PACJA calls for energy shift after Mauritius fuel spill

The Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) stands in solidarity with the people of Mauritius as they grapple with the aftermath of the shipwreck that has dumped roughly 1200 tons of hydrocarbon fuels off their coast.
Scenes of dark hydrocarbon sludges now floating off south-eastern Mauritius in sharp contrast to its turquoise waters are tragic reminders of the avoidable environmental costs of the global obsession with fossil fuels.

Over the last few days, spills from the Japanese vessel MV Wakashio have not only endangered fragile ecosystems but have affected thousands of people who draw their livelihoods from environmental resources and services tied to the ocean.

The Alliance notes that despite a marked drop in relative incidence from the 1970s peak, mass transportation continues to be a major source of oil spills at sea, creating impacts ranging from coral bleaching to the destruction of marine life.
In the last decade, more than 165,000 tons of spilt oil has emptied into the ocean in 60 tanker incidents. Records also show that despite an increased understanding of the damage to the planet associated with fossils fuels and a global campaign to phase them out, the mass transportation of crude oil by sea has steadily increased from the 1970s.

Early analyses show that the impact of the Mauritian spills will be profound and long-lasting.

Located close to several protected marine eco-systems, the spill will endanger the Blue Bay Marine Park, a diverse marine flora and fauna reserve designated as a wetland of international importance, as well as surrounding lagoons, creeks, and beaches. The massive blue economy estimated at USD12 million in annual GDP will also take a strong hit.

Dr Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of PACJA said:

“In this tragedy, we have a unique opportunity to reconsider the global reliance on fossils fuels and invest heavily in clean alternatives, particularly in Africa.

“We now have sufficient proof that renewable energy produces more benefits for humans and the planet than fossil fuels and we must muster the courage to radically shift how we produce and consume energy.

“The damage caused by this accident could have been avoided and no amount of cleaning up and restoration can bring back the original state of this beautiful marine ecosystem.

“As a climate justice movement concerned about the injustices of adverse climatic and environmental change, we reiterate the urgency of transitioning to a new energy order marked by renewability, decarbonisation and access to the poor, particularly in Africa”

The Alliance urges the African Union to come to the support of the people of Mauritius and marshal its political leverage behind a process that leads to the phasing out of fossil fuels on the continent and globally while scaling up investments in renewable energy.