Triumphs and transformations: FFSA's 2023 journey
Highlights from 2023, and our greetings to you for 2024
Hello dear friends and FFSA supporters,
2023 has had many ups and downs. Our experience at FFSA has been no exception.
Civil society faces increasing challenges as we push for a transition away from fossil fuels and violent capitalism. Oil and gas is still being pushed by very powerful special interests, contributing to devastating conflicts in the global south and perhaps even to the heart-wrenching genocide in Palestine. The outcome of the latest global climate talks that closed yesterday – a non-binding commitment for the world to “transition away” from fossil fuels is a new nudge in the right direction but falls far short of sufficient clarity and ambition.
And yet, our movement for climate justice and human rights is certainly growing. Our organisation has expanded, with new team members, campaigns and projects transcending our original core divestment work – and our community of friends, supporters and sympathisers has bloomed. It has often been hard during a year of brutal conflict and climate breakdown to still find rational hope – but we see it in the ongoing energy transition, and the submerged but significant global cultural transition represented by movements such as the Wellbeing Economy Alliance.
None of this progress would have been possible without the support of the FFSA community and its allies. We're incredibly excited to build on these achievements in the year ahead, and thank you as ever for your support!
Sarah, David and the growing FFSA team
Expanding our work to challenge greenwashing
Clean Creatives
Our movement-based Clean Creatives SA campaign calling for creative professionals to stand up for human rights celebrated its one-year anniversary, reflecting a year of growth, winning a Mail & Guardian Greening The Future Award and being nominated for Daily Maverick’s “Our Burning Planet heroes of the year”. Some of the big milestones this year included:
Over 150 creatives and 45+ agencies pledging to cut ties with fossil fuel clients
22+ civil society organisations endorsing our campaign on Human Rights Day in an open letter
The "Creative Cleanup 2023" featuring students from leading creative SA institutions discouraging industry seniors from partnering with fossil fuel clients.
The release of the SA F-List 2023, spotlighting 41 agencies supporting the fossil fuel industry, leading to great media coverage in News24, Marklives.com, Business Day, Daily Maverick, among others.
An op-ed and Change.org petition urging The Loeries to address climate change
Fossil Ad Ban
Our Fossil Ad Ban campaign, calling for a progressive ban on fossil fuel advertising and branding in Cape Town, kicked off in June 2023 with a dynamic launch webinar led by Dean Bhebhe from Don’t Gas Africa. Since then we have been hard at work behind the scenes, readying our campaign with a legal opinion, a soon-to-be unveiled website, and some very significant endorsements – while also hosting in-person engagements and penning compelling op-eds, including:
Thameena Dhansay’s piece on how Environmental destruction by Sasol taints Banyana Banyana’s breakthrough success
James Granelli’s piece on how SANParks should not be providing a platform to help climate-breaking companies like TotalEnergies look good.
Continuing our core divestment work
#InvestFossilFree
Our core work calling for fossil fuel divestment and sustainable reinvestment continues. Our #Investfossilfree campaign which aims to build public support for investments in local fossil-free funds saw many engagements, including meetings with Sanlam and Old Mutual to discuss the need for decarbonisation and authentic ESG offerings; and an interview on the Bruce Whitfield business show. Signed-on supporters increased by around 50%. We also wrote a number of published pieces in Daily Maverick and News24:
Two things South Africans need to know about the fossil fuel industry
Asset managers are still failing the greatest test facing humanity
Defossilising SA universities
Our university work has expanded beyond divestment to consider dissociation with fossil fuel entities. This year’s efforts included:
Hosting a seminar on how fossil fuels are embedded in universities through research and more
Sending a letter to the UCT Vice Chancellor and Council, following up on the state of divestment at UCT.
Distributing a press release at the inaugural JICA chair lecture at Stellenbosch University, critiquing SU for greenwashing Japan’s poor performance on climate.
Taking on the gas lobby head-on in a Wits SRC-hosted debate on the just transition