Download What works/opportunities?

Consolidated Parallel Breakaway
Report
Sessions 1A-1D & 2A-2B
20 May 2010
1A: Clean and Alternative Energy
Context
• Low carbon emission, minimize pollution, resource
conservation & ecosystem protection
• A competitive market advantage
• Creating sustainable jobs
Challenges
• South Africa relies on fossil fuels for energy
• Poor and marginalised mostly affected by impacts
of energy use
1A: Clean and Alternative Energy
What works/opportunities?
• Policymakers and various stakeholders need to
take steps towards reduction of global
greenhouse gases
• Collaborative approach towards the green
economy
What must be done?
• Develop long term energy vision & plan
• Actions for low carbon economy using LTMS
• Stimulate energy efficiency incentives
• Scale up local manufacturing opportunities
1B: Waste Management
Context
• Urbanization and economic growth have resulted in
massive waste generation
• The disposal of waste has tended to lean towards the
use of landfills with devastating effects on the
environment and health of the population of SA
• Promulgation of the Waste Act in 2009 represents a
radical change in methods of disposal
Challenges
• Need to manage waste management hierarchy as
proposed by Waste Act response to emerging
environmental and socio-economic issues of the
country
1B: Waste Management
What works/opportunities?
• Case studies indicating that the waste management
sector is key to poverty alleviation as it can generate
employment
What must be done?
• Need to develop Industry Waste Management Plans
as consensual instruments for addressing waste
hierarchy issues in specific industrial sectors
• More interventionist regulatory and economic
measures to address gaps and market failures
1C: Sustainable Transport
Context
• Transport is the important sector in promoting economic growth,
connectivity, access to trade thereby promoting sustainable
development and addressing poverty
• New thinking emerging around switching from current mode to
energy efficient public transport
Challenges
• Transport is a major contributor in GHG emissions with 13% of SA
energy emission base year 2000
• Transport sector is the second largest contributor to poor air
quality
• How to balance the unavoidable consequence of restructuring
the transport system in line with the imperatives of the green
economy on the one hand, whereas eliminating the industries
that have relied on heavy pollutants for their survival
1C: Sustainable Transport
What works/opportunities
• BRT is the single biggest investment in reducing greenhouse
gas emissions with a case study pointing at initial estimate
that Rea Vaya (BRT in Johannesburg ) will reduce 382 940
tCO2 equivalent by 2013 (122 km) and 1 600 000 tCO2
equivalent by 2020 (330km)
• Policies and programmes based on principles of sustainable
development (e.g. Draft National Non-Motorised Transport
(NMT) Policy, The Rural Transport Strategy for South Africa)
What must be done?
• A strong need to develop one vision around sustainable
transport (i.e. integrated approach that includes
government, civil society and the private sector)
• Invariably, reprioritization of new approaches on issues like
land use and planning, mobility and change mindsets
around modes of transport
1D: Agriculture and Forestry
Context
• Need to consider socio-economic impact when introducing the
green economy
• Maximising the contribution of agriculture and forestry to
improve natural resource management
• Invasive alien species
• Inequality of resource usage
Challenges
• Deterioration of natural resources
• Limited research and development
• Skills shortage
• Limited regulations
• Access to land for poor communities
1D: Agriculture and Forestry
What works/ opportunities?
• Positive contribution of the agriculture sector to food
production and GDP
• Piloting certain projects can create lessons, e.g. the
Bavianskloof project
What must be done?
• We need to have a strong economic case as well as
models
• We should review and assess the capacity of the
green economy to provide jobs
• Investigation of best land usage
2A: Green Buildings & Built Environment
Context
• A green building significantly reduces or eliminates
negative impact on the environment and its occupants
by being energy efficient, resource efficient and
environmentally responsible
Challenges
• Getting the property industry to buy into the concept
of green building
• Eradicating the perception that green building costs
more than conventional building
• Skills deficit in green building
2A: Green Buildings & Built Environment
What works/opportunities?
• Certified green buildings are shown to have superior market
value, clearly demonstrating the enormous potential of the
sector
• Buildings that are certified by Green Building Councils can
consume 85% less energy and 65% less potable water and
send 69% less waste to landfill than non-certified buildings
What must be done?
• Green building should balance the pace of rollout with the
development of a holistic approach to greening
• The economic implications of a green building and built
environment approach must balance with the development of
the country
2B: Sustainable consumption and Production
Context
• Holistic approach to minimise negative impacts
from production and consumption in society
• Practical implementation strategy to achieve
sustainable development
Challenges
• Gaps in environmental data
• Limited funding through government revenue
structures as well as a lack of appropriate
incentives
2B: Sustainable consumption and Production
What works/opportunities?
• Significant progress has been made in the development of
a framework for the promotion of sustainable
development; key aspect being the shifting of
unsustainable patterns of consumption and production
What must be done?
• Stronger policy alignment required to maximize use of
funds, capacity and tools that have been dedicated to
SCP implementation
• Inform the choices of consumers so as to influence
behaviour
changes
thus
promoting
sustainable
development
Consolidated Parallel Breakaway
Report
Sessions 2C-2D & 3A-3E
20 May 2010
2C: Policy Framework and Governance
Context
• Drive towards a New Growth Path
• South Africa 25 year strategic plan needs to be
relevant to the green economy
Challenges
• No clear and consistent policies
• Limited capacity
• Prioritisation of resource allocations
• Poor service delivery outcomes
2C: Policy Framework and Governance
What works/opportunities?
• Potential for job creation
• Energy saving
• Reducing transport cost due to redesign of
cities
What must be done?
• Increase labour absorption
• Invest in studies that show the costs of the
transition into the green economy
2D: Expanded Public Works Program
Context
• The EPWP projects that contribute to resources management
e.g. waste management; clearing of invasive plants;
rehabilitation of wetlands; greening; fire fighting; land care &
people and parks
Challenges
• The drivers of biodiversity are rapidly declining, natural
resources (fauna & flora) are being exploited in an
unsustainable manner, threatening the functioning of
ecosystems that may undermine socio-economic development
• Land degradation
• Water shortage
• Waste management service bag lock
2D: Expanded Public Works Program
What works/opportunities?
• Work opportunities created through EPWP while contributing
to resource management
• Signatory to UNCCD and made a global commitment to address
land degradation
• National Action Programme adopted
• Dry Lands Rehabilitation fund
What must be done?
• Rehabilitation of natural resources and protection of
biodiversity
• Waste Management and other greening initiatives be
prioritised (be included in the municipal IDPs)
• Addressing land degradation to restore ecological infrastructure
provides an important building block for the new green growth
path
3A: Green Cities and Towns
Context
• Integrated approach to sustainable
development
• Need to reduce carbon footprint
• Introduce alternate energy efficient options
urban
Challenges
• Long term funding
• Resistance to new ideas/ community engagement
• How do we unlock the drivers of the green economy
• Lack of regulatory enforcement
3A: Green Cities and Towns
What works/opportunities
• Case studies, e.g. Lolland best practice
• Smart metering can assist in monitoring
• Legislation can be a driver for change
What must be done?
• Address the housing development in relation to density
• Awareness raising and community engagement
• Identify short term funding with a long term plan
• Create incentives for implementation of green economy
programmes
3B: Water management
Context
• Sustainable, creative and efficient water
resource use
Challenges
• Water quality and quantity management
• Behaviour need to be changed among
consumers
• Costs to incorporate creative water use
• Stakeholders awareness on sustainable use of
water
3B: Water management
What works/ opportunities?
• Collective effort to claim space in terms of water
management
• Water for Growth Strategy
What must be done?
• Need to have clear policy benchmark and encourage
economic development
• Revised issues need to be elevated to a level that
Cabinet endorse
• Government to take lead in awareness creation
3C: Resource conservation and management
Context
• Conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity is the foundation
of a sustainable economy
Challenges
• Perverse incentives
• Absence of standards to determine what is “conservation”
friendly
• Lack of ready markets for biodiversity friendly products
• Increased price charged for “organic” products
• Scientists and economists need to generate the baselines
• Defining incentives for resource efficiencies or resource gains
3C: Resource conservation and management
What works/ opportunities?
• Current value streams from biodiversity
– Ecotourism, Wildlife ranching, Restoration, Products (primary
natural products)
• New / potential value streams
– Insurance sector risks ; Biotechnology Industry; Rural
development of degraded ecological infrastructure; Food
security; Up scaling of Ecotourism; Wildlife ranching;
Bioprospecting
What must be done?
• Recognizing the real value of biodiversity as the natural capital
underpinning the green economy
• Expedite the National Land Degradation Fund as a vehicle for
enabling civil society support for green economy restoration and
conservation initiatives
3D: Technology and Innovation
Context
• Critique current measure to support
technology development and innovation in SA
• Enhance the growth of green industries
Challenges
• Financing for innovation in technology
development and commercialisation
3D: Technology and Innovation
What works/ opportunities?
• Centers of competence
• Policy development will support innovation in
alternative and renewable energy
• International policy environment
What must be done?
• Grow research, development and innovation lead
green industries
3E: Green Economy in practice
Context
• How to create a sustainable Solar Water Heating Industry to
best serve all stakeholders and in doing so promote a green
economy?
Challenges
• Lack of clarity on government support on rebate or subsidy
system
• Create risk enhancers to promote start-up heater distributors
• Education campaign on viability, maintenance and other issues
• Water quality corrode elements of imported heaters, thus
reducing life-span of solar water heaters
3E: Green Economy in practice
What works/ opportunities?
• Creation of sustainable single body representing the interest of all
stakeholders in the solar water heating industry
• Empower consumers to negotiate best deal with rebate and engage with FSP’s
• Partnership between private and public sectors in creating a greener economy
What must be done?
• Government to authorize and commit short, medium and long term funding
towards the support of SESSA
• Funding would go towards the development of a Solar Information Centre
(home for SESSA) from which all goals and objectives could be achieved
• Create risk enhancers to promote start-up heater distributors
• Education campaign on viability, maintenance and other issues
• Create risk enhancers to promote start-up heater distributors
• Education campaign on viability, maintenance and other issues
THANK YOU