The green economy

By Fiona Wakelin

The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) was launched in 2013 as a response to the call at Rio+20 to support those countries wishing to embark on greener and more inclusive growth trajectories. The Partnership brings together five UN agencies:

• UN Environment

• International Labour Organization

• UN Development Programme

• UN Industrial Development Organization

• UN Institute for Training and Research

These agencies offer integrated and holistic support to countries looking to participate in an inclusive green economy, ensuring coherence and avoiding duplication.

PAGE aims to put sustainability at the heart of economic policies and practices to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and supports nations and regions in reframing economic policies and practices around sustainability to foster economic growth, create income and jobs, reduce poverty and inequality, and strengthen the ecological foundations of their economies. (GREEN ECONOMY COALITION)

Hosted by the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa, the Third PAGE Ministerial Conference took place at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town from 10 to 11 January 2019, highlighting and celebrating drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship through inclusivity in advancing green industries for a better and more sustainable future for all. It brought together over 500 leaders from more than 50 countries with delegates which included representatives from governments, civil society, private sector, development partners, media and the public.

At the Conference ILO Director-General Guy Ryder outlined three key climate change challenges and put forward a number of proposals stating: “After all, it is above all else by advancing action for an inclusive green economy that we can address simultaneously all three dimensions of sustainability – the economic, the social and the environmental. We have learned that to progress in the future on any one dimension of sustainability is likely to be compromised if we don’t advance on all three. We have learned as well that there is no necessary trade-off between these dimensions. But we know well that the task ahead of us is also complex because it requires a major change in the fundamentals of the way we organize how we live, how we produce and how we consume.”

The following is a summary of 5 key calls to action in the document, published by the ILO after the 3rd Ministerial Conference looking at key policy messages and action pathways.

1. Reinvent our economies as inclusive green economies. This implies fundamental shifts from linear economic models of production, consumption and investment towards sustainable and circular economies that recognise and account for the value of nature and sustain, rather than consume and perpetually erode, the world’s natural capital basis

2. Anchor green strategies and policies in longterm development frameworks and promote collaborative governance based on trust, political will and broad citizen participation and ownership. Long-term strategies and policies for a just transition are indispensable in managing social and employment impacts of moving away from carbon and resource-intensive economic systems.

3. Focus on economic, social and political inclusion to ensure that agendas are shaped, acted on and reviewed by diverse and often left out people and institutions, and that no one is left behind in accessing equitably the benefits and opportunities arising from economic, social and environmental progress. Inclusive societies require democratising the ownership of means of production and engaging those negatively impacted from economic crisis, social disruption and environmental degradation.

4. Create the future of work we want in a changing climate where we must reorganise our economies towards greater resource efficiency, sustainability and resilience. Work is a fundamental aspect of human dignity. It is a means of livelihood and realisation of aspirations of all women and men in their working lives that must be promoted and protected

5. Strengthen partnerships and multilateralism. Broad-based partnerships, cross-ministry collaboration, a strengthened multilateral system and effective international cooperation are vital for sustaining and strengthening a collective vision to transform economies and societies.

Greentech refers to green technologies that reduce or reverse the impact of people on the planet. These include renewable energy technologies. Wind turbines, solar panels, insulation, biofuels, electric vehicles, materials recycling and green building materials are all examples of green technologies.

The South African greentech manufacturing market is worth at least R30-billion; with a growing greentech market in the neighboring countries. South Africa has opportunities in energy, waste, agriculture, transport and other sectors and is a great entry point for the SADC market.

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are key tools used by the South African government for driving industrial and economic development. Within SEZs, cluster industries from a particular sector locate in geographically designated areas to get the benefits of scale and co-location. SEZs are governed by the SEZ Act (No.16 of 2014) and are supported by a range of incentives aimed at attracting foreign and local investment.

The Atlantis SEZ is a zone dedicated to the manufacturing and provision of services in the green technology space. The zone welcomes manufacturers, service providers, suppliers and other players in the value chains of different green technologies. Situated on South Africa’s West Coast, the Atlantis SEZ capitalises on the Western Cape province’s already booming renewable energy and green technology sector, tapping into the $3-trillion global clean technology market.

Investors have access to extensive investment support through the One Stop Shop for investor support and the rest of the investor support ecosystem, which includes InvestSA, GreenCape, the City of Cape Town, and Wesgro. Together the ecosystem provides information and advocacy; market intelligence; facilitated access to permits and licenses, planning and development approval; and skills training.

Approximately R700-million has already been invested in the Atlantis SEZ, including manufacturers of wind turbine towers, geotextiles, doubleglazed windows, wind tower internals and acetylene gas. Because of these investments more than 320 new jobs have been created in the zone to date. It is expected that the zone will attract a further R3.7 billion of investment by manufacturers of wind blades, smart meters, batteries, wind turbines, solar PV, and by other players in the waste, agri-processing, gas and chemicals value chains. The goal is to create nearly 3 000 direct jobs in the zone by 2030.

In addition to jobs and investments, the people of Atlantis have also benefited in a number of other ways.

Skills development has been prioritised to ensure local skills meet the needs of industry located in Atlantis. To this end, the youth has benefited from training, mentoring, exposure to greentech, and participation in the annual Renewable Energy Challenge and career expo, all of which will potentially help them tap into greentech job opportunities emerging from the SEZ.

Skills development and training for adults has taken the form of a training session on solar PV for people from Atlantis and surrounds, and the recruitment of three female interns from Atlantis to work in the SEZ project office. The women successfully transitioned into permanent appointments with the SEZ project office in 2016. Other benefits for Atlantis include the upgrade of the power supply, fibre connectivity and MyCiti transport links.

The Atlantis SEZ as a physical manifestation of the potential of partnerships to grow the green economy across stakeholder groups, including government (national, provincial and municipal), business and community.

Strategic investment into key green economy opportunities will assist to propel South Africa towards the vision set out by the NDP. It’s our future. Let’s make it work.