The move to a green economy is already happening, but entrepreneurs in developing nations need enabling policies and financial support to ensure the transition is equitable and sustainable.
This was the message from Achim Steiner, UN under-secretary general and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) executive director, speaking in Pretoria on Friday.
Steiner was addressing a green economy symposium, where the 30 global winners of the annual Seed Awards, various stakeholders, and government leaders had gathered to discuss ways to accelerate the transition to a green economy.
Organised by the Seed Initiative, a global network hosted by UNEP, the symposium focused on the contribution of community-level entrepreneurs in developing countries, and efforts to refocus policies towards promoting green economic initiatives.
The majority of this year's winners hail from Africa, and cover a wide range of projects aimed at encouraging sustainable development, stimulating local economies, and alleviating poverty. They include Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and SA. Together with Egypt, these are pilot countries in a joint project between Seed and UNEP's Green Economy Initiative.
The Seed Initiative helps award-winners scale up their projects by providing tailored support services for their ventures, including access to technical expertise, business plan development, and funding opportunities.
“Seed is not rewarding people who have successfully made it out of the garage; we are supporting people still in the garage,” said Steiner.
He added that the Seed winners underline how “the green shoots of a green economy are sprouting across the developing world”.
Steiner said the challenge ahead, as governments prepare for the Rio+20 conference, the 20-year anniversary of the influential Earth Summit, held in Rio in 1992, is how to accelerate the kinds of transitions Seed represents.
Steiner stressed that the green economy didn't involve a new revolution, but an ongoing evolution of changes that are already happening worldwide.
“When we talk about the green economy, we're not talking about a new economy. In all sectors we can begin to move towards a green economy as it's presented to us today, where we are.”
He outlined two major trajectories for this transition, the one being efficiency, which was being embraced in areas of technology, industry and built-up infrastructure.
“The other equally viable and dramatic driver is the other underlying infrastructure of every economy - the environmental infrastructure.
“The overall loss of natural resources and ecosystem functioning that's never been captured in national economy measurements is fundamental to the economy.”
Steiner argued that this loss of natural capital demanded transforming the economy of today, one which was never intended, which now faces a situation of jobless growth.
“The green economy is something we must scrutinise though the lens of job creation. For every megawatt produced in traditional, central power systems, the renewable energy sector can produce approximately three more jobs,” he noted.
'Unwavering commitment'
Underlining the impact of a green economy on jobs, deputy minister for economic development Enoch Godongwana added that the key challenge facing the South African economy was skills, with half of citizens between the ages of 15 and 24 unemployed.
“Our commitment to the green economy is unwavering,” he said. “But how do we make sure that we begin to stimulate and support companies based on that?”
Last week, the IDC announced an investment of R25 billion in the green economy activities over the next five years. Godongwana also pointed to the fact that 300 000 potential jobs could be created via the green economy.
“A key component as we move forward and install new capacity is renewables,” said Godongwana.
The country has to double its electricity capacity over the next 20 years, and a significant portion of this will come from alternative sources. The Integrated Resource Plan 2010, which forecasts SA's electricity demand to 2030, earmarks 42% of all new electricity generation for renewables.
“We are looking for new ideas and technologies to help us ensure a sustainable energy supply,” he said.
However, he highlighted the role of the private sector in aiding investment. “There's a clear commitment from government that this is the route we have to take, but we are moving in a constrained environment.”
Sense and sustainability
The awards were sponsored by consumer electronics company Hisense, which has invested R4.1 million in the awards over a three-year period.
“As a company, we have recognised the need for sustainable, green development and believe in taking this into the grassroots of South African enterprises,” said Jerry Liu, GM of Hisense SA.
Some of the winning projects from SA include a recycling buyback centre, a handheld laundry service for low-income communities, and pre-fertilised seed strip with multi-lingual instructions for planting.
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