GREEN BUDGET FOR A CLEANER AND GREENER SA
The department has a three-pronged strategic approach to facilitate long-term radical transformation:
1. PHAKISA STRATEGIC APPROACH – PLANNING AND SUPPORTING THE GREEN ECONOMY
By facilitating and supporting the planning and growth of economic activity in new and existing green sectors and greening less sustainable sectors, this will lead to greater investment, create jobs, and enhance our international economic competitiveness.
OCEANS ECONOMY
A total of R17.7 billion in investment has been unlocked through the Operation Phakisa: Oceans Economy process in the five initially identified areas – offshore oil and gas, aquaculture, marine manufacturing and transport, oceans governance and tourism.
BIODIVERSITY ECONOMY
In 2016 the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) together with the Department of Tourism, co-hosted a Biodiversity Economy Operation Phakisa Delivery Lab to accelerate the economic growth and job creation opportunities in the biotechnology and biodiversity conservation sectors, in particular through the ecotourism and wildlife sectors.
The Biodiversity Economy implementation plans target the creation of 100 000 jobs, and support for 4 000 new SMMEs by 2030.
THE RECYCLING/CIRCULAR ECONOMY
The recycling/circular economy views waste as a resource with value once it is recovered, reduced, re-used and recycled; and provides the opportunity for beneficiation, enterprise development, and innovation.
Given the potential to significantly scale up green economy initiatives in this sector, DEA are preparing to host a Chemicals and Waste Phakisa that will see the Annual Waste Khoro for 2017 taking the form of a Chemicals and Waste Circular Economy Lab Programme.
SUPPORTING BROADER INTEGRATED GREEN ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT
The department is implementing phase one of its Greenhouse Gas Emission Mitigation system to allocate carbon budgets to companies that are significant emitters of greenhouse gases.
South Africa’s National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy that sets out programmes for responding to expected climate change impacts on the economy, society, and environment is in its final stages.
By 2016 South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) had already attracted over R200 billion in investment. The Department of Environmental Affairs supported this programme with Strategic Environmental Assessments.
In the past year, the department finalised authorisations for 124 renewable energy development applications, amounting to a total of some 55 000 megawatts of renewable energy, as well as development applications for some 43 Strategic Infrastructure Projects (SIP’s).
2. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE STRATEGIC APPROACH – ENHANCING THE REGULATORY SYSTEM
Developing the “one environment system” in the mining and water sectors has indicated many areas for improving and integrating the environmental regulatory system.
This has resulted in a comprehensive review of environmental legislation with the aim of improving procedural efficiency; reducing duplication and fragmentation, as well as standardising, streamlining and aligning legislative requirements.
This comprehensive regulatory review process addresses any emerging areas of concern, gaps or inadequate coverage in the regulatory system, including:
CLIMATE CHANGE
The Department of Environmental Affairs is focussing on the domestic measures required to contribute to the global effort to pursue efforts to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, and 1.5 degrees Celsius, as obligated by ratification, in November 2016, of the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
CHEMICALS
Regarding chemicals, the department is phasing down Hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs), in terms of obligations in the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the 1986 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and managing the public health and environmental impacts of mercury pollution, in terms of obligations in the Minamata Convention on Mercury signed in 2015.
The phase-out, import and export of hazardous chemicals and waste is being managed in terms of obligations in the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
WASTE
The department is managing the detrimental impacts of plastics and the phase-out of micro-plastics in terms of UN General Assembly and UN Environmental Assembly resolutions, as well as the findings of a Plastic Material Study that will be conducted this year in collaboration with the plastics industry, the South African Bureau of Standards, the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, the National Treasury and Department of Health.
The appointment of independent operators to run clean-up and processing operations in the different waste management sectors will be done through an open and competitive tender system. In conjunction with National Treasury the DEA will conduct a feasibility study into the option of a landfill disposal tax as a disincentive to landfill.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
Implementing the decisions taken at the 17th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), hosted by South Africa in 2016, will include:
Provisions to strengthen actions to combat illicit wildlife trafficking, improve protection of entire groups of species, empowering youth and closer engagement with rural communities.
Provisions to manage the international trade in hunting trophies and the trade in cycads.
The CITES listing of wild ginger and Temminck’s pangolin.
The transfer of the Cape Mountain Zebra from Appendix I to Appendix II by CITES, which recognises a remarkable conservation success story – where a species has recovered from just less than 100 individual animals in the 1990s to over 5 000 in 2016.
The decision not to list South Africa’s elephant population in Appendix I, that would have introduced a ban on the international commercial trade in wild elephant – a victory for scientific, evidence-based decision making.
The purpose of this comprehensive legislative review is to have more accessible, user-friendly and efficient decision-making tools.
To this end, the department is developing the following:
• A Consolidated Integrated Permitting System (CIPS) to provide a single environmental authorisation and permit application and processing interface.
• An EIA Screening Tool, integrated with the CIPS that will provide for an early focussing of assessments and accelerate the assessment and authorisation process.
• A Special Needs and Skills Development Programme to
provide pro bono environmental services for individuals and
organisations who cannot afford to pay for the costs of an Environmental Impact Assessment.
• A special initiative in plastic design to improve the recycling
of plastic bags.
• A 5-year monitoring programme to intervene in support of local government in the management of the nationwide network of 42 air quality monitoring stations.
• An air quality offset programme to be rolled out by industries
in the Vaal Triangle Airshed and Highveld Priority Areas.
• A National Biodiversity Offset Policy, in collaboration with the Departments of Mineral Resources and Water and Sanitation, to ensure that significant residual impacts of development, particularly in the mining sector are remedied.
• A national guideline towards the Establishment of Coastal Management Lines to protect coastal public property, coastal protection zones and infrastructure.
SUCCESS STORIES
In the last financial year, all competent authorities processed 1266 Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA’s) at a 96% efficiency rate.
Whilst the poaching of South Africa’s rhino remains of concern, there is a slow but steady decline in poaching numbers. This is thanks to the Integrated Strategic Management of Rhinoceros approach approved by Cabinet in 2014, supplemented by a Rhino Conservation Lab in 2016 to enhance collaboration between government, the private sector and NGOs.
3. ECONOMY-WIDE SERVICE DELIVERY STRATEGIC APPROACH – IMPLEMENTATION AND INVESTMENT
The National Green Fund continues to support investment projects, research and development and capacity development initiatives across the green economy.
The government has to date allocated R1.2 billion to the fund, creating approximately 6 620 direct jobs.
One such project being supported by the fund is the construction of the flagship Hammarsdale Waste Beneficiation centre in KWAZULU-NATAL, which will maximise waste diversion from landfill through innovative recycling technologies.
Phase 1 of this project, that is being run by a non-profit called USE-IT, will lead to the creation of 153 permanent jobs, as well as 80 construction jobs. Since its inception, USE-IT has created 2 400 jobs from waste beneficiation and has won a number of national and international awards.
However, the onus to create green jobs cannot be on government alone. In this regard, forging partnerships and incentivising private sector investment, both domestically and internationally, is key.
These partnerships include, but are not limited to:
• The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), that seeks to put sustainability at the heart of economic policies and practices.
• The Switch Africa Green partnership that is implementing
innovative pilot renewable energy projects.
• In February 2017, SANPARKS convened its first ever Tourism
Investment Summit to explore public-private partnerships.
• The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
• The Development Bank of South Africa and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) have been accredited as implementing agencies for both the GEF and GCF and are now able to process finance applications for climate change adaptation and resilience.
• Cooperative engagement in Multilateral Environmental Agreement bodies to advance the environment, climate change, and sustainable development agenda.
• Cooperative engagement within the African Union and SADC; fostering bilateral relations with key African countries, and strengthening South-South Co-operation within key emerging developing markets such as BRICS.
• Cooperative engagement in research in Antarctica continues, in collaboration with the Departments of Science and Technology and International Relations and Cooperation.
The network of National Parks and protected areas provide the base infrastructure for a growing eco-tourism and wildlife use sector. In the last financial year, South African National Parks (SAN Parks) received 6.7 million visitors into its 19 parks generating approximately R2.6 billion. To ensure that the National Parks are accessible to all South African citizens, over 91 000 people were granted free access to National Parks during the 2016/17 financial year.
The Protected Area Expansion Initiative builds up the base ecological infrastructure supporting this growing wildlife economy over time while enhancing the biome range to allow for species migration and contributes towards mitigating the impacts of climate change. In 2016 a total of 3 874 hectares were added to National Parks and plans are underway to acquire 3 569 hectares next year.
R213 million was used to support SMMEs in National Parks and neighbouring areas in 2016. In order to develop coastal communities, regulations re-zoning Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area (MPA) allowing for controlled fishing in 3 ‘take’ zones (comprising 20% of the MPA coastline) has been gazetted.
In support of growing the eco-tourism and wildlife use sector, South Africa has submitted applications to UNESCO for them to consider designating the Garden Route as a Biosphere Reserve, as well as listing the Khomani Cultural Landscape and the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains on the World Heritage List, in June 2017 and October 2018 respectively. These prestigious international designations will boost local ecotourism development and provide job creation opportunities for rural communities.
The Department of Environmental Affairs remains committed to the conservation of our natural environment, the protection of public and environmental justice and health and promoting inclusive growth that creates jobs and grows our economy.