Download LOW CARBON ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE

South African Municipal
Workers’ Union
1. Climate Change and Economic Policy.
2. Global Negotiations.
3. Greening Local Government.
4. Protecting and growing employment –just transition.
MITIGATION AND MORE
EFFICIENCY ISSUES
-Energy Saving
-Recycling
-Building codes and
retrofitting
SHORT TERM
ADAPTATION
- No building in 100
year flood plain.
LOW CARBON ENERGY
INFRASTRUCTURE
(Technological
Revolution)
- Solar Water Heaters
-Wind Turbines
-Concentrated Solar
-Nuclear ? No!
-Public transport
infrastructure
RAPID SOCIAL AND
ECONOMIC
TRANSFORMATION
-new decarbonised
growth path.
-internal markets
rather than global
markets.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PATH ISSUES
Tackling Green House Gas (GHG) Emissions is not just a
technological problem. It requires a fundamental economic
and social transformation to substantially changes current
patterns of production and consumption.
Greening the economy must not be reduced to some sub-set
of industrial strategy about renewable energy manufacturing
– it must be an overarching thrust to created a different kind
of low carbon society -an ecological economy.
In its own terms the Policy document needs to integrate itself
with Government Economic Growth Path.
GLOBAL NEGOTIATIONS
In applying the principle of “Common but
Differentiated
Responsibility
and
Respective
Capabilities” – we should be placing much more
emphasis on our common responsibility to humanity.
We should be mapping out a clear Carbon Budget
based approach targeting specific reduction of
emissions.
We should be supporting an International Green Tax
on flows of capital to create a Global Climate Change
Fund.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Current corrupt and inefficient state has to be
overcome –it is a critical sphere in dealing
with climate change.
Reform of SALGA.
This include issues of the future of provinces
and districts –out view is the former should
be reduced to administrative structures.
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF TOWNS AND CITIES
(ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION)
About adaptation in the sense that the major
vulnerability of the poor lies in the lack of housing or
badly located informal settlement – or poorly
constructed housing.
The paper is weak in failing to clearly identify housing
and related infrastructure as critical adaptation
technology.
About mitigation in the sense of spatial planning for
shorter transport route- architectural energy efficiency
and building standards.
WATER
Water Stress and Water Sharing.
Industrial and agricultural water efficiency.
Free Basic Water (FBW) and stepped tariffs – the
water cost (price) chain– nothing concrete stated.
Not clear enough on micro water capture technologies
for rural and poor – very into macro water transfer
schemes.
ENERGY
Crucial role in saving – including through
solar heating extension, street lighting.
Does not deal with new notions of more
flexible and decentralized GRID in which
local governments becomes a champion of
renewable -supported by state grant.
No to nuclear –because of lead time and cost
and the unresolved safety issues.
SOLID WASTE
Not even in keeping with the Waste Act 2008 that:
“the generation of waste is avoided,
or where it cannot be avoided, that it
is reduced, re-used, recycled or
recovered and only as a last resort
treated and safely disposed of.”
Just Transition –Decent Work –Quality Jobs
(From Long Term Cooperation Framework)
“Realising that addressing climate change
requires a paradigm shift towards building a low
carbon society that offers substantial
opportunities and ensures continued growth and
sustainable development, based on innovative
technologies and more sustained production and
consumption life styles, while ensuring a just
transition of the workforce that creates decent
work and quality jobs.”
EMPLOYMENT CREATION
Re-establish Local Government housing
construction unit with training in adaptation
and mitigation design.
Move beyond the Working for Water,
Working for Fire, Working for Wetlands –
move beyond the EPWP model to permanent
employment of adaptation workforces.