South African grassroots environmental justice activists from Limpopo, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape have landed at COP29!

Joined by Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, these individuals are there to represent grassroots interests, especially since their communities are already severely affected by climate change. In the Eastern Cape, communities are still reeling from the impacts of the recent devastating floods, while in Limpopo, temperatures are soaring to unprecedented heights.

In addition to joining COP29 discussions, the community activists will share their experiences and insights into the human impact of the climate crisis, as well as explore innovative local solutions, and will bring much-needed insights to their communities about how global leaders plan to address these challenges.

The environmental justice activists say, “With rural communities struggling with impacts on agriculture and water scarcity, and urban areas forced to deal with failing infrastructure and pollution, grassroots communities must know what is being done to address this intensifying crisis and we need to know what our role is, to help prevent it from getting worse. This is why it is important that our community voices are heard, especially at events like COP29.”

These activists, along with representatives from Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, will be at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan from 15-18 November.