South Africa
A 2011 report which provides a segmented view of the net direct job creation expected in the formal economy across a wide range of technologies/activities that may be classified as green or contributing to the greening of the economy. The report aims to contribute to strategic planning. It highlights implementation challenges to unlock the green economy's potential.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4056-green-jobs-an-estimation-of-the-direct-employment-potential-of-greening-the-south-african-economy]
A 2016 booklet which makes a case for a project to address the waste and pollution legacy of mining in the Witwatersrand basin with a clear linkage between the potential for revenue generation through materials reclamation and comprehensively addressing the entire rehabilitation challenge, with the participation of all stakeholders. The paper sketches the background and the extent of the challenge, the legislative and regulatory context, and the imperatives for urgent action, then focuses on the Tweelopiespruit wetlands area for a potential pilot project.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4059-rehabilitation-of-mine-contaminated-eco-systems-a-contribution-to-a-just-transition-to-a-low-carbon-economy-to-combat-unemployment-and-climate-change]
A 2017 study which deals with sustainable energy sector transformation in South Africa. The report aims to give a high level overview of some of the key aspects that should allow the country to take progressive steps towards an improved energy sector that respects human rights and planetary boundaries. The study examines the status quo of the current energy system.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4060-energy-sector-transformation-in-south-africa-a-civil-society-view-on-sustainable-and-equitable-transition-to-a-low-carbon-and-environmentally-conscious-energy-future-in-south-africa]
A 2018 paper which frames the 'just transition' from a moral and business perspective. It assesses how much responsibility companies and organizations should have for the impact their clients have on climate change and asks to what extent the processes and products of the businesses can influence their clients’ behavior.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4064-just-transitions-and-the-green-economy-navigating-the-fault-lines]
A 2019 report which offers an analysis of the current energy system and its dynamics in employment, the current international shift from coal to renewable energy, the drivers of an energy system change in South Africa such as the falling cost of renewable energy, climate change, coal production, addressing socio-economic challenges, and the urgent need to reform Eskom. It emphasizes the importance of a transparent and people-centred Just Energy Transition led by social dialogue and consultation, ensuring equality in all forms.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4091-remaking-our-energy-future-towards-a-just-energy-transition-in-south-africa]
A 2019 book which looks at the anticipated impact of climate change and the experiences of millions of people who are facing a climate disaster, focusing on Southern and South Africa. It takes its perspective from fenceline communities who have varying interests in a 'just transition'. The book also recalls the Million Climate jobs campaign, discussing where the climate change jobs will materialize. Lastly it examines the implications of a chaotic and unplanned transition out of coal, experienced around Arnot and Hendrina, two of the six power stations slated for decommissioning before 2030.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4094-down-to-zero-the-politics-of-just-transition]
A 2020 report which calls a post-Covid Just Recovery plan, which ensures that economic systems are people centred and take into account the intersecting factors that cause inequalities and large-scale ecological damage. The paper outlines how we got to the current climate crisis through the emphasis on market fundamentalism, prioritization of profits and financialization, privatization and the hollowing out of the commons, globalization, extensive corporate and labour deregulation, over-reliance on fossil fuels, privatization of social reproduction and care work and how we measure human development and economic growth.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4103-no-going-back-to-normal-imagining-a-just-recovery-in-south-africa]
A 2020 research which looks at the economic costs of transition from coal. The authors use secondary data and conduct surveys on coal companies to calculate costs related to the transition over a period of 20 years.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4104-estimating-the-cost-of-a-just-transition-in-south-africa-s-coal-sector-protecting-workers-stimulating-regional-development-and-accelerating-a-low-carbon-transition]
A 2020 framework which spells out a social compact between government, business, labour and community, in which each constituency has identified steps to be taken and through which all contribute to resolving the energy crisis, promote labour stability in Eskom to ensure an efficient, reliable and affordable supply of electricity and address the concerns of workers, including the stabilization of Eskom to support job maximization across the South African economy, while enabling inclusive economic growth.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4109-framework-agreement-for-a-social-compact-on-supporting-eskom-for-inclusive-economic-growth]
A 2021 policy brief which speaks to the current policy vacuum, proposing steps to address it. It considers the implications of the coal transition for employment in South Africa, with reference to national policy and available research. It then seeks to characterize the key issues, points of contestation, and the current 'just transition'/employment policy vacuum.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4235-making-sense-of-jobs-in-south-africa-s-just-energy-transition-managing-the-impact-of-a-coal-transition-on-employment]
A 2021 policy brief which makes the case for a gender 'just transition' in South Africa. It does so by: a) explaining why a gender just transition is vital by discussing the gendered impact of climate change; b) locating South African women within the broader society and within the economy; and c) providing a brief idea of what a gender just transition would look like.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4263-just-transition-in-south-africa-the-case-for-a-gender-just-approach]
A 2020 study which discusses the just transition transaction (JTT). The study seeks to understand the JTT, its architecture and potential to catalyze changes in the complex set of challenges facing South Africa’s electricity sector. The purpose of the study is to understand the potential of a JTT to accelerate the phase out of coal-fired power and to fund development projects.
[Originally posted at https://www.tips.org.za/just-transition/item/4269-climate-finance-to-transform-energy-infrastructure-as-part-of-a-just-transition-in-south-africa]
A 2022 book which contains essays written by leading experts in their fields exploring what it will take to achieve a just and climate-resilient transition in South Africa.
[Originally posted at https://www.iej.org.za/supporting-a-just-and-climate-resilient-transition-in-south-africa-presidential-climate-commission/]
A 2021 article which reproduces a transcript from a webinar in which a retrenched coal-miner, a community environmental activist living in the same township and two union officials organizing in the area spell out the challenges and hardships in the way of achieving a 'just transition'.
[Originally posted at https://www.southafricanlabourbulletin.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/salb-vol-44-no-3-2.pdf]
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