Today, international environmental NGOs sent letters to the CEOs of
BP, Chevron, Exxon, and Shell, among others, warning these
companies against investing in controversial drilling activities
of Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) in the Kavango
Basin in Namibia and Botswana.
As oil majors host their annual shareholder meetings this month,
groups raise the alarm on this threat to one of the most
biodiverse places on Earth, as well as the threat to all of us,
as the projects would release more carbon into the atmosphere
than we could afford to avoid climate catastrophes.
The letter, co-signed by OilWatch Africa, 350.org,
Greenpeace Africa, Greenpeace Canada, and Oil Change
International, emphasizes the potential harm to a UNESCO
World Heritage site, the Okavango Delta, and the world’s largest
protected international wildlife reserve, the Kavango–Zambezi
Transfrontier Conservation Area (“KAZA”), which covers the five
nations of Southern Africa, and which over one million people
depend on for water.
The groups highlight ReconAfrica’s projections of potentially 120
billion barrels of recoverable oil could produce a “carbon
gigabomb” of 51.6 Gigatonnes of CO2, equivalent to one-sixth of
the world’s remaining carbon budget – an amount we simply cannot
afford to extract. The drilling operations have already caused
significant legal, social, and environmental issues, including
destroyed forests and crops. ReconAfrica already faces lawsuits
on two continents and is reported to be under active
investigation by financial regulators and authorities, including
in Canada and Germany.
The company reportedly didn’t adequately consult with
local communities about the full drilling plan as
required by Namibian law; intimidated local
opponents; violated its promise to
line its drilling waste pits to prevent groundwater
pollution; failed to secure legally
required water and land permits; drilled inside Kapinga Kamwalye
Conservancy without legal rights, and bulldozed roads
illegally through protected areas.
Thuli Makama, Oil Change International Africa Program
Director
“The Okavango Delta is one of the most
important and biodiverse places on Earth, and it is under threat
from ReconAfrica’s drilling activities. ReconAfrica’s drilling
activities in the Kavango Basin threaten the livelihoods of over
one million people who depend on the water within the Delta
watershed, as well as the survival of some of the world’s most
endangered species.”
Salome Nduta, Coordinator Oil Watch
Africa
“OWA endorses this statement
in solidarity with all communities that will adversely be
affected by the unwarranted drilling in Namibia. It is time to
address the question of climate in a holistic approach. In
Okavango, this drilling will affect not just communities but a
natural heritage site. Its economic disruption on tourism
should also be considered. Any project that ends up violating the
rights of vulnerable groups, especially indigenous communities,
should be resisted. As OWA, we stand with efforts that resist
gassing Africa”.
Melita Steele, Interim Programme Director Greenpeace
Africa
“Greenpeace Africa stands in solidarity with
frontline communities opposing the continuation of ReconAfrica’s
drilling activities in the Kavango Basin. The devastating
neo-colonial model of extracting and exploiting Africa’s
resources at any cost must end, and we must chose justice over
greed and move into a new era of climate justice.”
