The Alternative Mining Indaba is a community-led gathering that seeks to challenge dominant mining narratives, centering the lived experience of mining affected communities across Africa. Each year in February, it brings together communities, faith-based organizations and civil society to challenge the way mining is framed in mainstream forums such as the Mining Indaba, hosted by industry representatives and government at the same time as the Alternative Mining Indaba.
In 2026 the BAOBAB EIA4ClimateJustice synthesis team, hosted by ASCEND, engaged in knowledge brokering at the Alternative Mining Indaba. The EIA4ClimateJustice Project is developing a climate justice-oriented approach to environmental impact assessment law and practice in Southern Africa, including a toolkit that empowers communities to raise their climate adaptation and other concerns in environmental impact assessment processes. The Alternative Mining Indaba offered the Project team the opportunity to listen to case stories and promote the use of their proposed climate adaptation solutions in an inclusive, community-oriented way.
What changed?
By engaging with communities, faith-based organizations and civil society, members of the EIA4ClimateJustice Project team gained a deeper knowledge of climate injustices experienced by those disproportionately affected by the impacts of mining in Southern Africa and beyond. In their conversations, the team listened to harrowing stories and experiences of those working to hold multinational corporations accountable for harm to the climate system and environment more generally. For instance, livestock are currently drinking polluted water in Wonderkop and Marikana resulting from mining operations, and communities have attempted to test water sources at their own expense. The team was able to concretize their research, offer knowledge and information on steps to take, and learn new strategies for disseminating the toolkit we are developing, which will in turn ensure the effective use of our proposed climate adaptation solutions.
Why does it matter?
Overwhelmingly, participants from different countries which the team engaged suggested that there is either inadequate or no EIA consultations that precede projects in their various communities. Furthermore, communities, faith-based organizations and civil society are not necessarily aware of how to utilize law and policy in ways that promote climate justice. It is important that toolkit and other outputs developed by the EIA4ClimateJustice Project not only be shared with law and policymakers but also act as powerful tools in the hands of those experiencing climate injustice daily. Through our engagements we shared new understandings of the potential for law and policy to enhance climate justice through the creation of toolkits aimed at climate adaptation solutions. The EIA4ClimateJustice Project team highlighted the rich potential of environmental impact assessments to be responsive to community concerns about mining and other activities that are harmful to the climate system and people.
What did BAOBAB provide?
BAOBAB through the African Synthesis Centre for Climate Change. Environment, and Development (ASCEND) provided a platform and enabling infrastructure which brought together a transdisciplinary team of experts from multiple countries. This space facilitated collaborative engagement and co-design, allowing the team to develop a framework that was subsequently used to engage a wide range of stakeholders in a meaningful and inclusive manner. In addition, BAOBAB, in partnership with Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), supported knowledge brokering training that strengthened the team’s capacity to translate research into actionable insights. This included training attended by Christiaan and several team members, equipping them with practical skills to effectively bridge the gap between knowledge production and stakeholder engagement in climate justice contexts.
BAOBAB synthesis research teams are supported through the BAOBAB project, which is jointly funded by UK aid through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands as part of the Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) research programme and Step Change initiative.
