EMG and Oxfam hosted Climate Change Hearings on 5th and 6th October at the Common Ground Church, Rondebosch, Cape Town. The aim of the Hearings was to suspend the big climate change questions for a while, and take the time out to really listen to the experiences of ordinary people and how vulnerable their lives are to changes in the climate.

The event brought together witnesses from Mali, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa who testified to the impact that climate change is having on their lives, how vulnerable they are to changes in climate patterns, and the how they have tried to respond.

The input over the course of the 2 days included more than 10 personal testimonies.

The intention of Hearings was to...

• Listen to testimonies from people in Sub-Saharan Africa whose lives are vulnerable and likely to become more so with climate change, particularly in relation to food and water;
• Listen to on-the-ground stories from people who are innovating and adapting in order to get enough affordable food and water of decent quality;
• Make links between local vulnerability and international drivers of climate change;
• Contribute to building a movement of people living and advocating an ‘alternative’ sustainable future;
• Deepen people’s understanding of the implications of climate change and how to build resilience;
• Make ourselves heard by the public and encourage our leaders to truly lead in a wise, just, responsive way to the challenges of climate change.