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International
Environmental Policy
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY OF:
SOUTH AFRICA
HARI SRINIVAS
ROOM: I-312 / 079-565-7406
South Africa at a glance
South Africa is the powerhouse of Africa with the most
advanced, broad-based economy on the continent; a
thriving democracy; and good infrastructure.
•Population: 50.59-million
•Area: 1 220 813 square kilometres
•Nominal GDP est (3q 2011): R755-billion
•GDP growth rate: 4.1% (ranked 26th worldwide)
•Labour force: 17.32-million
Basic Data
About 42-43 million
people (90% of whom are
‘people of color’)
 Thirteen recognized
national parties (both a
republic and a monarchy)
 Nine provinces, three
capitals (Pretoria,
Bloemfontein, Cape Town)
 Eleven Official Languages
in four major groupings

Population statistics
 1996 Population
 40, 583, 611
 2003 Population
 42, 768, 678
 Population Growth
Rate = .01%
Reasons for Low
Population Growth
Rate:
 Life expectancy = 46 years
 50% live below poverty
 20% of adults have AIDS
Ethnicity in South Africa
14%
3%
9%
74%
Black
White
Asian
Colored
• “Colored” is a term used for mixed black, Malayan, and white descent
• Asian population is mainly of Indian ancestry
A short History of South Africa
History of South Africa
 Pre 1600s – south Africa was dominated by many
different local tribes
 1652 – Portuguese and Dutch became the first white
settlers. Created the “boer” community and spoke
the “Africaans” language
 1795 – arrival of the British. By 1910 they had
occupied the whole territory of the then South Africa.
Boers were pushed northwards.
 Eventually, a common British colony was put in
place
History of South Africa
 By mid 1950s, the black-white separation policy of
Apartheid became official policy, splitting the
country into two parts
 Apartheid seriously affected the socio-economic,
cultural and economic landscape of the country until
well into 1980s. (Nelson Mandela was imprisoned
during this time).
 In 1989, there was a huge movement of people to
dismantle apartheid. After this happened, a
democracy was born, which continuous today.
History Timeline

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



1806 – British seize Cape of Good Hope
1867 – Discovery of Gold
1886 – Discovery of Diamonds
1889 – 1902 – The Boer War (British and
Dutch settlers)
1902 – The beginning of apartheid
1990’s – The end of apartheid
The end to Apartheid
Massive people’s movement to abolish
apartheid and free all prisoners took
place in early 1980s
Nelson Mandela was freed in 1986
Apartheid and Environment
International
Sanctions
Apartheid
Decreased
Labour Force
Low Foreign
Investment
Lack of Jobs
Lack of income
and finance
Economic stagnation
Increase in
poverty and
development
problems
Overuse of
natural
Resources
Dependence
on local
environment
Apartheid and Environment
US and American
Indians
Apartheid in
South Africa
BUT?!!
Europe and the
Roma
Australia and the
oboriginals
Most colonized
countries in Africa,
Asia, and Latin
America saw
various forms and
intensities of racism
and apartheid.
It was only in South
Africa that it was
systematic and
made part of the
law and “growth” of
the country.
Biodiversity: Environmental Heritage
South Africa occupies only 2% of the world's surface area
but is home to:
• nearly 10% of the world's plants (approximately 24 000 species),
• around 7% of the world's vertebrate species
• 5,5% of the world's known insect species (only about half have been
described).
In terms of the number of endemic species of mammals, birds, reptiles
and amphibians, South Africa ranks as the fifth richest country in Africa
and the 24th-richest in the world.
The Mounting Problems
Water Pollution
Urbanization
Air Pollution
Industrialization
Solid Waste
Mining
Population Growth
Deforestation
Energy use
Land degradation
1600s
2000s
Timeline
Mining in South Africa
 South Africa's mining
industry is one of the
most progressive in the
world and has access to a
host of resources.
 These range from 80% of
the world's manganese,
41% of gold and close to
90% of the platinum
 It is the fourth largest
producer of diamonds
Mining – Extended Problems
Deforestation
CO2 and GHG emissions
Mining
Industry
Major role in the
country’s economy
Water Pollution
High energy use
Air Pollution
Industrial accidents
(toxic and hazardous
materials)
Energy use
 Since 1970, South Africa
has consumed the most
energy and carbon per
dollar of GDP among major
energy consumers in Africa.
 Urban pollution has
increased
 Estimates suggest that
energy costs represent
about 14% of South Africa's
GDP
Sustainable Development
• The National Framework for Sustainable
Development (NFSD) in South Africa outlines the
vision for Sustainable Development (SD) as follows:
“South Africa aspires to be a sustainable, economically
prosperous and self-reliant nation state that safeguards
its democracy by meeting the fundamental human
needs of its people, by managing its limited ecological
resources responsibly for current and future
generations, and by advancing efficient and effective
integrated planning and governance through national,
regional and global collaboration.”
Link to Global Initiatives
 South Africa has taken several concrete steps to
implement the United Nations' Agenda 21 on
Sustainable Development.
 For example, these include –
 reforming environmental policies,
 ratifying international agreements
 participating in many global and regional sustainabledevelopment initiatives.
“State of the Environment” Reports
Economy, Trade,
Finance, and other
national ministries
and local agencies
Environmental
Situation
Annual
“State of the
Environment”
Report
Ministry of
Environment and
Tourism
Other civil society
organizations
working on
environmental issues
DPSIR framework for policy making
South Africa develops
its environmental
policies using the
DPSIR framework
The DPSIR looks at - social and
economic developments exert
pressure on the environment
and, as a consequence, the
state of the environment
changes. This leads to impacts
on e.g. human health,
ecosystems and materials that
may elicit a societal response
that feeds back on the driving
forces, on the pressures or on
the state or impacts directly,
through adaptation or curative
action.
Challenges for South Africa
Development challenges
1. Poverty
2. Unemployment
3. HIV and Aids
Environmental challenges
1. Air, climate change
2. Land
3. Water
“Balanced
link”??
Example: Eco-labelling and CSR
• Economic benefits
–
–
–
–
Price premium for green products
Access to new markets
Safeguarding existing markets
Preferred supplier status
• Environmental benefits
– Promote and communicate environmental benefits to
consumers
– Promote continuous improvement for process and product
optimisations
– Raising environmental awareness
Blue, Brown and Green Policies
BLUE
ISSUES
Environmental
Issues
• Water quality
• Water pollution
• Ocean pollution
BROWN
ISUES
GREEN
ISSUES
• Air Pollution
• Solid Waste
• Land degradation
• Deforestation
• Mining and
natural resources
Contact me …
Class website:
http://www.gdrc.info/iep
Prof. Hari Srinivas
Room: I-312
Tel: 079-565-7406
Email: [email protected]