NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY OF: SOUTH AFRICA HARI SRINIVAS ROOM: I-312 / 079-565-7406 International Environmental Policy.

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY OF:

SOUTH AFRICA

HARI SRINIVASROOM: I -312 / 079 -565-7406

International Environmental Policy

South Africa at a glance

South Africa is the powerhouse of Africa with the most advanced, broad-based economy on the continent; a thriving democracy; and good infrastructure.

• Population: 50.59-million • Area: 1 220 813 square kilometres • Nominal GDP est (3q 2011): R755-billion• GDP growth rate: 4.1% (ranked 26th

worldwide)• Labour force: 17.32-million

Basic Data

About 42-43 million people (90% of whom are ‘people of color’)

Thirteen recognized national parties (both a republic and a monarchy)

Nine provinces, three capitals (Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town)

Eleven Official Languages in four major groupings

Population statistics

1996 Population 40, 583, 611

2003 Population 42, 768, 678

Population Growth Rate = .01%

Reasons for Low Population Growth Rate:

Life expectancy = 46 years

50% live below poverty

20% of adults have AIDS

Ethnicity in South Africa

74%

14%

3%

9%

BlackWhiteAsianColored

• “Colored” is a term used for mixed black, Malayan, and white descent

• Asian population is mainly of Indian ancestry

A short History of South Africa

History of South Africa

Pre 1600s – south Africa was dominated by many different local tribes

1652 – Portuguese and Dutch became the first white settlers. Created the “boer” community and spoke the “Africaans” language

1795 – arrival of the British. By 1910 they had occupied the whole territory of the then South Africa. Boers were pushed northwards.

Eventually, a common British colony was put in place

History of South Africa

By mid 1950s, the black-white separation policy of Apartheid became official policy, splitting the country into two parts

Apartheid seriously affected the socio-economic, cultural and economic landscape of the country until well into 1980s. (Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during this time).

In 1989, there was a huge movement of people to dismantle apartheid. After this happened, a democracy was born, which continuous today.

History Timeline

1806 – British seize Cape of Good Hope

1867 – Discovery of Gold 1886 – Discovery of Diamonds 1889 – 1902 – The Boer War (British

and Dutch settlers) 1902 – The beginning of apartheid 1990’s – The end of apartheid

The end to Apartheid

Massive people’s movement to abolish apartheid and free all prisoners took place in early 1980s

Nelson Mandela was freed in 1986

Apartheid and Environment

Apartheid

InternationalSanctions

Decreased Labour Force

Low Foreign Investment

Lack of Jobs

Lack of income and finance

Economic stagnation

Increase in poverty and development problems

Overuse of natural Resources

Dependence on local environment

Apartheid and Environment

Apartheid in South

Africa

US and American Indians

Europe and the Roma

Australia and the oboriginals

Most colonized countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America saw various forms and intensities of racism and apartheid.

It was only in South Africa that it was systematic and made part of the law and “growth” of the country.

BUT?!!

Biodiversity: Environmental Heritage

South Africa occupies only 2% of the world's surface area but is home to:

• nearly 10% of the world's plants (approximately 24 000 species),

• around 7% of the world's vertebrate species • 5,5% of the world's known insect species (only about half

have been described).

In terms of the number of endemic species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, South Africa ranks as the fifth richest country in Africa and the 24th-richest in the world.

The Mounting Problems

Mining

Industrialization

Population Growth

Urbanization

Energy use

Water Pollution

Air Pollution

Solid Waste

Deforestation

Land degradation

Timeline

1600s 2000s

Mining in South Africa

South Africa's mining industry is one of the most progressive in the world and has access to a host of resources.

These range from 80% of the world's manganese, 41% of gold and close to 90% of the platinum

It is the fourth largest producer of diamonds

Mining – Extended Problems

Mining Industry

Deforestation

Water Pollution

Air Pollution

CO2 and GHG emissions

High energy use

Industrial accidents(toxic and hazardous materials)

Major role in the country’s economy

Energy use

Since 1970, South Africa has consumed the most energy and carbon per dollar of GDP among major energy consumers in Africa.

Urban pollution has increased

Estimates suggest that energy costs represent about 14% of South Africa's GDP

Sustainable Development

• The National Framework for Sustainable Development (NFSD) in South Africa outlines the vision for Sustainable Development (SD) as follows:

“South Africa aspires to be a sustainable, economically prosperous and self-reliant nation state that safeguards its democracy by meeting the fundamental human needs of its people, by

managing its limited ecological resources responsibly for current and future generations,

and by advancing efficient and effective integrated planning and governance through national, regional and global collaboration.”

Link to Global Initiatives

South Africa has taken several concrete steps to implement the United Nations' Agenda 21 on Sustainable Development.

For example, these include – reforming environmental policies, ratifying international agreements participating in many global and regional sustainable-

development initiatives.

“State of the Environment” Reports

Environmental Situation

Annual “State of the

Environment” Report

Ministry of Environment and Tourism

Economy, Trade, Finance, and other national ministries and local agencies

Other civil society organizations working on environmental issues

DPSIR framework for policy making

South Africa develops its environmental policies using the DPSIR framework

The DPSIR looks at - social and economic developments exert pressure on the environment and, as a consequence, the state of the environment changes. This leads to impacts on e.g. human health, ecosystems and materials that may elicit a societal response that feeds back on the driving forces, on the pressures or on the state or impacts directly, through adaptation or curative action.

Challenges for South Africa

Development challenges1. Poverty2. Unemployment 3. HIV and Aids

Environmental challenges4. Air, climate change5. Land

6. Water

“Balanced link”??

Example: Eco-labelling and CSR

• Economic benefits– Price premium for green products– Access to new markets– Safeguarding existing markets– Preferred supplier status

• Environmental benefits– Promote and communicate environmental benefits

to consumers– Promote continuous improvement for process and

product optimisations– Raising environmental awareness

Blue, Brown and Green Policies

Environmental Issues

BLUE ISSUES

BROWN ISUES

GREEN ISSUES

• Air Pollution• Solid Waste• Land

degradation

• Deforestation• Mining and

natural resources

• Water quality• Water

pollution• Ocean

pollution

Contact me …

Prof. Hari SrinivasRoom: I-312

Tel: 079-565-7406Email: [email protected]

Class website:

http://www.gdrc.info/iep