Thinking through the ‘green economy’ at the local level

Megan Euston-BrownCity Energy Support Unit, Sustainable Energy Africa

Service delivery on a sustainable (financial and environmental) basis

Platform for wealth and resource transfer

Become a driver of LED

= GREEN ECONOMY Economic growth on a

viable ecological base and social footing

grow by decreasing resource consumption

DEVELOPMENTAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT

In response to: Deepening unemployment,

poverty and inequality Finite resources: water,

energy, land Climate change and other

resource degrading pollution

GREEN ECONOMY

LOCAL GOVERNMENT PICTURE

KZN: population 10,4 million eThekwini municipality: population 4.5

million (approx 40%); with Pietermartizburg, close on 50% population

eThekwini ‘carbon footprint’ around 7.7 tons/capita

Remainder – smaller, rural local authorities, ‘carbon footprint’ around 1 ton/capita

Cities are strategically important (settings for the kind of changes envisaged and conditions – knowledge networks – for innovation),

Rural areas are developmentally and politically important

LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHALLENGES

Ongoing struggle to meet service backlogs Existing infrastructure inadequate to meet growing

demand Power interruptions, electrification of households

slowing down Urban infrastructure degrading – emphasis been on

capital expenditure and not on operations and maintenance

Poor quality housing delivered by contractors Growing informality – eThekwini 1,4million of 4,5

million (500 informal areas) Experiencing costs of finite resources – scarcity of

water, rising energy costs Impact of pollution on water (COJ acid drainage)

Peak oil implications

‘Peak Oil’ can result in significantly increased overall energy system costs to the city, which would be devastating to the economy.

City service delivery planning and budgeting will need to consider the fact that the informal, largely unelectrified household sector is currently growing fast, and will place increasing demands on the City ’s ability to provide services and will contribute little to revenue.

Low income electrified

Med income (elec)

Hi income (elec)

Household growth projectionsShowing the potential growth in the

informal sector if current trends continue

Low income unelectrified(informal)

LG ‘GREEN ECONOMY’ MANDATES AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING HORIZONS

SECTORAL STRATEGIES FOR GREENING MUNICIPALITIES

TRANSIT

ENERGY

BUILDINGS

SPATIAL PLAN

WASTE

WATER

FOOD

A HIGH RENEWABLE ENERGY FUTURE RESULTS IN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN JOBS CREATED

Job creation (long-term)`

Business as Usual

Optimum Energy Future

Municipal Waste 0 123,231

Solar Thermal Elec 0 23,078

Wind 280,397 844,967

New Nuclear 320 1,667

New Fossil Base 0 0

New mid and peak 4,858 3,873

Existing Hydro 4,891 4,451 Existing mid and peak 454 429

Existing Base 0 0

Existing Nuclear 499 286

Total jobs from generation 291,418 1,001,981

SWHs   799,828

Energy Efficiency   11,329

TOTAL ALL 291,418 1,813,138

SOLAR WATER HEATERS: A solar water heater mass rollout programme to reach 50% of the City’s houses (approx 0.5 million systems) would create 10,200 job-years over the next 10 years and be economically beneficial to the citizens and the economy.

Urban sprawl…

More denseLess dense

The need to Densify the City

Densification of the city is expected to result in significant reductions in expenditure to service the population with adequate public transport. (and also other service infrastructure – storm

water, water, electricity)

ZAR 10 billion saved

ZAR 40 billion saved

POVERTY AND INEQUALITY

Improve access to electricity and energy (similarly water and sanitation) services – electrify informal; select long term ‘cheapest’ energy source; lower costs through SWH and EE, appropriate interventions, new approaches

Reduce energy consumption needs of household through EE (built env and appliances)

Mobility: improve through investment in mass transit modes and spatial planning than ‘in builds’

JOBs in SWH/EE implementation, fixing of leaks, local infrastruture development – storm water drainage, bridge building, local agricultural developments

CHALLENGES TO LOCAL GREEN ECONOMY APPROACHES

CAPACITY Human resources: people to take on new tasks Integrated, cross sector collaboration Specific tools and skills – especially technical assistance

Training amongst the community about the approach

Shared, experiental learning amongst municipalities

Financial resources and transforming existing frameworks

Political commitments beyond short term horizons

communication

SUPPORT: IDEAS AND EXAMPLES

Gauteng Green Economy Study and 15 Year Strategy (Dept Econ Dev) and Provincial Energy Office

SUPPORT: IDEAS AND EXAMPLES

WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE TECHNICAL SUPPORT THROUGH:

Dept Economic Development – waste to energy technical support for municipalities (professional resource team)

Dept Env Affairs and Dev Planning – working with municipalities and industry to support the handling of new zoning regulations for RE development

Green Cape – Provincial Sector Agency under DED looking at how to reap the benefits of RE development for the province – jobs, new skills, etc. Lobbies for emphasis on localisation within the REBID process

SUPPORT: IDEAS AND EXAMPLES

DEADP/DCOG/SALGA - developing toolkit to support integration of climate response into IDPs. “resilient” interventions all support the green economy approach

SALGA, working with CESU knowledge sharing network ..

ARE WE SHIFTING?

DEA SLIDE NPC PRESENTATION 2011:Putting it all together

CONCLUSION

No one really has the answers Don’t expect a miracle from local government

“the only way to approach such a period, in which uncertainty is very large and one cannot predict what the future holds, is not to predict, but to experiment and act inventively and exuberantly via diverse adventures in life”

Buzz Holling, Ecologist