THIS CHAPTER is key to the vision of sustainability development and the drive towards a low-carbon economy. Here specific interventions are considered to ensure that the development of South Africa's natural resources is done in a sustainable way. The chapter also encourages better development of recycling infrastructure with the aim of South Africa becoming a zero-waste society.
One clear idea is the development of carbon markets and pricing. This has been a major effort in other countries, such as those of the European Union. By putting a price onto carbon emissions, the idea is to encourage efficiency. And the NDP says international best practice shows that adequately pricing greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most effective ways to get polluters to change their behaviour.
The challenges of South Africa moving to a low carbon economy and society are more severe than most countries. It has an abundance of coal, its mines demand high levels of energy for their mineral production and a key factor will be delinking economic activity from environmental degradation and carbon-intensive energy. At the same time the country has to remain competitive while reducing unemployment and poverty.
Login OR Join up TO COMMENT