User:Mvonabo/Change TV

Change TV (TV Series) is South African environmental documentary series. It follows various people living in the city of Cape Town and the Western Cape of South Africa. Season one is an eight part documentary series that delves into the eclectic communities of the Western Cape and peels away at the social and economic strata to discover the true meaning of environmentalism. It follows an ensemble cast of over 80 people all citizens of the city of Cape Town who take the viewer on a controversial path of exploration, uncovering the impact we have on our planet.

The Nature of Change
We meet Dale Isaacs, a Cape Flats business woman who has a passion for her environment, Louis de Villiers a lawyer from Observatory who has fought many a legal environmental battle, Kanyiswa a young woman with big aspirations from Guguletu and Muna Vakani with his scathing wit. The themes which our characters explore are around modern life in South Africa, more specifically Cape Town and how modernity and consumerism has lead to one of the greatest threats that our species has ever had to face, global climate and environmental degradation. This planet that we live on is put into perspective and the relationship that we have with nature is highlighted in this episode which is an overarching episode which sets the tone for the rest of the series. Along with the four main characters we speak to ordinary people of Cape Town, some very disgruntled ladies of the islamic community and CEO of global carbon exchange Kevin James. In this episode we look at how westernisation and the current headlong dive into development is actually jeopardizing the future not only for children's' generations but our own as well."the richness i achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration" Claude Monet

The Nature of Water
Water, the element which makes this planet so unique and the substance which all life on Earth dependent on. South Africa is a water scarce nation and it is the single biggest concern in the future when it comes to the effects of global climate change, with a changing climate there are changing rainfall patterns, our main source of water. Our world populations have been developed around water and its availability, Cape Town as a city was started because of the water it provided passing ships, what will the future be when the world's climate as we know it shifts, when rainfall shifts, how will the future of our cities and populations look? In this episode the four elaborate on the importance of water and what is happening to this precious finite resource. The thorny issues of bottled water and the way we mistreat this beautiful life giver is explored. We also have Deon Roussow from Cape Nature who gives his scathing opinion on these matter of water use of the in the City of Cape Town. Various other members of the Capetonian community all give their opinions on a matter which is central to our very existence. We travel with underprivileged and neglected children who have been given the opportunity of getting out into nature and learn about the importance of water conservation with the the Rondevlei childrens Environmental Education Initiative. “Water is life's mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” Albert Szent-Gyorgyi quotes (Hungarian Biochemist, 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine, 1893-1986)

The Nature of Energy
South Africa is the 14th highest emitter of CO2-gases and we live in one of the most energy in-effiecient economies in the world per capita with a 95% dependancy on Eskom and we have he highest dependancy on coal in the world, a dirty non-renewable resource, so what solutions are there, Eskom representitive and senior manager, Anthony Stott justifies the use of nuclear energy as Eskom's energy expansion while Muna argues that there is no such thing as safe nuclear energy. We explore what is wrong with cheap non-renewabale energy and investigate the current addiction we as a society have for non-renewable energy and how we can correct it so we can avert the future catastrophe if we we carry on down this freeway of self-distruction. over the next three years the main power utility will increase its tariffs by 80% incrementally, what does this mean for the poor and is it still economically viable to be using energy that cannot be replaced, the future of oil, coal, uranium etc. is not infinite. Citizens and experts share in ways we can practically be a part of 'Change' for the better. "all of life is maintained by the by the sun, by the air, by water, by the earth and its resources" Eberhard Arnold

The Nature of Waste
Our society is a wasteful one, it a disposal culture has arisen through the mechanisms of consumerism that has become a societal norm thanks to rampant capitalism and globalisation through westernisation, but there are ways of living in a world where we no longer are wasteful but still in a global community, in this episode the causes of waste and solutions to this crisis are discussed. Landfill space is ever decreasing and soon there will be nowhere for our waste to go out of sight, something has to be done urgently, we need to change. Luzanne Isaacs from the City of Cape Town says in this episode that we are African, we should remember what we are and only through local solutions will we be able to change the system which is spiraling into the crisis we are facing. We visit where our waste ends up and discover various ways in which we can reduce our waste and the footprint we are leaving on the planet.

The Nature of Food
In this episode we will discuss pressing issues faced by the world population and find ways we as a society can avoid the uncertain food-less future and manage our resource so that a burgeoning global population is able to share resources more efficiently. The castigate for the poor and ultimately all who live and breathe on this good earth will be affected ultimately by one of the greatest humanitarian predicaments imaginable: the dramatic upward swing in global food prices. According to the World Bank, the research analysts at Bloomberg and the World Food Program, global staple food prices have soared in recent history. For example rice which is considered one of the world’s staple food products and which fill the stomachs of over 3 billion people on a daily basis. It has increased by 74% between March 2007 and March 2008. But this pales in comparison to the tremendous increase in the price of wheat, which has increased as much as 130% in the one year. This crazed increase thereby helps drive the poverty cycle as poorer families will spend more than 80% of their income on food to sustain life. The global food crisis has been in latency over the last ten years and has presented itself as a fiendish spectre in present day. It is made up of multiple causes but all are integrally interrelated and reliant on one another. Firstly it starts at the rise of fuel prices. In the past 4 years oil has jumped from an average of $25 a barrel to $124.13 (15 May 2008- Bloomberg) a barrel and now hovers in at the $75 a barrel plateau. The mechanisms of food production within modern society are completely dependant on energy provided by oil products; this starts from fertilizers to ploughing to sowing to reaping to packaging to transport and many more activities. The next is an unprecedented rise of the emerging economies of China, India and Brazil. These countries have received near exponential growth in the past few years which have soaked up energy resources and inevitably food. With this sudden growth, consumption habits have changed as the population of these respective countries have climbed the class ladder. According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation the meat consumption in China has increased 20 Kilograms from 1980 to 50 Kilograms per capita in 2007. It requires a massive amount of resources for meat production, e.g. as much as 13 000 litres of water are needed to produce one kilogram of beef. The next cause is that related to the previous two; global climate change. Climatic instability has destroyed crops and has plunged regions of the world into weather extremes which are only expected to intensify, thereby forcing yet another surge in food prices. Ultimately, the fourth cause which is considered the saviour of the planet as a viable green energy source; Bio-fuels. Bio-fuel is now a preferred crop over food production in the developed world, as the global energy crisis’s shadow only intensifies. Rising oil prices and fears over climate change have seen a massive rise in the use of maize to make bio-fuels thereby pushing up food prices even further. According to the World Bank, more than 40% of maize grown in the United States is now used for fuel. A United Nations envoy called “bio-fuels a crime against humanity”. In essence food that can be used to alleviate the supply/demand issue is rather used to jump-start the ailing world economy and soothe the guilt over climate change we are being dragged into unfamiliar territory. No longer is it just the sole concern of the nation state; it is now a global issue. An issue which can very quickly grow out of control, so steps in the controversial Genetically Modified food industry as the saviour of the poor and the growing world population, or is it? "If we do not permit the world to produce beauty and joy, it will in the end not produce food either" Joseph Wood Krutch, naturalist 1893-1970

The Nature of Biodiversity
We live on a planet rich with life, Rapid environmental changes typically cause extinctions. Of all species that have existed on Earth, 99.9 percent are now extinct. The abundant life on earth at present including ourselves are that lucky 0.01 percent that has survived ions of environmental changes on our globe. Only through adaptation have we and all the species that exist on this planet today managed to cling to this rock we call home. A rich biodiversity is not only important form an ecological point of view, it ensures our health, economy and the food on our tables. The Western Cape is home to the Fynbos biome one of the world's six floral kingdoms, this is the smallest and richest per area unit. Table in Cape Town supports 2200 species, more than the entire United Kingdom. Although the Fynbos comprises only 6% of the area of southern Africa it has half the species on the subcontinent, and in fact has almost 1 in 5 of all plant species in Africa. Now with such and extraordinary heritage to be be proud of we show protect and conserve this fragile system not only for our benefit but the benefit for generations to come. In this episode we see the importance of biodiversity and the threats that a healthy native biodiverse area such as the fynbos biome face. Alien plants to development are all infringing on our heritage. Dale of Cape Flats nature defends the life of a snake that has been caught to be sold for food, catalyzing the debate on how social and environmental issues can both be addressed. Patrick Dowling of WESSA enlightens us on the importance of a bio-diverse habitat and ways in which we each can personally protect and save our local plant and animal life. We also speak to Gregg Oelofse of the City of Cape Town to see what the city is doing to protect and conserve both the nature habitat as well as the city's future.

The Nature of Oceans
Approximately 71 % of the Earth's surface is covered in water. The sea has a power over man, it is the least explored part of our planet and in all consideration the worlds oceans are truly what makes our planet unique. Scientists estimate that 230,000 marine life forms of all types are currently known, but the total could be up to 10 times that number. It is an enigmatic realm which has alluded civilisation since the beginning of documented time. It truly is an alien environment but it also sustains us. From regulating our climate, generating oxygen, absorbing CO2 to providing food and stimulating the global economy the world's oceans are an integral part of our existence on this planet.

Life owes the oceans its existence, as it was from here it all started. Now with the burgeoning world population hungry, the sea is under extreme stress as fish stocks have dwindled so far down that there seems no recovery in sight. This threatens the livelihoods of millions and is heralding the collapse of the food chain both oceanic and terrestrial. Beyond that eutrophication (oxygen removal from water) and acidification of the world's oceans is accelerating as we pump more into it and dump more carbon into the atmosphere.

We have waged war on the oceans from all sides, from the sea-life to the water itself, none are immune to the ravages of humanities need for consumption and apathy to waste. In this episode we discover what is at the root of the problem and how and why the world's oceans are so important to us. We talk to an artisanal fisherman how is fighting multinational greed to save a sustainable way of life. Gregg Oelofse of the city of Cape Town and Patrick Dowling of Wessa take us through the future of the city and how sea-level rise due to global warming and global climate change will impact on communities, both in the Western Cape and globally. We discover what is happening the sea's wild life with a visit to SANCCOB and find out what we can practically do to save our local sea-birds. Next we travel Gansbaai to investigate cage shark diving and find out whether or not it is destructive or beneficial. Khanyiswa, Dale, Louis and Muna, all four are passionate about the environment and people in general, they lend their knowledge and expertise on how we can not only conserve the worlds oceans but derive benefit from them as well.