Rachel Mash

Impact on farming Plastic pollution poses a significant hazard to farm animals,  they can choke on plastic or swallow it and then die of malnutrition. Studies have found that in some low- and middle-income countries, up to a third of cattle and half of the goat population have consumed significant amounts of plastic which they have mistaken for food.[1] This a particular problem  in animals residing in urban areas of developing countries. Ingested plastic materials in the rumen slowly release the  then enter the food chain through milk and meat products. These chemicals have a detrimental effect on human health. Another challenge is that people may not want to buy meat from that farmer, if they have seen cows eating plastic or dirty nappies! Plastic pollution also hampers crop growth by obstructing the flow of water and air in the soil. Impact on Fishing Fish are similarly affected: for those who rely on their livestock and fishing for their income, this is particularly devastating.[2] Once of the big challenges with fish and plastics is when smaller organisms ingest microplastics it eventually makes its way up the food chain to humans. For example if a small fish  eat 10 pieces of microplastic and a larger fish eats ten fish, now it has ingested 100 pieces of microplastic. Another big challenge is what is known at ‘ghost fishing’  which refers to  fishing gear that has been lost or abandoned. Nets, long lines and fish traps continue to trap and kill fish, leading to drops in stock of available fish. After major  storms wash plastic downstream to the harbours, we often find that boats lose hours of working time as they have to untangle propellors from plastic, or find their engines damaged Impact on tourism And in many places where the local economy relies on tourism, unsightly plastic pollution is threatening businesses and curtailing growth. All of this makes it harder for families to lift themselves out of poverty and to plan for the future.[3] With the increase in social media, tourists increasingly post photos of polluted beaches or rivers ,which can discourage other visitors from coming [1] Ruminal impaction due to plastic materials -https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6200578/ [2] How ocean plastics impact fisheries https://www.aftco.com/blogs/conservation/how-ocean-plastics-impact-fishing-and-fisheries [3] How marine plastic pollution impacts on tourism https://www.uow.edu.au/media/2023/how-marine-plastic-pollution-impacts-countries-that-rely-on-tourism–.php

MAKE EVERY DAY A MANDELA DAY#ITISINYOURHANDS Mandela Day is an annual global celebration that takes place on 18 July to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. This day is a call to action for individuals, communities, and organisations to take time to reflect on Mandela’s values and principles and to make a positive impact in their own communities. Nelson Mandela Day is perhaps best known for its slogan, “67 Minutes of Service,” but did you know where that came from and why it is no longer the slogan? It was calculated that Nelson Mandela spent 67 years of his life in service of social justice – in his years of activism and mobilisation, his years in prison, as well as his years as president of the Republic of South Africa.  The 67 Minutes for Mandela campaign went global and became the rallying call for Nelson Mandela International Day. The 67 Minutes gives people an opportunity to take part in short, action based projects in service of their communities.  This year we are encouraging you to get together with others and spend 67 minutes (just over an hour!) in cleaning up your street or neighbourhood. Even a short term initiative like a street clean up can raise awareness of the problem of plastic pollution. It brings people together for something positive. Since 2011, the Nelson Mandela Foundation has introduced the “Make Every Day A Mandela Day” slogan, encouraging people to take responsibility for social justice in their communities every day of the year. So let us clean up for 67 minutes on Mandela Day , but have the long term vision of clean streets for Mandela! It is still in your hands! #Itisstillinyourhands   #MandelaDay2024

We continue our series of posts on the impact of plastic on the most vulnerable communities as part of the Plastic Free July campaign As much as one billion tonnes of waste could be burning in open fires   – almost half of the municipal solid waste generated on Earth is burned. The impact on human health in poorer communities is extreme. “Uncontrolled waste fires burn at much lower temperatures, which means combustion is incomplete. This releases substances from the waste and creates new ones as molecules are decomposed and reformed in the flames. Dioxins and related compounds are often formed when PVC is burned in open fires. At least 30 of these types of compound are considered harmful to human health. They can persist in the environment for years and in the human body for perhaps a decade or more. There is the danger that  they can damage the brain and disrupt hormones.”(Velis C, the Conversation) In wealthy countries waste may be burned in  Energy-from- waste plants (EFW), using expensive equipment . This is a very expensive process so is often exported to lower and middle income countries where it is burnt openly . Globally two billion people do not have their solid waste collected at all, which means they have no choice but to burn it or throw it in the river if there is one nearby. Another risk is that of electronic equipment, some informal recyclers burn away the PVC insulation to reach the copper and other metals  to be sold, releasing toxic fumes. The burning  of plastic waste is a massive environmental and health challenge .   It is also  an issue of injustice and environmental racism. #plasticfreejuly

“Plastic free July”- during this month we will be focussing on the impacts of plastic waste on the most vulnerable communities. According to Tearfund almost a quarter of the world’s population (over 2 billion people) living in  low- or middle-income countries don’t have access to solid waste management. Globally, we throw away about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. That’s enough to cover almost 50,000 football pitches every day! Half of all plastic is now designed to be used only once before being thrown away. In middle class suburbs, waste is picked up regularly but in informal settlements it piles up. The reasons for poor service delivery are many and multi- factored. Sometimes informal  communities are not given “wheelie bins’ by the city but only plastic bags. These then get torn open by dogs. If skips are provided they may be too far to walk to, or children cannot reach over the edge. There are also issues of safety for municipal vehicles going into certain areas. Due to the drop in value of plastic, less and less is being collected by wastepickers – virgin plastic in South Africa is now cheaper than recycled. A study at an Anglican Church revealed that a person would need to collect 300 bottles to earn the price of a loaf of bread. This means the harmful impacts of all this plastic pollution are becoming more widespread and severe. But what impact does all this rubbish have on informal settlements?. Plastic pollution can lead to  flooding disasters Plastic pollution blocks waterways and can  exacerbate flooding which can lead to huge disasters and loss of life. Many communities across the world experience regular, flash flooding on a devastating scale – even after just a small amount of rainfall – as the plastic dumped in rivers and drains means excess water has nowhere to go. These horrendous events cause loss of life, and sweep away homes and businesses, and it’s often low-income communities who have little option but to live on the riverbanks or in densely populated urban areas who suffer the most. It is  people in poverty who are most affected. Plastic rubbish lying in water is a also a breeding ground for mosquitoes, flies and vermin that can transmit diseases like malaria to people in the area. Research has shown that the incidence of diarrhoeal disease is twice as high for people living among mismanaged waste.

On Monday 17 June 2024 , 43 young people from the ecumenical joined the Climate YES one day workshop on Generational Restoration under climate justice. Eco-champ Morena Pule ( attendee of CY 2023 Bootcamp) began the day with a brief bible study on See, Judge and Act using Deuteronomy 6 as the base of bible study, the aim here was to make attendees aware that we cannot do anything if we do not open our eyes and minds to see, then judge for us to reach the goal of eco-restoration as a generation. The day progressed with a hands-on activity where attendees had to think about the different communities in which they come from and identify areas which need to be converted into better habitats for all creation. Attendees also took time to look at the root causes and came up possible solutions. Some of the key solutions was the call to mobilize faith leaders and groom them into eco-champs as they have a seat in strategic government and private sector networks, the need for Climate Change issue to be an inter-generational thing and not just focus on young people as our context still listens more to elders than they would to young people. The day ended off with a message from the Free State Diocesan Mothers Union President who committed and pledge her support in mobilizing mothers to support and listen to young people when it came to issues of eco-restoration. Photo credit: Morena Pule  

Anglican Women Fellowship members from St Alphege Parish at Libode in the Diocese of Mthatha celebrated World Environment Day on 5 June by planting a spekboom on the parish grounds. Spekboom ( igwanisha in Xhosa) is a waterwise plant has medicinal properties and the leaves can be added to salads. Spekboom also helps clean the air because it absorbs a lot of carbon dioxide. So by planting a spekboom we are mitigating climate change. By: Thulethu Ngudle