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| Thu, 10th Nov 2022 9:42:00 |
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The Namibia-Botswana oil project being called a sin |
As politicians meet to discuss how to cut carbon emissions, descendants of Southern Africa's first inhabitants are raising concerns about an oil and gas exploration project. Religious leaders have also spoken out, with one saying the project is a sin, and calling on COP27 delegates to curtail the activities of fossil fuel companies.
In the Southern African country of Botswana lies one of the largest inland deltas in the world, a landscape the UN has called "exceptional" and "rare" in its beauty.
The Okavango Delta is an oasis in the heart of the Kalahari Desert. Its waterways and floodplains are home to some of the world's most endangered species of large mammals, like black rhinos. The plants, birds, fish, and animals that live here make up a particularly delicate ecosystem.
It's so precious it has been designated a World Heritage Site.
A Canadian company, Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica), believes there could be a wealth of oil and gas under the ground in the north of Botswana and neighbouring Namibia.
It holds exploration licences for a 34,325sq km area straddling the border of the two countries.
Three test wells have already been drilled in Namibia.
"The project is a sin, and a serious one," the recently retired former Anglican Bishop of Namibia tells me.
Luke Pato spent the last months of his time in Namibia campaigning against the project with a group of other religious leaders. As we sit in the garden of his home in Johannesburg, he tells me why.
"Jesus said, 'I have come so that they may have life and have it abundantly.' He would never be on the side of anything that has the potential to destroy life, to destroy the environment in which people live. I have no doubt that Jesus would find a way of pulling the carpet under the feet of those who are still wanting to engage in the exploration of fossil fuels.
"I would like drilling to stop, this company to pick up its machines and go."
Bishop Pato is worried about the effect that the drilling in Namibia may have on underground water reservoirs that connect to the Okavango River. The river runs along Namibia's border north of the drilling sites, carrying water to the delta in neighbouring Botswana.
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