Government has made several commitments to pursue a 'green growth path' for SA, but its success will depend on collaboration, political will, and the development of new technologies.
Albi Modise, spokesperson for the environmental affairs department, says renewable energy, sustainable transport, and green buildings will form a major part of the country's plans to move towards a more sustainable economy.
He adds that the transition requires collaborative efforts involving public-private partnerships across multiple sectors. These include sustainable consumption and production, clean energy, greener buildings and cities, as well as agricultural, food and water management.
This will require extensive R&D capacity, and Modise stresses the need to increase knowledge and skills towards the development, deployment and commercialisation of science and technology solutions.
policy, and financial measures together, and ensure they are implemented.
“This demands intense coordination, within and between municipalities, regional and national governments, and involving public-private partnerships,” it says in its Energy and urban innovation 2010 report.
It notes that research, development and demonstration (RD&D) is still needed to lower the cost and enhance the social acceptability of many 'urban' energy technologies. These include multifunctional building materials, IT equipment, and more general RD&D focused on information technologies, which will become pervasive in cities.
In the IDC's recently released G20 ICT Sustainability Index, it identified 17 core technologies in four major economic sectors as key ways to reduce global CO2 emissions. They include energy generation and distribution, transport, buildings, and industry.
But the IDC added that green ICTs remain immature in SA, with few local companies adopting these solutions. The firm said this will contribute to the country's failure to meet its commitments at Copenhagen, namely a 34% emission reduction below business as usual by 2020 and 42% by 2025.
Big plans
In the IDC study published in December last year, SA ranked 19 out of 20 G20 nations for its ability to use ICT to reduce CO2 emissions. This despite several promises by government to make green industries and job creation a priority.
At the Green Economy Summit earlier this year, president Jacob Zuma said improving SA's capacity to develop and use clean technologies is vital in moving towards a low-carbon economy.
He added that investment in technology will strengthen the economic case for environmental management and sustainable development.
Speaking at the summit, science and technology minister Naledi Pandor said the long-term greening of the economy requires a fundamentally new way of thinking, particularly in the approach to production and consumption issues.
In line with this, Lindie Engelbrecht, Ernst & Young director for climate change and sustainability services, says a shift to a new worldview and global economy is limited less by technical innovation than by people's inability to challenge outdated mindsets and change cultural norms.
“We all have to work intentionally to shift cultural patterns away from valuing 'things' over sustainable living.”
Engelbrecht says technological innovation is an essential component for the green growth path of the country. “By creating and fostering innovation, we will create a more efficient and robust sector within the economy.”
Huge investments, especially in Africa, will be needed if we are to minimise the effects of climate change.
Sylvie Lemmet, director, United Nations Environment Programme's division of technology, industry and economics
Pandor sees this as a priority: “If we set SA a target of 1.5% of GDP by 2014, we will be able to substantially increase our investments in green industry research, development, and innovation without compromising other promising and important industrial development or science programmes,” she said at the summit. She noted a key requirement for achieving this is strong synergy between industry and government.
According to Modise, government regards climate change as one of the greatest threats to sustainable development. “Should multi-lateral international action not effectively limit the average global temperature increase to below 2^0C above pre-industrial levels, the potential impacts on SA in the medium- to long-term are significant and potentially catastrophic.”
He adds that regardless of the implications of any global agreement, the country will have to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change by managing risk and reducing vulnerability.
In March, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Standard Bank and the International Climate Initiative partnered to develop a new project, The Africa Carbon Asset Development, to boost the African market in this sphere.
"Huge investments, especially in Africa, will be needed if we are to minimise the effects of climate change," said Sylvie Lemmet, director of UNEP's division of technology, industry and economics, in a statement.
Road ahead
In a draft report on green technology, Ernst & Young notes that SA has committed itself to strong growth aspirations as a means of improving social equality and building a successful economy.
SA looks east for tech transfer
In a shared aim to encourage sustainable growth, SA partnered with China recently to collaborate in several areas of environmental management and technology R&D.
Water and environmental affairs minister Buyelwa Sonjica attended the Shanghai Expo in October, with the visit forming part of efforts to increase dialogue between the countries around cleaner technology use and moving towards a green economy.
This builds on the environmental management MOU signed between SA and China during president Jacob Zuma's visit in August.
Environmental affairs departmental spokesperson Albi Modise says China and SA share similar environmental challenges, such as climate change, air pollution, increasing waste generation and biodiversity threats, albeit on very different scales.
He adds the countries will begin putting in motion strategies to implement the provisions contained in the MOU, and preparing for the 16th Convention of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Mexico in November, as well as the COP 17 to be held in SA next year.
“Simultaneously we have made climate change commitments, partly because we face severe environmental challenges. But growing and becoming greener will be difficult because we are hampered by inadequate infrastructure and uncoordinated green initiatives,” it adds.
However, Modise says the environmental affairs and science and technology departments have agreed to collaborate on green economy activities aimed at supporting environmental management.
“The Department of Science and Technology (DST) will be working through various structures including the Technology & Innovation Agency (TIA), that will seek to commercialise the necessary green technologies,” he adds.
The DST has also made clear its stance on green technology R&D and collaboration. Speaking at the Information Society Technologies Africa conference in May, Pandor said the continent has undergone a re-awakening of interest in science and technology.
However, she said Africa still lags behind the rest of the world in rolling out infrastructure critical to its research. “This is not because Africans are unwilling to invest in science and technology, but because we have to carry out a complicated balancing act in meeting a wide range of needs with limited resources.”
Engelbrecht adds that while the country has had to import most green materials and technologies, it now has the opportunity to start producing its own through deliberate government incentives. “It is heartening to note that local manufacturers and suppliers are beginning to respond to the call for green materials and technologies, but still require private and government funding to grow this response.”
According to the DST, it's focused on building a strong TIA to support innovation in promising sectors, including green industry development. Modise says in the short-term, government will prioritise adaptation and mitigation interventions that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly within the energy, transport and industrial sectors.
In addition, the department will finalise its Climate Change Response policy as well as engage with sector departments and stakeholders to implement policy measures that address the impacts of climate change.
Speaking at the Shanghai Expo in China last month, water and environmental affairs minister Buyelwa Sonjica re-emphasised SA's plans to move towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon growth path.
“It is time for decisive action to safeguard our environment for present and future generations and to combat the ravages of run-away climate change.”
Share