Christian Brothers College Bloemfontein holds Recyclable Art Competition against Climate Change

By Ikenna Ekwerike – Learners and staff at St Joseph’s Christian Brothers’ College, Bloemfontein, are not left out in the crucial race against time to combat climate change and the resultant global warming in order to save ‘our common home’.

Global, non-discriminatory impacts of climate change and the resulting ecological disasters make a re-evaluation of humanity’s relationship and interaction with nature very urgent.

As slow alteration of the atmospheric conditions over time, climate change is particularly characterised by the rapid rising of the earth’s temperature. Analysts believe that the African atmosphere has become much warmer than it was 100 years ago. This is due, in part, to higher volumes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere.

Contributing to excess carbon dioxide in the air are human activities especially the burning of fossil fuels, burning of woods and plants; as well as volcanic activities.

Already, several ecological changes that seem to have a correlation with increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been identified. Carbon dioxide traps too much heat from the sun in the atmosphere with its negative impacts on life on Earth.

Studies indicate changes in vegetation in South Africa where woody plants are invading grasslands. With woody plants invading grassland areas comes the consequent threat on agriculture and food security.

Most of the staple foods that people consume daily like potatoes, rice, maize, soya beans, beans, and millet as well as forage for the livestock are cultivated on grasslands.

Ugly effects of climate change are upon South Africa already. In early April 2022, devastating flooding and subsequent mudslides hit parts of KwaZulu Natal Province following days of prolonged rainfall.

Over 450 lives were reportedly lost to the unfortunate incident with many more people still unaccounted for. Survivors who were displaced by the disaster hopelessly counted their losses.

Houses, schools, hospitals, roads, portable water pipes, electricity and telecommunication installations, among others, were destroyed. The damages ran into billions of Rand. More than R32 billion was estimated as the cost of recovery from the disaster.

Also in 2019, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe were struck by a deadly cyclone. Thousands were killed and properties were lost. All these severe weather conditions are being interpreted by analysts in relation to climate change.

It is with all these in mind that CBC Bloemfontein, launched its school community recycling project which culminates yearly through a recyclable art competition. Winners in the competition are announced the third term.

Entry for the competition is open to all learners at the school. A winner each is drawn from the Foundation, Intermediate, Senior and Further Education and Training phases. Winning entries get prize monies as an encouragement to keep heeding Pope Francis’ call to ecological conversion towards an integral ecology.

Winning entries for 2023 are pictured below: