Environment
VISION
South Africa has a rich endowment of natural resources and mineral deposits, which, if responsibly used, can fund the transition to a low-carbon future and a more diverse and inclusive economy.
Developmental challenges must be
addressed in a manner that ensures environmental sustainability and builds resilience to the effects of climate change, particularly in poorer communities.
Investment in skills, technology and
institutional capacity is critical to support the development of a more sustainable society and the transition to a low-carbon economy. Focused, institutionalised capacity building and management structures are needed.
Carbon-pricing mechanisms that target specific mitigation opportunities need to be implemented.
Consumer awareness initiatives and sufficient recycling infrastructure should result in South Africa becoming a zero- waste society.
The development of environmentally sustainable green products and services, including renewable energy technologies, will contribute to the creation of jobs in niche markets where South Africa has or can develop a competitive advantage.
GOALS
- A set of indicators for natural resources, accompanied by publication of annual reports on the health of identified resources to inform policy.
- A target for the amount of land and oceans under protection (presently about 7.9 million hectares of land, 848kms of coastline and
- 4 172 square kilometres of ocean are protected).
- Achieve the peak, plateau and decline trajectory for greenhouse gas emissions, with the peak being reached around 2025.
- By 2030, an economy-wide carbon price should be entrenched.
- Zero emission building standards by 2030.
- Absolute reductions in the total volume of
- waste disposed to landfill each year.
- At least 20 000MW of renewable energy should be contracted by 2030.
- Improved disaster preparedness for extreme climate events.
- Increased investment in new agricultural technologies, research and the development of adaptation strategies for the protection of rural livelihoods and expansion of commercial agriculture.
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