--- title: "World Plant Health Day, discussion on the Paris Agreement’s future and just transition event" description: "This week plant health, climate justice and land rights take centre stage with events from ISS, Open Secrets, and Plaas highlighting urgent calls for equity, sustainability, and accountability." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "CIVIL SOCIETY WATCH — 12 May to 16 May" author: "Lerato Mutsila" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/lerato-mutsila/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-12-world-plant-health-day-discussion-on-the-paris-agreements-future-and-just-transition-event/" published: "2025-05-12T13:35:16" updated: "2025-05-12T13:35:18" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 549 --- # World Plant Health Day, discussion on the Paris Agreement’s future and just transition event > This week plant health, climate justice and land rights take centre stage with events from ISS, Open Secrets, and Plaas highlighting urgent calls for equity, sustainability, and accountability. By Lerato Mutsila · Published 12 May 2025, 15:35 SAST · Updated 12 May 2025, 15:35 SAST ## Key points - On May 12, as the UN celebrates International Day of Plant Health, it’s a timely reminder that while healthy plants are the unsung heroes of our food security and environmental balance, their pest-ridden counterparts could unleash a buffet of zoonotic diseases. - May 12 marks the UN's International Day of Plant Health, highlighting its critical role in food security and the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. - FAO warns that pest-infected plants can lead to food supply crises and zoonotic disease outbreaks, urging better pest management practices. - On May 13, ISS hosts a seminar discussing Africa's climate prospects post-US exit from the Paris Agreement, featuring key ambassadors and climate experts. - Open Secrets hosts a day of art and activism on May 14, addressing climate injustice and energy profiteering through testimonies, art exhibitions, and a documentary premiere. ## Content **Monday, 12 May,**marks the United Nations’ International Day of Plant Health. Under this year’s theme, The importance of plant health in One Health, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) argues that plant health is the foundation of food security and is interconnected with human, animal and environmental health. “Healthy plants provide nutrient-rich diets for humans and animals and help promote a balanced ecosystem. Pest-infected plants can trigger a cascade of negative effects on food supplies and induce outbreaks of zoonotic diseases transmitted through harmful pathogens. Pesticides play a role in pest management, but their overuse and poor management cause biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, ecosystem dysfunction, food safety concerns and pesticide resistance,” FAO said. FAO called on the public to raise awareness and take action to keep plants, animals, humans and the environment healthy. ![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Poster-1.jpg) On**Tuesday, 13 May at 10 am,**the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) will host a seminar on the prospects for Africa after the US exits the Paris Climate Agreement. “The US exit from the Paris Agreement will hit developing countries especially hard. Can this year’s COP30 in Brazil get the climate agenda back on track?” ISS asked. The conversation will be moderated by Dhesigen Naidoo, Senior Research Associate, Climate Risk and Human Security at ISS. Panellists include: - HE David Martinon, Ambassador of France to South Africa - HE Benedicto Fonseca Filho, Ambassador of Brazil to South Africa - Brian Mantlana, Lead, Holistic Climate Change Impact Area, CSIR - Nomthandazo Mabena, Fellow, Powershift Africa - Kgaugelo Mkumbeni, Research Officer, Climate Risk and Human Security, ISS #### **Venue: ISS Pretoria seminar room and online via Zoom** Register to attend at this [link](https://issafrica.org/events/prospects-for-africa-after-us-exits-paris-climate-agreement). ![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Poster-2.jpg) On **Wednesday from 9 am,**Open Secrets will host We Can’t See the Sunset: Echoes of a Just Transition*,*a day of art, activism and accountability. “Building on the findings of the 2024 People’s Hearing on Energy Profiteers, this immersive event creates a platform for communities, activists, and organisations to confront climate injustice and demand a just energy transition,” the organisation said. The programme includes: - Testimonies: First-hand accounts from communities affected by energy profiteering, exposing its human toll. - Art Exhibition: A moving collection of photography, video, and mixed media artworks exploring themes of justice, resilience, and renewal. Open to the public from 9am to 5pm. - Zine Launch: A creative publication weaving together testimonies, art, and community visions for a just and sustainable future. - Documentary Premiere: Open Secrets’ new short film blends poetry, art, and investigative insight to confront the dystopian path shaped by energy profiteers. #### **Where: 3-13 Caledon St, District Six, Cape Town, 7925** #### **Homecoming Centre** Entry to the event is free. Book your ticket [here](https://www.quicket.co.za/events/313299-peoples-hearing-on-energy-profiteers-part-2-we-cant-see-the-sunset/#/) ![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Poster-3.jpg) Also on **Wednesday at 12 pm,**Plaas and the EMS Land Research Niche will host a free screening of Mathonga Elizwe — Spirits of the Nation at the University of the Western Cape. Directed by international award-winning creator Tsogo Kupa and produced by anthropology and sociology senior lecturer Dr Mnqobi Ngubane, the documentary reveals the experiences of land claimants and labour tenants as they fight for their land. “Spirits of the Nation chronicles the poignant stories of black families still living under oppression on white-owned land in South Africa, the loss of ancestral land, and the ongoing fight for its return,” the poster read. #### **Where: UWC, Bellville Campus** #### **Library Auditorium** ![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Poster-4-1.jpeg)