My Oasis in the City…

I had to do a stewardship of the environment meaning that I had to visit a park, green space or nature reserve in or around Pretoria. I identified some the fauna and flora of the area and reflected on the value of the site. I also saw some environmental concerns that need to be attended to.

For my green space I chose to go to an area next to Tom Jenkins Road and Soutpansberg Road belonging to the University of Pretoria for their research involving bees, termites and other insects. It feels like an oasis in the city. I felt like I was in the middle of the bush and only the OR Tambo building across the road reminded me of where I truly was.

OR Tambo Building from the green space. It shows how close to the city it is.

Pretoria in the background

This area contains lots of flora, a lot of them indigenous. There are lots of Prickly Pear trees so big that they tower over the other trees and the veld is full of ‘klipdagga’ and there are also Akasia thorn trees growing everywhere. There is a wide variety of plant and flowers ranging from little seedlings to trees that must have there for years. My father showed me sweet grass that has a sweet taste when you suck on their stems and this led me to discover sour grass as I mistook it for the sweet.

Some other fauna:

• Big Blue Stems
• Cone flowers
• Kangaroo Grass
• Everlasting
• Spear Grass
• Gomdagga

Prickly Pears

Grass

Gomdagga

Everlasting

As for the fauna in the area, the insects are the main attraction. Butterflies fly from flower to flower and there are colourful locust that jump when they hear your footsteps. The area is also full of termite nests and honeybees since the main focus for the area is for the university’s fundamental studies of applied aspects of sociality in ants, bees, termites and wasps with a particular focus on honeybees. There are also a lots of meerkat holes and I was lucky enough to see one scurry into his hole. My dogs also found a wild rabbit in the bushes, but he was too big and fast for them to catch so they settled for chasing around the guinea fowl, also unsuccessful.

My dog looking for a meerkat

Termite nest

Honeybee hives

With the beautiful of the area also comes the ugly. The area has been used by many as dumping site for all their garbage. Homeless people have also taken refuge in this area and thus the remains of old camp fires and alcohol bottles are also everywhere. Some of the things found are too terrible to mention and deeply traumatised me. Luckily it was only at certain areas and did it not overshadow the beauty of nature.

The area is not surrounded by any sort of fencing and anyone can enter the area at any time. Only the research building is fenced off and is protected by security guards. My suggestion would be to surround the area with some sort of fencing and placing security guards at the entry gate as well. That way the university can have more control over who enters the area and the dumping will certainly become less as cars cannot pass through the fence to dump their trash. The community loves this piece of land and will surely help with a clean-up action and funding for fences.

 

Just some more photos to show how beautiful the area is…

Trees Are Part of our Roots!

Introduction

A photo elicitation also known as a photo interview is listening to people’s comments about images to contribute social and historical research (Tinkler. 2013).Images are important because it creates data. They help with “discussion, reflection and recollection” (Tinkler 2013). Pictures and images are studied along with the material that accompanies it as it assists in connecting ideas and concepts to make sense of the work as a whole (Tinkler 2013) .

Pictures and images provoke dialogue and incite discussions (Tinkler 2013). Photographs make the interaction between those involved easier, more comfortable and for the discussion to be more honest and clear (Tinkler 2013). Having visual references arouses feelings and memories that is difficult to be brought up or recognised (Tinkler 2013). Images bring out a more personal side to an interview as it is easier to capture emotions in a photograph.

My photo elicitation will involve tree narratives based on the ideas by Joanna Dean (2015) that meanings and memories we find in stories involving trees influence our decisions to plant, trim and fell trees (Dean. 2016). By using narratives of service, status, heritage and a counter narrative our relationships with trees and how they form part of our identity will be discussed. It includes interviews with three other people as well.

 

TREES AS SERVICE

In this narrative, the tree is selflessly providing services to the human residents of an area (Dean 2016). In other words, the tree is a selfless service provider.

Me with a mulberry stain on my shirt at picture day

Photograph by author

Trees provide shade, oxygen and store water, but I remember a tree giving me food. When I was in kindergarten I was a very picky eater and I hated the food that I was given every day. Luckily for me the property next to the school had a mulberry tree that grew over onto our side. If I jumped from the jungle gym I could grab a branch from the tree and eat all the mulberries from it. I was always covered in purple stains from the little berries and my mom had to throw away a couple of my clothes as the stains were permanent. There is a mulberry tree in my street and when I walk past it I still grab a berry or two…

Marcelle: My mother also remembers a mulberry tree as being of service to her. As a little girl she loved to get silkworms every year. She still has silk woven into a heart shape from the worms. She would get on her bike every afternoon after school and ride around her neighbourhood looking for mulberry trees and would get their leaves to feed her worms.

Okkie: My grandfather was a naughty little boy and would hide in trees when he was in trouble. His mother obviously did not want to climb after him and would eventually cool down after having some time to think and then he would climb down. As he got older he used a tree next to his window in boarding school room to climb down in the middle of the night and go steal some fruits from people’s gardens. In his case trees gave him protection and food.

Lize: My cousin had to share a bedroom with her older sister. Being the younger sister she got locked out of her room a lot and two girls being together in a small space led to a lot of arguments. After deciding she had enough my cousin to took to a tree in their garden (she does not know what kind of tree it was). The tree was near a wall and some branches hung over a fountain in their garden, it felt like she was in the jungle. She would bring juice boxes, cookies and book up there and sit on one the branches.

 

TREES AS STATUS

In this narrative, the tree symbolises the human control of nature (Dean 2016). The row of trees serves as grace and power.

Author unknown

Author unknown

I realised the effect trees had on indicating class when driving past the Hammanskraal shanty town / township. There were no trees to be seen. The landscape was dry and the red sand make red dust clouds everywhere. Driving through an area like Waterkloof, the difference of class becomes quite clear. Waterkloof has big trees that have obviously been growing there for a while, they take lots of water and almost form an arch over the streets that reminds of a palace or people saluting you. It cost a lot of money to live green. The big trees show magnitude and thus class and power.  

Marcelle: She remembers trees showing class in India. She was there for a congress and remembers seeing no trees or even something green for days, the city was overcrowded and poverty was visible everywhere. When she visited the temples around India she became aware of trees growing there and remembers the grass and trees planted in rows at the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal reminded her of immense richness and holiness. The trees were only at places of importance and showed status.

Okkie: He grew up on a farm and remembers only a few trees. The area was more bush like and some of the people around them were really poor. He remembers moving to Cape Town to attend the university there. He would walk through the streets at Stellenbosch and remembers how fascinated he was by the big trees in gardens and on the sidewalks. They were obviously old and reminded him, also like it does me, of arches.

Lize: Palm trees remind my cousin of class and status. She claims that palm trees remind her of a tropical island and drinking cocktails on the beach. Seeing a palm tree next to a pool makes her feel like she is at a tropical beach. Then she feels like she is living the life of the rich.

 

TREES AS HERITAGE

In this narrative, the beauty of an individual specimen and its associations with human history is emphasised (Dean 2016). The tree is a living symbol of the past.

Photograph by the author

Photograph by the author

The Wonderboom in Pretoria is about a thousand years old. Legend states that the tree grew to its size because the chief of an indigenous tribe is buried underneath its roots. The tree was also once big enough to provide shade for about a thousand people, or twenty ox wagons. The tree has been damaged by fire in 1870 and a parasitic disease. This tree has seen so much South African History. Also being in Hoërskool Wonderboom made the tree a big part of my life.

Marcelle: She was born and raised in Pretoria and thus the purple Jacarandas throughout the whole city are nothing new to her. Being a student at The University of Pretoria she knows the story of the Jacaranda falling on your head means good luck during the exams, and she would stand underneath the trees and pray for one to fall onto her head. According to her, “Pretoria would not be Pretoria without the purple flowers creating a carpet on the roads”.

Okkie: My dad thinks the Baobab Tree Bar in Modjadjiskloof is a good story of a tree representing our heritage. This tree is the biggest Baobab in the world and its hollow tree trunk has been converted into a bar serving proudly South African beverages. As Baobabs become older their trunks become hollow. This shows how old the tree is, it has been in Limpopo for over 1700 years.  His favourite tree is a Baobab tree and symbolises Africa.

Lize: She had a yellowwood tree in her backyard. It is the national tree of South Africa. Looking at the tree makes it quite obvious as to why this tree is viewed as so special as it is very big and beautiful. She went for a hike in the Tsitsikama forest and remembers the old yellowwoods covered in moss there. It always reminds her of being South African and why our country is so beautiful.

 

TREES FIGHTING BACK

In this narrative trees cause trouble (Dean 2016). The trees are behaving badly and refuse to stay in line. Trees are wild and part of nature, they cannot conform to what we want.

Photograph by author

Photograph by author

(Photo of Jacarandas because I had none of the Gingko tree and two interviewees had a problem with the Jacaranda tree)

We had a Vrouehaarboom (better known to the rest of the world as a Gingko Biloba tree) in our yard. Although we use this tree and its fruits in lots of medicinal products, having it in your own garden is not as pleasant. The seeds falling from the trees stink a lot! It reminds one of vomit. My entire room would smell. In addition to that, the bark of the trees caused an allergic reaction when it rubbed against your skin, similar to poison ivy it burned your skin. It was truly a horror and we eventually decided to remove this Chinese tree from or garden. This tree has some good medicinal properties, but it does not come without a cost.

Marcelle: My mother recently had to make a big choice.  Our Johannesburg Gold tree was starting to lift up the wall surrounding or house. It was a big tree that provided us with a lot of privacy and cutting it down would have a major impact on how our house would look as well as privacy because without it people could see straight to our pool. After the wall was so skew that it could fall at any minute we cut down the tree.

Okkie: His pool is one of the bluest and clearest pools throughout the year and has tempted many to even go swimming in winter. My granddad takes pride in his pool and spends a good hour everyday cleaning it. The Jacaranda trees on the sidewalk however has grown so big that it towers overs his wall and this results in his pool being filled with the purple flowers. It clogs his pool pump and attracts insects to the water. He has to physically remove all the flowers and it gets harder to do as he becomes older. He tried to poison the tree by throwing petrol on its roots, but it seems to have made the tree grow bigger. The little purple flowers also litter his big green yard.

Lize: My cousin is also not fond of Jacaranda trees. These trees attract bees and she is highly allergic. She got stung almost every year when she was at school as she had to sit on the lawn during recess where the tree threw its flowers on the ground. It resulted in her being rushed to the hospital one two occasions. Recently she went jogging and slipped on the Jacarandas covering the sidewalk and as luck would have it landed with hand on a bee in one of the flowers on the ground. She was rushed to hospital again as her injection did not act fast enough.

 

Conclusion

These narratives show that Dean (2016) was right when she referred to trees as symbols. We do not see the wildness of trees anymore, we see how they fit into our Anthropocene. Trees and humans are tied together and they have been here long before us.

WE use trees.

Trees show OUR status.

Trees remind US of OUR heritage.

WE try to control nature.

WE, US, HUMANS have become a problem in nature as we forget that WE were meant to look after it.

 

Sources

Dean, J. 2015. The unruly tree: stories from the archives, in Urban forests, trees, and   greenspace:   a political ecology perspective, edited by LA Sandberg, A Bardekjian & S Butt. New York: Routledge:162-175.

Tinkler, P. 2013. Using photographs in social and historical research. London: SAGE.

Unknown. 2013. Taung Daily News. [O]. Available from tuangdailynews.wordpress.com .(Accessed on 6 May 2016)

Unknown. 2016. Women 24. [O]. Available from http://www.women24.com/HomeAndAway/NewsAndTrends/This-20-000-000-Waterkloof-home-is-basically-paradise-20150722.(Accessed on 6 May 2016)

 

 

 

Would you kill your Mother? We are killing our Mother Nature slowly!

The violence that goes unnoticed…

Slow violence, in Nixon’s conception, is “a violence that occurs gradually and out of sight, a violence of delayed destruction that is dispersed across time and space, a violence that is typically not viewed as violence at all.” (Nixon 2011:2) Slow Violence is not what we expect violence to be namely explosive and immediately visible, it is rather something that goes by unnoticed and tends to happen gradually. This is what makes slow violence a silent killer. We do not realise that a simple action like not throwing our empty soda bottle in a garbage bin can have a devastating effect on the environment. These type of thing may seem insignificant and annoying at this moment, but it has an effect and this will lead to problems in the future with major consequences we will have to pay (Nixon 2011:2).Humanity tends to only respond towards violence they can see and thus to due to slow violence’s invisible nature we do not acknowledge it or become aware of it (Nixon 2011:14).

Nixon (2011:3) argues that a major problem in raising awareness of slow violence is how slow violence is represented. We need to “devise arresting stories, images, and symbols adequate to the pervasive but elusive violence of delayed effects” (Nixon 2011:3). Thus the challenge of slow violence is how to adequately represent it so that it may be investigated, opposed, and redressed.

By using a photo essay about an environmental concern that relates to slow violence through the form of a photo essay, in which four photographs are used to represent an environmental concern of slow violence, the consequences and effects of slow violence is represented and discussed. The aim is to create awareness of this problem and humanity’s complicated relationship with Mother Nature.

A picture is worth a thousand words…and it is a case of life and death

Flower of life

 

Flower of Death

 

The first image is of lovely flowers I saw next to the road on my way to Bloemfontein. They brighten up the area and grow naturally without human interference. While the second image is a picture I took in Johannesburg. The area in front of the mural is covered in trash -our trash, our human interference. I want to use the symbol of flowers and reverse the way they grow. The trash is the flowers that we humans plant. Which one is the prettier version? What is the effect of each ‘flower’ on our earth?

The first flower attracts insects and birds. The insects and birds use the pollen from the flower and use it as food. They spread the pollen and more flowers grow because of this. This flower gives life and is a crucial part of the ecosystem that has been created in the veld.

The second “flower” is what we humans no longer need. We throw it on the ground. Unfortunately this “flower” also attracts insects and birds. While some organisms like flies and rats are attracted to this type of “flower”, they carry diseases that are dangerous to us. This “flower” does not give life to animals like the previous one, in fact it suffocates birds. This only system present in this environment is one of death, death to birds, death to soil and even in extreme cases death to humans. The face on the mural looks sad as it watching over the trash, this is what we are doing to Mother Nature, we are breaking her heart as she watches us destroy.

This is an image I took of a butterfly in the Pilansberg National Park. This insect is part of the ecosystem mentioned above. It spreads pollen from the plants to pollenate other plants to make them grow and used some of the pollen as food. It is a delicate balance, but life gives life.

This image was one I took at the Union Buildings at Pretoria. It reminded me of the butterfly image- a white object on a plant. Only this is not a living thing, but a plastic bag filled with trash. This bag will eventually kill the tree, opposite to the butterfly that spreads life. The plastic will prevent the tree from getting the sun it needs and birds and insects using the tree will also suffocate. Trees give us oxygen we need to survive. What will happen when we have no more trees? We will suffocate to!

This last image was taken at the Voortrekker Monument. In my mind this image is a symbol of what will happen in the future if we continue the way we do. We might as well be putting flowers on the grave of Mother Nature. The flowers that give life are dead and are presented to the dead. This is ironic.

I want to end with a quote from Nadine Gordimer, as Rob Nixon mentioned her as an activist in his book, “I’m asking you, it happens to interest me, is to kill the only sin we recognize?” We are killing what gives us life! We are spreading the seed of the death flower, also known as trash.

Sources

Nixon, R. 2011. Slow violence and the environmentalism of the poor. Cambridge: Harvard University Press

Mark, Y. 2014.The Wit and Wisdom of Nadine Gordimer: The Quotable Gordimer; or, The Wit and Wisdom of Nadine Gordimer. University of Mississippi Press

Jordan, C. 2009. Midway: Message from the Gyre. [Online]. Accessed from http://www.chrisjordan.com/ [Accessed on 23 April 2016]

 

 

 

 

“The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.” —Charles de Gaulle

Introduction to Companionship

Donna Haraway (2007:15) uses the phrase of “companion species” in her work where she explores our relationship as humans with animals, not just as meat in our diet, product testers and protection, but rather a relationship of companionship and our reliance on all kinds of species to stay alive.  Often we as humans forget the connection we have with other species. She uses pets to explain her theories and specifically looks at how dogs are connected to mankind on social and biological levels and how these animals affect our behaviour as humans. We create memories with them and as owners we mourn the loss of them (Haraway 2007:14). This shows that man and dog have co-evolved together from animals merely aiding us to becoming our friends and companions (Haraway 2007:12). Humans are not the apex; we are a companion species that relies on other species for survival.

This blog post will look to explain the relationship between humans and animals, as their pets to show how we have evolved together. By using photo essays (Shelton 2001) I will document the stories and personal narratives of relations between pets and their owners.

 

Photo Narratives

Zephyr and Andrea: Cuddle Friend for Life

This little girl with a moustache is called Zephyr. My cousin, Andrea, found her on the side of a busy road in Potchefstroom. After having to move away from home and her parents Andrea was lonely and very depressed. Zephyr moved in and the two became roommates that shared everything, although Zephyr did not really understand the concept of sharing the bed. Zephyr is a wild little cat and has a love for feet meaning that you put your bare feet on the floor at own risk. Zephyr will only purr when Andrea is the one scratching her head. The two love to cuddle up and watch television although Zephyr does not always understand that Andrea has to study as well and sleeps on her books and occasionally rips up a paper or two. These two saved each other.

 

Brakkenjan and Lize: Lady and the Tramp

This naughty little dog is named Brakkenjan but you can call him Brakkies. This dog loves to swim and jumps in when nobody is watching. He also loves visiting other dogs in his neighbourhood and causes his owners quite some trouble. He belongs to my cousin Lize’s boyfriend, but she has claimed him as her own as their connection was instant. She sometimes claims that she loves the dog more than him. Brakkies is a very affectionate dog and loves taking long naps and stealing food from your plate, no wonder the ladies love him. Lize got a job that requires her to deliver items and sometimes she has to drive through dangerous neighbourhoods, Brakkies also drives along as this gentleman believes it is duty to protect the lady. Unfortunately Brakkies cannot really be taken to public parks as he loves to explore and marks people as his territory.

 

Gerda and Pocco: This Rufferee controls the Game

This handsome puppy is called Pocco. After my cousins moved out of the house my aunt, Gerda, was excited to have some time for her, but after seeing his co-worker’s Yorkie my uncle felt the need to also get one. My aunt was upset until Pocco marched in. He has established himself as the dominant male in that house and demands chicken and belly rubs. There is a theory that Pocco can only peep and not bark. My aunt and uncle moved to New York and Gerda refused to leave if Pocco could not join them even if that meant my uncle would have to go alone. So Pocco is now a Yorkie in New York. He loves running after squirrels and is not afraid to get his paws wet in the snow, although he will only do so if my aunt is with him and he is wearing a jacket. He is also an expert at building puzzles and at taking up my uncle’s space in bed.

 

Stephanie and Fuzzy: A tale of Apples and Arguments

This is Stephanie and her horse Fuzzy. Fuzzy was a race horse and kept in really bad conditions. Stephanie and Fuzzy did not really like each other at the beginning with Fuzzy letting others ride him, but never allowing her to get on his back. She would tell him that he was mean and he would nip her arm. Somehow this hate became a love and the two would refuse to admit it, but they love each other dearly. Fuzzy now only allows Stephanie to ride him, but only if she gives him an apple and Stephanie does not really look at any other horses. He will walk away from her, she will spray him with cold water but he always comes back and she will always give him another apple even if she swears that it is his last one. They are both stubborn, but as a team they work well together and have received many awards.

 

Me and Jett: I love rock’n roll, but I love you more!

This gorgeous, stunning one is mine! After being diagnosed with OCD my psychiatrist suggested getting me a dog to help with my anxiety. We called a breeder and she only had one female puppy left and the next day she would be old enough to be taken away from her mother. It was destiny. Jett is named after the rock musician, Joan Jett, and she does the name justice as she is a bad girl since she hates bow and they never last longer than a couple of minutes and she does not allow you to scold her and will bark back cheekily at you when you do. Our love is something that cannot be explained. Where I go, she goes even to the bathroom. We share a bed and a couch and a chair and water bottles and a car and adventures. She loves going to the park but she is very lazy and prefers to be carried around the park. She gets mad when I do not pick her up and runs back to the car. This proves what a little diva she can be. If I have any complaints it is that she snores quite loudly at night and she loves rolling in mud. She takes a lot of my attention, but she gives me so much more in return. She truly is a gift from above! It is us against the world.

 

It is really hard to choose only one picture when you have a personal connection with the animal as each picture describes their personalities so well. This just proves how attached we have become and that we no longer view animals as simply animals, but as companions and friends. We have co-evolved.

SOURCES

Shelton, D. 2001. Pioneer pets: the dogs of Territorial Tucson: a photo essay. The Journal of Arizona History 42(4):445-472.

Haraway, D. 2007. The Companion Species Manifesto: dogs, people, and significant otherness. Chicago: Prickly Paradigm Press.

We’re all living in a yellow Anthropocene, Anthropocene…(but we are missing the beetles)

According to Steffen et al (2011: 843) the term Anthropocene refers to the Earth is moving out of its current geological epoch and that human activity is largely responsible for this. This suggests that humankind has become a global geological force in its own right since the effect of humans on the environment has become large and active and has a major impact on the function of the earth and most likely started during the Industrial Revolution when the rapidly growing combustion of fossil fuels began to change the atmosphere’s composition (Gisli et al. 2014:4). This epoch has been created by problems like accelerated technological development which led the creation and distribution of materials like concrete and aluminium and plastic that cannot break down naturally. Also the human population that has grown and increased consumption has led to transformation of land and ecosystems meaning a loss of natural environment and wild animals to agriculture and domesticated species (Water et al. 2016: 1&3).  Gisli et al (2014: 8) claims “The Anthropocene therefore really commences when humans become aware of their global role in shaping the earth and, consequently, when this awareness shapes their relationship with the natural environment.

During the time I kept a sound journal I realised that some sound were more consistent than others. In every environment that I entered the sound of cars and traffic could be heard. Pretoria is a city and there are plenty of roads to provide this noise. Another sound that I heard a lot was the sound of humans laughing and talking. At the University of Pretoria this sound drowns out almost all the other sounds and as my house is located near a school the sound of hundreds of people talking at once follows me home. There is clearly a big urge to mow the lawn as this is a sound I encountered a lot during my two days of keeping a sound journal. In classes I also faintly heard the sound of people receiving notifications on their phones and tapping away on their keyboards and screens. Luckily I live in the suburbs and could also hear the sounds of crickets at night, birds chirping early in the morning and dogs barking at anything that moves. It rained for a day and I could hear the rain falling and occasionally I could hear the wind as it blew around me. Anthrophonic sounds, meaning sound that are produced by humans, were more dominant than geophonic sound that is made by the physical environment and biophonic sound that are made by living organisms (Whitehouse, 2015:57).

According to Whitehouse (2015) ecological and sonic disruptions are caused by human activity and this leads to the world being silent or conflicting since we are drowning out the natural noises made by animals like birds. Krause claims that this leads to a loss of harmony as bird sounds help humans with their sense of time, place and season.

What is it like to hear birds? Well, I have conflicting opinions on this question as I live beneath the Magielies Mountains. The sounds of birds can be soothing, but when guinea fowl are making loud noises in the early morning hours it is not a pretty sound and add to that the sound of Hadedas screaming I as a person who is not at my best in the morning is not happy. On the other hand it is comforting to go for a walk late in the afternoon and hear the sound of kiewiete. It is calming. It becomes sad when one realises that the only bird sound might hear on campus in the sound of pigeons. Humans have become so obsessed with expanding and developing areas that we are forcing away the natural inhabitants of those areas and we as a result also lose out. Kohn argues (Whitehouse. 2015: 1) that the semiotics of more-than-human relations and helps with our understanding of the world as a meshwork.

The amount of bird species that can be heard in my environment is definitely a small one. I could only identify four different birds over the sound of the Anthropocene. While my mother who works further away from the city claimed to not only hear but see a large variety of birds every day and was even lucky enough to have a barn owl make a nest near her office window. This proves the point that was made earlier that we as humans and our desire to expand are destroying biodiversity.

My mother grew up in the city as well but remembered seeing a lot of “mossies” and Hoopoe and Indian mynahs. She also claims that there were wild geese in her area that frequented their pool, but other than that she mainly remembers a lot of pigeons and of course Hadedas. She does however have a special memory of hearing a knocking sound while riding to school one morning and after stopping to investigate she saw a Cardinal woodpecker pecking away at a tree. She was fascinated by this.

My father on the other hand grew up on a farm and claims that the bird life was thriving. He saw everything from “blousuisies” to guinea fowl. He named fiscal shrikes, waxbills, bee-eaters, wagtails and his favourite bird a crimson breasted shrike. He told me he saw many Lilac-breasted Rollers (Troupant in Afrikaans). His list goes on and on. He is an avid bird watcher and told me that he would take me out of the city to see more birds. This also proves the point that Anthropocene has led to the loss of diversity in our bird species and that we as humans are affecting the environment.

We live in an Anthropocene since our soundscape is dominated by the sound of traffic and human created noise, we barely hear the sound of birds and when we hear them it is only a select few species. We as humans are more concerned with technological development and expanding the areas we inhabit and as the loss of birds show that this is having an effect on our planet.

 

Troupand

 

Crimson Breasted Shrike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources Consulted:

Gisli, P et al. 2013. Reconceptualizing the ‘Anthropos’ in the Anthropocene: integrating the social sciences and humanities in global environmental change research. Environmental Science & Policy 28:3-13.

Steffen, W et al. 2011. The Anthropocene: conceptual and historical perspectives. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 369:842-867.

Waters, CN et al. 2016. The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene. Science 351(6269):[sp].

Whitehouse, A. 2015. Listening to birds in the Anthropocene: the anxious semiotics of sound in a human-dominated world. Environmental Humanities 6:53-71.

What the frick is fracking?

WHO ARE THE DRIVERS OF CHANGE?	WHAT IS HAPPENING?	WHAT CAN BE DONE?
FOR FRACKING  The South African Government Department of Economic Development  The Department of Minerals Resources  Shell  Rhino Oil and Gas Exploration   AGAINST FRACKING  Treasure Karoo Action Group  WWF-SA The Umzimvubu Catchment Parternership Environmental Affairs Royal Bakoena Traditional Council Trust  Matatiele Council Anti-fracking protesters in Karoo and KZN	Companies want to start fracking in South Africa to find shale gas.   This is a dangerous practise for the environment as the effect is irreversible.   Fracking itself can cause earthquakes and pollute water (this is during a time where South Africa is experiencing drought) and pollute the air. The release of toxic gasses can lead to serious health problems.   Fracking on the other hand can help with the creation of jobs (which is also a current problem in South Africa) and might help with the possible energy problem (not enough coal) and it might even help with air pollution because gas is cleaner than coal.	The people of South Africa in areas such as the Karoo and Kwa-Zulu Natal are trying to force the government and companies to be banned from starting to frack by protesting, creating awareness of its dangers and trying to make it illegal for any company to frack by taking cases to the higher court.

 

Introduction

The theories mentioned in the articles ‘Humanities for the Environment – A Manifesto for research and action’ (2015) by Paul Holm and ‘Reporting on rhinos: analysis of the newspaper coverage of rhino poaching’ (2014) by Shelby Grant and Mary Lawhorn as well as using three news articles about fracking specifically in South Africa is used to analyse the importance of the media regarding environmental awareness. The analysis includes how the media has reacted, what can be done and who are involved with the issue of fracking.  The three articles include ‘Anti-fracking movement gains momentum’ (2016) by Vusi Mthalane, ‘Activists ready to challenge fracking with High Court application’ (2016) by Jayed-Leigh Paulse and ‘Fracking not viable for now’ by Chelsea Pieterse and Jonathan Erasmus.

 

What is fracking?

Fracking is short for hydraulic fracking which is fracturing rocks apart to release shale gas and oil trapped inside. The process consists of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure mixture of chemicals, sand and water is injected into the rock at a high pressure which releases the gas inside allowing it to flow out of the rock to the surface. Pathways are created or channels that exist already can be used to release the gas.

Do Drivers for Change relate to the ‘Great Acceleration’ of human technologies, power and consumption?

The “Great Acceleration” is defined as the way in which humans have been using technologies and other powers to increase their consumption levels in such ways in the last 70 years that it has caused it to be a key driver of Global Change (Holm, 2015:980). Increased human consumption has resulted in adverse changes to the planet’s atmospheric gas distribution, further extinction of species, climate change, water pollution and more. The negative impacts on the environment continue to haunt the health and lifestyles of humans on earth and will do so still for centuries to come unless dramatic changes in production and consumption are implemented (Holm, 2015:980)

We are looking to fracking as an alternative way to gain energy as our current source of energy is mainly the burning of fossil fuels. This bad for the environment as it causes air pollution and water pollution due to mining of these fuels and burning it for energy. This form of energy is also causing us to be losing resources of coal as there is only a certain amount available to us and when it has been exhausted it cannot be refurbished. Thus the ‘Great Acceleration’ has lead us to the over use of coal and polluting of air and water. We are forced to look to alternative measures. This is the drive for environmental change.

Fracking will help with the creation of jobs for many people. A lack of jobs is currently a problem is South Africa and this will thus help our economy (Paulse:2016).This will also put the government in a good light. This might be a political drive. Companies responsible for extracting the natural gasses will gain from it economically as countries will be willing to buy these gasses and pay large amounts for it.

Fracking may take place on ground that belongs to traditional tribes in South Africa and councils like the Royal Bakoena Traditional Council Trust and the Matatiele Council are fighting against fracking as they may lose their ground and their tribes might become sick (Mthalne:2016). This could be a cultural drive.

 

How do the solutions relate to ‘The Human Condition’?

The New Human condition refers to how we choose to identify, respond and cope with the consequences and responsibilities of environmental concerns such as responding in denial, despair, alarmism and action (Holm 2015: 983).

In the case of the articles, it is clear that the community has responded to the possible dangers of fracking by getting together and protesting. The community has become alarmed and has taken action. Companies such as The WWF-SA has helped the community to take action by taking this case to the higher court to try to ban companies from starting to frack in South Africa (Paulse: 2016)

The community has become aware of the dangers of fracking and are trying to do something to stop it from coming to South Africa where it can possibly destroy our beautiful and rich landscape. All cases of possible fracking in South Africa have been met with resistance from the public as can be seen by the three articles.

 

Solutions? Or lack thereof

The effects of fracking are irreversible and include earthquakes and the release of toxic materials into the ground, water an air which can lead to serious health concerns for humans. The only way to stop the dangers of fracking is to make sure that fracking does not occur.

The community in South Africa has held many meetings to discuss and inform others about the dangers of fracking to the environment. Petitions have been signed, protests have been held and a case has been made at the High Court of South Africa to prevent any fracking from happening. The people of South Africa in areas such as the Karoo and Kwa-Zulu Natal are trying to force the government and companies to be banned from starting to frack by protesting, creating awareness of its dangers and trying to make it illegal. So far the action has been successful as many attempts of fracking has already been stopped or severely delayed (Pieterse & Erasmus:2016).

The lack of solutions to fracking shows how little we know of fracking at the moment and how dangerous it is. Fracking companies are telling the community that it is safe, but thanks to the media doing research and publishing articles, we have become aware of just how bad fracking is to the environment.

The reaction of the community shows that we as humans are taking action to try save the environment. It shows that there is awareness and that in the case of fracking there is ‘Human Condition’.

 

 

 Conclusion

If done safely theoretically fracking can be revolutionary to helping reduce the amount of harmful emission released into the atmosphere as natural gas is non-toxic and non-corrosive. Traditional fossil fuels (coal) are not infinitely available and the burning of these fuels are bad for the environment.

Realistically fracking is dangerous and threatens rural areas. Water supplies can be contaminated by the injection of waste water deep into the ground and it takes 1-8 million gallons of water to complete each fracturing job. During the fracking process, methane gas and toxic chemicals leach out from the system and contaminate nearby groundwater. This can lead to sensory, respiratory, and neurological damage. In addition to this toxic fluid is left in the ground and is not biodegradable. The waste fluid is left in open air pits to evaporate, releasing harmful volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, creating contaminated air, acid rain, and ground level ozone.

(Please see the following website http://www.dangersoffracking.com/ as it explains the dangers really well)

While hydraulic fracking may produce a lot natural gas which has its benefits, more than fossil fuels, it comes at the large price of numerous environmental, safety, and health hazards.

 

Sources Consulted

Grant, S & Lawhon, M. 2014. Reporting on Rhinos: analysis of the newspaper coverage of rhino poaching. Southern African Journal of Environmental Education 30:39-52

Holm, P et al. 2015. Humanities for the Environment- A manifesto for research and action. Humanities 4: 977-992

Mthalane. V. 2016. Anti-fracking movement gains momentum. [Online] Accessed from       http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrican/News/20160308. [Accessd on 31 March  2016]

Paulse, JL. 2016. Activists ready to challenge fracking with High Court application. [Online]Accessed from  http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/f699cb004bf7d1878197cf58ddc3c216/   Activists- ready-tochallenge-fracking-with-High-Court-application-20160903. [Accesed on 31 March 2016]

Pierterse, C & Erasmus, J. 2016. Fracking not viable for now. The Witness