In Durban, petrol giant Engen became the focal point for residents who have long focused their anger at the refinery, holding it responsible for causing various lung diseases among the community.

The protesters laid floral wreaths signifying deaths in this community due to lung infections. Asthma has been one of the main problems here. The general prevalence rate of the lung disease worldwide is between 10% and 12% and this area has over five times the norm.

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One person was released 8:47 pm and is charged with disorderly behavior and will appear in court on Friday. One more person was released at 9:28 pm. She faces the same charge. A third activist has been charged with escaping custody and possibly more charges and will be held overnight, appearing in court tomorrow at 10am!

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The company was chosen for the award because of their recent eco-branding program which attempts to give their customers the impression that damage to the climate due to air travel can can be offset by purchasing carbon credits or significantly reduced by flying with an airline which uses a biofuel ‘blend’ to fuel its planes.

The Award was presented by a climate refugee polar bear to management at the Air New Zealand Holidays center on Queen Street as leaflets were handed to customers and passers-by explaining why customers ’shouldn’t buy Air New Zealand’s greenwash’.

The shop’s signage was adjusted to read ‘HOT’ Air New Zealand.One of the people who was involved in presenting the award said that “Air New Zealand’s claims are just a load of hot air and that manipulative green branding and carbon offsetting is nothing but a fluffy distraction from the systemic, economic and behavioral changes that are absolutely necessary if we are to avert catastrophic climate change.

In fact it’s just a way of tricking people into thinking they can be ‘carbon neutral’ or whatever other catchy phrase they’ve come up with so that the big polluters can keep polluting.”Even if individual passengers’ emissions were to marginally reduce, which won’t happen because some trees were planted, the effects of Air New Zealand’s greenwash would encourage so many more people into taking unnecessary flights that these reductions would be insignificant in comparison.

Aviation is the world’s fastest growing source of carbon dioxide emissions. In 2007, nearly 2.2 billion people flew on the world’s scheduled air carriers, with predictions of 9 billion passengers by 2025. If you want to help stop climate chaos, change your personal behavior, change the way you perceive polluting companies’ claims of environmental improvement and support or get involved with campaigns to actually stop fossil fuels from being mined in the first place.Companies like Air New Zealand would have us believe that we can escape climate change with techno-fixes, market mechanisms and offset schemes – all technocratic acrobatics that distract us from the truth: the only real solution to climate change is to keep fossil fuels in the ground.Today, thousands of people around the world have taken action against the fossil fuel industry in all its forms.

The Political Ecology Class of the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and Groundwork are in the process of organising a day of action against Engen in South Durban. This area is one of the most polluted in the world, with Industry’s poor practice leading extensively to not only Global Warming but also to deterioration in the health of the community with, for example, massive amounts of cancer resulting. Their situation clearly relates to the ‘environmentalism of the poor’ as homes, schools and so on are located right on top of this massive polluter and others such as Sapref and Mondi!

The ‘highly visual’ day of action will include a ‘prank’ against Engen, protest theatre, placards/medical masks for all in attendance to hold/wear, a proclamation/petition for all to sign and the laying of flowers at Engen’s gate with gift tags attached stating “Don’t bring me flowers when I’m dead.”

Directions to the Austerville pool parking lot:
Off Southern Freeway turn left into Quality Street. Travel straight up until Tara road, at robot turn right. Parking lot is on the right at Retreat road corner.