A diverse local economy is a sustainable system

The Oxford dictionary says tolerance is “the ability or willingness to tolerate the existence of opinions or behaviour that one dislikes or disagrees with”. But that it’s also “the capacity to endure continued subjection to something such as a drug or environmental conditions without adverse reaction”.

There are times when your principles and values, or straight-up science, force you to take a stand. South Africans know how to do that: in our recent history, we’ve fought against apartheid, State Capture, and unsustainable and unfair exploitation of the environment.

As a coastal town dependent on tourism, last week’s judgment setting aside Shell’s oil and gas exploration right is close to the heart of Port Alfred. The right gave the multinational company licence to seismically blast the ecologically sensitive Wild Coast something that activists said would be catastrophic not only for the environment, but for those whose livelihoods depend on it.

The Daily Dispatch reported: “In terms of the order made on Thursday 1 September, the full bench of the high court set aside the mineral resources and energy department’s 2014 decision to grant the exploration right as well as its subsequent 2017 and 2020 decisions to renew that right.”

This kind of intolerance is wholly appropriate. The effects of unsustainable practices are devastating to humanity, as we have seen from the terrible climate changerelated disasters we are seeing occurring more frequently around the world.

Many of those who come to Port Alfred to settle do so because they love the ocean but also the peace and quiet of a small town.

On the balance, Port Alfred is that and many of its residents and visitors take pleasure in the quiet spaces.

But there is a generation who love the freedom the town offers to gather safely for events where there may be crowds and - yes - noise. It’s unsustainable to admit only a narrow definition of what the ethos of a treasure like Port Alfred should be and, difficult though it may be to acknowledge at that moment, once-off events - including loud ones - contribute to a vibrant living tourism culture. That’s when it’s time to engage the first kind of tolerance: “the ability or willingness to tolerate the existence of opinions or behaviour that one dislikes or disagrees with”

The effects of unsustainable practices are devastating to humanity, as we have seen from the terrible climate changerelated disasters we are seeing occurring more frequently around the world. Many of those who come to Port Alfred to settle do so because they love the ocean but also the peace and quiet of a small town.