NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA ENHANCING CAPACITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AT PROVINCIAL LEVEL

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1 NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA ENHANCING CAPACITIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION AT PROVINCIAL LEVEL

2 Socio metric opinion poll Inclusive green economies is totally unrealistic! The Green Economy is just another form of Green Capitalism! I am a responsible consumer being aware of how my choices affect social and environmental justice! PAGE National Academy on Green Economy, South Africa DBSA Vulindlela Academy, 26 February 2 March

3 FRAMING A JUST TRANSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA: Towards human well-being and environmental sustainability NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA PAGE National Academy on Green Economy, South Africa DBSA Vulindlela Academy, 26 February 2 March

4 Rising inequalities, the food, fuel and financial crises, and the breaching of planetary boundaries have made it clear that a mere continuation of current strategies will not suffice to achieve sustainable development after 2015 (UN 2013)

5 (RAWORTH 2012)

6 How is South Africa Faring? Social Floor South Africa has not achieved its social foundation for any of the 12 dimensions While trends show improvements in nearly all social indicators since 1994, social deprivation is most severe in the areas of safety, income and employment Ecological Ceiling South Africa has crossed its safe environmental boundaries for climate change, freshwater use, biodiversity loss and marine harvesting with environmental stress still growing in two dimensions climate change and freshwater use (COLE, 2015) PAGE National Academy on Green Economy, South Africa DBSA Vulindlela Academy, 26 February 2 March

7 Policy Context & Challenges Persistent challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment exist hence commitment to a just and inclusive sustainability transition; South Africa s vision of transitioning to a low carbon economy addresses the interdependence between economic prosperity, social protection and ecosystem resilience; Linking sustainable development and social policies (employment, skills development, rural development, land reform) PAGE National Academy on Green Economy, South Africa DBSA Vulindlela Academy, 26 February 2 March

8 By 2030, South Africa s transition to an environmentally sustainable, climate-change resilient, lowcarbon economy and just society will be well under way National Development Plan 2011

9 The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) denotes a just transition as one which provides the opportunity for deeper transformation that includes the redistribution of power and resources towards a more just and equitable social order (COSATU Policy on Climate Change, 2012) ITUC has proposed six enabling conditions in order to facilitate a just transition (ILO, 2010): Investment Research and early assessment Consultation and social dialogue Education and training Social protection and security Economic diversification PAGE National Academy on Green Economy, South Africa DBSA Vulindlela Academy, 26 February 2 March

10 Inclusive Green Economies Offer: New economic opportunities and markets Leapfrog to cleaner technologies Potential for net job creation and poverty reduction And an economy that helps looks after the natural world and shares economic benefits and opportunities more fairly GREEN ECONOMY COALITION, UNEP

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13 Toward Just Transitions Managed well, transitions to environmentally and socially sustainable economies can become a strong driver of job creation, job upgrading, social justice and poverty eradication. (ILO 2015)

14 A Just Transition, simply defined A just transition means that the burden of change that benefits everyone will not be placed disproportionately on a few (ITUC) A just transition for all implies that responses to climate change should maximize opportunities for decent work creation and ensure social justice, rights and social protection for all, leaving no one behind. 14

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16 Wastepreneurs a pro-poor development and sustainability intervention Driving Institution: Wildlands Conservation Trust Concept: Collection and Processing of Recyclable Waste by Community-based Waste Collectors (Wastepreneurs) and Recycling Teams Background and Context: Greenpreneurs: Concept combines environmental benefits with socio-economic development Initiated with Treepreneurs Wastepreneurs in umsunduzi Municipality, KZN run as a pilot programme 2012 Application to the Green Fund Jan to scale up the model, and replicate to other provinces Form: Recycling Teams and Wastepreneurs (Waste Collectors) Stakeholder Engagement: Government esp. Municipalities, Private Sector, Donors, and Media New Perspectives and Impact: Social, environmental and financial benefits from waste collection and processing model which support local livelihoods Diffusion: Scale-up successfully demonstrated KZN, Gauteng & Mpumalanga Key Challenges: Financial sustainability, Capacity, Infrastructure

17 To date, with Green Fund support, the project has delivered the following key benefits: Grown the Wastepreneur model from 11 to 118 communities in 3 provinces (KZN, Gauteng and Mpumalanga) Number of Wastepreneurs expanded from 529 to 6, schools and 15 charities recruited as Wastepreneurs Training provided to Recycling teams and Wastepreneurs kg recycling collected, avoided emissions of tco 2 e (2014) R paid or bartered for recycling collected (2014) (bikes, food hampers, credit notes, cash, etc.) (Wildlands Conservation Trust 2015)

18 ishack an innovative approach to incremental upgrading of informal settlements Driving Institution: Sustainability Institute Innovation Lab, Stellenbosch University Background and Context: 2011 NRF-funded research investigate alternative approaches to informal settlement upgrade in Enkanini informal settlement, Stellenbosch Municipality Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 2013 Green Fund 2013 (Target: 1500 installations) Form: Enterprise model, a revenue-generating model in which citizens in informal settlements access and pay for solar energy services (Solar Home System) Stakeholder Engagement: Enkanini community, Stellenbosch Municipality, Slum Dwellers International, Specialised Solar Systems (SSS) ishack Stakeholder Network New Perspectives: Alternative approach to policy directive of incremental upgrade of informal settlements. It s aim is not to replace or compete with the municipality s service delivery mandate, but to reduce the backlog in service delivery in the short- to medium-term Diffusion: Since the prototype built in 2012, the ishack Project delivered a solar electricity service to over 800 households in Enkanini. Interest expressed in the model by other municipalities. Key Challenges: Financial sustainability, Capacity, Technology

19 To date, the project has delivered the following key benefits: Provided clean and efficient electricity to approximately 2500 residents (> 800 installations) - DC powered-appliances - Reduce illegal electricity connections - Reduce the use of paraffin ishack agents involved in maintenance and installation recruited from Enkanini settlement ishack to become first private enterprise to use the Free Basic Electricity subsidy to provide an off-grid electricity service Decrease fire hazards Innovative payment models being tested monthly payment model and pay-as-you-go model

20 The Expanded Public Works Programme linking social protection to environmental sustainability The EPWP - SA s public employment programme (PEP) established in 2004 Impacts from the Assets and Services Created Impacts from the Income Earned Address the triple national challenges of unemployment, inequality, and poverty Make systematic use of public expenditure to stimulate productive employment through application of labour-intensive methods in provision of public works Impacts from Participation in Work Cross-Sectoral (Infrastructure, Environment and Culture, Social, and Non-State sectors) Programme Oversight by the DPW, implementation involves all levels of government Unemployment challenges have led to a resultant increase in targets (Developing a Green Jobs Roadmap for the EPWP, ILO and EPWP, 2017)

21 To date: Just over 20% of the work opportunities provided by the EPWP comes from the Environment and Culture sector most of which have resulted in substantial environmental benefits But, mainstreaming environmental sustainability in EPWP, requires: Move beyond the E&C sector Renewable energy transitions and Green Buildings are key opportunities for expansion of EPWP green jobs There is still limited consideration of environmental impacts in infrastructure activities The social sector offer a number of opportunities to mainstream / integrate environment issues notably in awareness raising, but the sector requires greater engagement with green jobs and sustainable development concepts Expand partnerships with national departments, as well as provinces and municipalities

22 Climate-proofing infrastructure Green Buildings e.g. public buildings, social housing Road Infrastructure Water e.g. War on Leaks, Grey water systems for irrigation, Water Reticulation Energy and Water Auditing Landscaping Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Erosion Protection Waste Management and Recycling Infrastructure incl. Sewerage Reticulation Systems Communication Infrastructure Infrastructure Social Environmental Education and Awareness Food gardens Food security (rural focus) e.g. alternative fuel sources Waste management Green Education Infrastructure e.g. Creches and Preschools Healthy communities NGOs implementing partners with environmental focus Off-grid RE Solutions Strengthen waste management Food and Nutrition Support Food Gardens and Organic Farming Informal Settlement Upgrading / Urban Renewal Activities Expand Environmental Programmes i.e. Recycling, Donga Rehabilitation Support to Schools Green Schools Non-State Environment and Culture Expand Sustainable Land-based Livelihoods, incl. Enterprise Development / Ecopreneurs Eco-Guides and Sustainable Tourism Working for Energy incl. off-grid solutions Oceans Economy Waste Management Water efficiency Parks and Beautification Climate-smart agriculture Ecological monitoring Environmental Education and awareness

23 AND SOCIETY!

24 Thank you. Najma Mohamed Senior Climate and Environmental Specialist NATIONAL ACADEMY ON GREEN ECONOMY SOUTH AFRICA PAGE National Academy on Green Economy, South Africa DBSA Vulindlela Academy, 26 February 2 March