery from COVID-19 looks like, and the need to include both environmental and social justice. In that episode Carilee Osborne of the Institute for Economic Justice explains that: “We must not limit environmentalism to only protecting “nature” in obvious ways. It’s really important to show how climate justice connects to people’s everyday struggles, like public housing and transport and the need to tackle Apartheid’s legacy of spatial segragation.”
All 7 episodes of Just Us and the Climate’s season 1 are now available to stream on all major streaming channels including iTunes, Spotify and overcast. You can also listen to it at justusandtheclimate.org where an overview of all the episodes is also available.
Should you wish to use the content for broadcast, it is freely available to do so. Please contact Alex Lenferna at alex.lenferna@350.org or 073-695-9164 should you wish to use it.
For interviews or comment, please contact alex.lenferna@350.org or jennifer.wells@amnesty.org.za
