Durban - South Africans need to work with government to help curb the effects of climate change, says Shaka Dzebu, who is leading by example.
Dzebu, 25, organised a cycling trip from Limpopo to Durban to raise awareness around climate change.
The youngster believes that South Africans need to start acting on climate change on the ground level.
"We have to learn to work with government and need to take responsibility as individuals. We must start small and then work with municipalities on bigger projects," said Dzebu.
Dzebu is with the South African Catholic Bishop's Conference SACBC Justice and Peace and the organisation partnered with Department of Environmental Affairs on this project.
The cycling team arrived in Durban on Friday, wrapping up a 1335km climate change awareness bicycle ride that started at the Musina taxi rank on 9 November.
The response was good and there were lots of questions, said Dzebu of the event.
"Some people feel that they are dealing with poverty and climate change is a bigger challenge to tackle".
Dzebu observed that people are not that in the dark when it comes to climate change. "I was struck by the knowledge levels of South Africans," he said.
The idea of the cycle was also to show people that ordinary South Africans can be a part of the solution for climate change. For example stopping littering is one of the most basic places to start.
"When you look around there is litter and this needs to stop. These are small things that we can do to make a difference," he said.
