ACTING NOW OR MORE SUFFERING LATER?

RAISING AWARENESS, BUILDING CAPACITY, AND INFLUENCING POLICY

Joint Submission to Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs Public Hearings

3 March, 2011Commission For Gender Equality, Gender and Energy Network South Africa, and Gender

Climate Change South Africa – Women For Climate JusticeBy Commissioner Yvette Abrahams

CLIMATE CHANGE IS CAUSED BY HUMAN BEHAVIOURHUMAN BEHAVIOUR IS GENDEREDClimate change impacts will be differently distributed among people. The poor, the majority of whom are women, will be disproportionately affected. Over the past decade, the relationship between climate change and poverty in countries where people’s livelihoods depend on natural resources and environmental services has increasingly become a developmental issue. This relationship between climate change and people’s livelihoods is seen to have strong linkages to poverty. To this nexus is an added strong gender component, which if ignored could lead to inappropriate policy measures and increased poverty especially amongst disadvantaged poor population

CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS THE POOREST OF THE POORIn rural communities women are largely dependent on natural resources and agriculture for their livelihood. Climate change will mean that the supply of natural resources will be threatened. Agriculture may become less viable.As it is, in many regions of South Africa farming activities take place on the edge of survival. Even minor changes to rainfall patterns (especially coupled with increased severity of droughts and floods) threaten food security. In urban areas, women living in informal settlements are particularly vulnerable to frequent extreme events like flooding.

Recommendations around planning process:

Green Paper needs a specific focus on gender as opposed to the generic lumping of women with all vulnerable groups. Women and men are not equally exposed to climate change impacts and do not have the same adaptive capacities. Climate change is exacerbating the problems and inequities that women already face. By adopting a gendered approach to climate change the research methodologies, participation processes and the behavioural change requirements discussed in NCCRGP can only be improved.

Care should be taken that the research methodology which underpins the proposed intervention process is not driven solely by a scientific approach that purports to be neutral and technical. Traditional research methodologies which treat people as objects, rather than subjects with agency and knowledge, will lead to policies and interventions that are not successful. If climate change modelling does not take into consideration the power relations inherent in gender, race and class inequalities then we will not get results that say anything about these hierarchies. Yet to attempt to change human behaviour without a thorough understanding of human realities is not going to lead to a constructive outcome. It is crucial that the research that is being undertaken be based on the principle of gender equality, to be capable of addressing the needs and interests of all the people affected by climate change, and at the same time guarantee a just, efficient and sustainable outcome of the NCCRGP.THIS REQUIRES GENDER AND HUMAN SCIENCE EXPERTISE IN THE PLANNING TEAM

Recommendations around energy:, RENEWABLE ENERGY:JOBS PER $ 1 MILLION INVESTED

Industry Direct Indirect and induced

Total

Solar 5.4 8.32 13.72Biomass 7.4 9.96 17.36Wind 4.6 8.1 13.3Coal 1.9 4.96 6.86Oil and gas 0.8 4.38 5.18Nuclear 1.2 3 4.2SOURCE: WWF ENERGY REVIEW

2010

RENEWABLE ENERGY: JOBS PER MW

CAPACITYive Fr2amework, 2

FOSSIL TECHNOLOGY

DIRECT JOBS PER GW GENERATED

RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY

DIRECT JOBS PER GW GENERATED

COAL, CURRENT

0.3 SOLAR THERMAL

10.4

COAL, FUTURE

0.7 SOLAR PV 62.0

NUCLEAR 0.1 WIND 12.6NUCLEAR BMR

0.2 BIOMASS 5.6

GAS 0.1 LANDFILLS 23.0SOURCE: WWF ENERGY REVIEW

2010

Recommendations for agriculture:Climate change impacts on food security. People already nutritionally stressed are reacting to high global food prices, first, by increasing the proportion of their income spent on food, and second, by cutting back on food. In the short term this means an increase in starvation and malnutrition. In the long term, malnourished mothers give birth to stunted children.

People who are already malnourished will have no reserves left to survive the flood and drought induced famines which are likely to become more common. BETTER STATE SUPPORT FOR SUBSISTENCE AND SMALL SCALE FARMING IS ESSENTIAL

Recommendations for health: More emphasis on disease prevention and primary healthcare since an increase in the disease burden increases the burden of care on women. Nutritional policies should address the issue of self-reliance and food security for subsistence and small scale farmers. Women should have freedom of reproductive choice. This freedom should be real and accessible to all, whether urban or rural, rich or poor.THE COMMITMENT TO INFINITE GROWTH IN A FINITE WORLD IS PART OF THE PROBLEM. CHOOSING TO LIVE REPONSIBLY IS THE SOLUTION.

Recommendations around Transport:Transport is a key sector in the production of emissions but women are less responsible for these emissions than men. Women are experienced in sharing transport be it - public transport, lift clubs, and not as many own their own cars or have licences. The work life of a woman may differ from that of men as gender roles can dictate the inclusion of tasks such as picking up children from school, or grocery shopping. Government must invest heavily in a proper safe, affordable public transport system that is cognisant of the different mobility needs of women.  

WE WILL SPEND R 225 MILLION THIS YEAR ON PUMPING ACID MINE DRAINAGE. HOW MUCH WILL WE SPEND ON NEW PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE?•The State must create conducive regulatory environment for the production of organic biodiesel from indigenous plants as part of its job creation program. Should set in place comprehensive support program for emerging biodiesel farmers and entrepreneurs –committing to spend as much on this program as was historically spent on the development of SASOL - and ensure that half of all land distributed, jobs created and companies set up go to women•Government should legislatively compel government fleet – from local government to national – to run on either biogas or biodiesel.

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH FINDINGS, 2•LACK OF SUFFICENT DATA, ESPECIALLY GENDERED DATA•MAJOR MATERIAL AND EMOTIONAL IMPACT ON OLDER PEOPLE, AT THE VERY AGE THEY LOOK TO THEIR CHILDREN FOR SUPPORT – INSTEAD THEY END UP CARING FOR SICK CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN WITHOUT SUPPORT FROM STATE AND EXTENDED FAMILY

•SUDDENLY THEY BECOME PRIMARY PROVIDERS AT PENSIONABLE AGE, OBLIGED TO BECOME PARENTS TO ORPHANED GRANDCHILDREN •LITTLE OR NO PUBLIC SUPPORT WITH HEALTH CARE REQUIREMENTS FOR PWA’S, IN PARTICULAR WITH RESPECT TO MATERIAL SUPPORT AND TRAINING•HOME CARE POSED SIGNIFICANT HEALTH RISK TO ELDERLY PEOPLE, EG. TB•PREJUDICE AND STIGMA ADDED BURDEN•COLLAPSE OF SUPPORT NETWORKS, PARTULARLY RURAL AREAS•NEED TO DEVELOP GREATER INTEGRATED RESPONSES TO HIV EPIDEMIC THAT INCLUDE OLDER WOMEN•NEED TO SEE OLDER WOMEN AS RESOURCE AND SIGNIFICANT ASSET

Recommendations on roles and responsibilities:1.Overall responsibility for the NCCRP should lie with a specific unit in the President’s office, eg. the National Planning Commission or a specifically instituted Climate Change Minister in the Presidency2.The duties of this unit/ Minister must be to oversee overall implementation of this policy. Therefore this unit/Minister should also chair the Inter-ministerial Committee on CC.

3. This unit/Minister should ensure a/ that each and every political and administrative unit in government, from national to provincial and local level, knows what its duties and responsibilities are in terms of the NCCRPb/ that each and every political and administrative unit has the capacity to implement what it is committed toc/ that CC budgeting is mainstreamed in in every unit so that the national unit/Ministry can at a glance tell exactly how much is being spent on CC adaptation and mitigation at any given time

d/ that a skills projection is carried out so that we know exactly what skills, and in which quantity, are needed to implement this NCCRP within 3, five and ten years time, and to set in place training courses and bursary schemes to ensure that all such skills needs are covered – obviously practicing gender equity in the process.e/ that timetables and implementation plans for the NCCRP are developedf/ that the unit/Minister reports regularly to the Minister in the Presidency for M&E and to civil society and watchdog bodies g/ and, in consultation with the relevant Minister, that it holds accountable any unit at any level of government which fails to implement NCCRP as planned

LASTLY, WE PROPOSE THE CREATION OF A CC COMMISSION SET UP SPECIFICALLY AS A WATCHDOG BODY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS POLICY, WITH SIMILAR POWERS AND DUTIES AS EXISTING CHAPTER 9 INSTITUTIONS. IN ADDITION, A CC DESK SHOULD BE SET UP AT EXISTING HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS. 

 

THANK YOU !!!