Al-Qalam 
By Iman Zanele Omar
As the current genocide against Palestinians grows more volatile, global activists have been calling attention to the environmental impact and ecocide of the land by Israel’s relentless bombings and uprooting of Indigenous life and how the consequences of this destruction is an issue that affects people all around the world.
Thameena Dhansay, a campaigner with Fossil Free South Africa, said that in terms of the climate crisis, the majority of greenhouse gas emissions come from the Global North as a result of their overconsumption, capitalist development and exploitation of the Global South. Yet, countries in the Global South will bear the brunt of climate impacts as they don’t have the resources and infrastructure to adapt and mitigate these effects. She explained, “The effects of climate change impact multiple spheres like an increase in extreme weather, such as storms, floods and droughts, which leads to the loss of lives as well as economic impacts to pay for infrastructure damages and also affects agricultural productivity and food security, while also impacting public health.”
Dhansay emphasised that historically, the destruction of the environment has always played a huge role in colonial exploitation and the subsequent social and economic inequality faced by marginalised and Indigenous communities. “Even before the current genocide in Gaza, Israel has been systematically committing environment injustices against the people of Palestine through things like the water apartheid, the burning of olive trees and planting of alien pine trees and like many Indigenous populations, Palestinians have limited agency in addressing climate breakdown due to Israel’s occupation and control over their land, energy, and water resources,” she explained.
Dhansay believes that the ramifications of these actions by Israel will be felt worldwide for generations to come. “The carbon cost of the first 120 days of Israel’s assault on Gaza is greater than the combined emissions of 26 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, so not only is Israel committing a horrific genocide in Gaza, but in doing so, they are also bringing everyone in the world closer to climate collapse,” she said.
She suggests the best sustainable action for individuals to implement is to be conscious of how much we are consuming. She advocates for supporting small local businesses and investing in fewer clothes of better quality where possible. She explains that we should be conscious of overspending as well as how we spend, “this is especially important when it comes to things like fast fashion – companies like Shein, Temu, Zara and H&M are responsible for unethical labour practices, high levels of textile waste, high greenhouse gas emissions and their products are not high quality and are not built to last, so they end up in landfills.”
Dhansay states that an important action linking the issues of Palestine with climate justice is supporting efforts to organise an energy embargo. “Columbia has recently pledged to stop supplying Israel with coal, and we should push for our government to do the same,” she said. South Africa currently supplies Israel with 9% of its coal imports, which is antithetical to the government’s public stance against Israel’s actions and our submission of the ICJ case. “This goes to show how private interests, especially those of fossil fuel companies, often end up superseding the powers of governments and public interests,” she said.
Fossil Free South Africa has recently launched a pledge for divestment against arms traders and fossil fuel companies complicit in the Israeli occupation and genocide in Gaza. Dhansay also urges anyone who may have investments in fossil fuel companies, who are responsible for the majority of emissions causing the climate crisis, to sign their #InvestFossilFree pledge where they will advocate on your behalf for ethical investment funds to be established.
