Massive Resistance and a Complex Problem as Seismic Surveys Get the Nod

The opposition from the public to oil and gas exploration and drilling off South Africa’s coastline and the recent nod for seismic surveys to start, should not be ignored. It is clear the country’s 16-year-old energy crisis will not go away at the flick of a switch. Those involved in the fields of science, engineering, technology, and the environment must find a solution to this complex problem. Preferably one that reflects the outcome of the recent COP28 climate change conference –  a Global Goal on Adaptation to reduce fossil fuel usage in the interests of saving the planet.

Multinational corporations – including Shell, QatarEnergy, Total Energies and contractors such as CGG Services and Searcher Seismic – are amongst the focal points of this latest public outrage. On the one hand the South African government supports the newest global deal to reduce fossil fuel usage. But the onslaught of oil and gas projects along our coastlines makes mockery of this with serious implications for the health of our oceans and wellbeing of coastal communities.

This follows some recent decisions which include: