Transcript Response to the NATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE …

One Million
Climate Jobs
A just transition to
a low carbon economy
to combat unemployment
and climate change
One Million Climate Jobs
Campaign
We face an economic and environmental
crisis: we need solutions to both;
Trade unions, social movements and
environmental organisations have formed
an alliance to campaign for the creation of
one million climate jobs, now.
Our initial research shows that more than
three million new climate jobs can be
created.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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One Million Climate Jobs
Campaign (Cont.)
Our campaign has two starting points:
First, we need work. South Africa has one
of the highest levels of unemployment in
the world;
Our second starting point is that we have
to slow down climate change, build our
defences against its impacts, and prevent
catastrophic climate change.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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One Million Climate Jobs
Campaign (Cont.)
Our campaign has two starting points:
First, we need work. South Africa has one
of the highest levels of unemployment in
the world;
Our second starting point is that we have
to slow down climate change, build our
defences against its impacts, and prevent
catastrophic climate change.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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Unemployment
SA has one of the highest rates of
unemployment in the world;
Official unemployment 25%, expanded
definition 36%;
70% of the unemployed are youth and
60% are women;
Unemployment represents a social
disaster;
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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Unemployment rates by region, 2012 (%)
Selected country unemployment rate (%)
World
6.3
Eurozone
11.6
UK
8.2
Hungary
10.6
Russia
5.2
Malaysia
2.8
S Korea
2.8
Brazil
5.4
Egypt
12.6
South Africa
25.5
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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SA a big polluter
SA has a relatively small economy yet is
the 12th biggest polluter of GHG.
CO2 per capita hovered between 8 and 10
tons per capita, a figure twice as high as in
China, 4-5 times higher than Brazil,
Indonesia and India and similar to the UK
and Germany (where major technological
interventions are taking place to reduce
this).
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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The carbon intensity of the South
African economy*
1.00
Carbon Intensities(2008) – selected countries
[kgCO2e/US$ GDP]
0.94
0.90
0.83
0.80
0.70
0.60
0.50
0.42
[kgCO2e/
US$ GDP] 0.40
0.27
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.00
South Africa
China
USA
Turkey
*The International Energy Agency (CO2 EMISSIONS FROM FUEL COMBUSTION Highlights (2010 Edition))
arrives
at slightly
different
COSATU
/ Sustain
Labournumbers but the ranking order remains the same, with South Africa the highest emitter.
November 2012
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SA’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Rest of
sources
Coal mining
Eskom
coal
Cement prod.
Steel prod.
Al, FeCr, FeMn, FeSi
Petrol
Sasol
process
Diesell
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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Subsidy level to high energy industries?
reportedly 12-19c/kWh to large and energy
intensive industries,
below the production cost of 32.8c/kWh
(Eskom figure for 2010-11),
Eskom’s tariff to municipalities: 41.57c/kWh
for 2010/11, increasing to 65.85c/kWh in the
next two years.
domestic consumers, including the poorest of
the poor, pay the highest (block) tariffs
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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What are climate jobs
Climate jobs are jobs that:
Reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses we emit,
to make sure that we prevent catastrophic climate
change;
Build our capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate
change (e.g. jobs that improve our food security);
Provide and secure vital services, especially water,
energy and sanitation (this includes reducing
wasteful over-consumption).
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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What are climate jobs
Climate jobs are:
Decent jobs: Decent jobs are jobs that
are safe, provide healthy working
conditions, and offer social protection,
security and fair wages.
People-driven jobs: Economic
development must be driven primarily by
people, not profits.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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What are climate jobs
Publicly driven jobs: The state must be
actively involved in creating jobs that address
climate change, employing and training new
climate workers, and retraining workers where
necessary.
Private Sector jobs: This emphasis on the state
does not exclude the private sector altogether,
but we cannot rely on business to take urgent
action when their bottom line is profitability and
accountability to shareholders.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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One Million Climate Jobs
Campaign (Cont.)
We can and must
Produce our electricity from wind and sun.
Use and expand public transport at the
expense of cars and road freight.
Convert our homes and public buildings to
be energy and water efficient.
Provide basic services such as water,
electricity and sanitation.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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One Million Climate Jobs
Campaign (Cont.)
Grow enough food for all people through
agro-ecology labour intensive, low in
carbon emissions, protects soil and water,
and provides healthy food.
Protect our natural resources, especially
water, soil and biodiversity, to make sure
that we can continue to meet the basic
needs of all people.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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The jobs
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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The jobs
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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Where are the climate jobs?
50% of energy supplied by renewable
energy within 10 years will reduce our
emissions by 20%;
A commitment to shift 10% of private car
commuters to public transport would
create about 70 000 jobs and reduce
emissions by 24 Mt CO2-/year.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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Where are the climate jobs?
If 200 000 more people caught taxis, there
would be an additional 18 000 jobs
If 500 000 more people rode buses to work and
school, there would be an additional 3 500
buses and 42 000 more workers in bus
operations, vehicle maintenance and part
supply, as well as in bus building.
If 800 000 more people used Metrorail trains,
113 train sets and about 10 000 new jobs.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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Cost of climate jobs
Using minimum wage of R7,000 per month
per worker (including indirect wage costs),
a million climate jobs for one year = R84
bn;
Non labour costs (financing, raw materials,
etc. clculated at 40%
Returns from taxation would reduce the
costs to R92 bn per annum.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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Can we afford Climate Jobs?
Tax on idle corporate bank deposits = R60 bn.
Increase of 2% tax on high income earners =
R20 bn.
Surplus in UIF = R8 bn.
Financial tranaction tax = R48 bn.
Carbon tax = R82 bn.
Halting capital flight = R100 bn.
Redirecting pension funds through prescribed
assets = R140 bn.
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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Can we afford Not to?
The costs of doing business as usual;
Climate catastrophes and social
catastrophes;
The ticking time bomb?
Join the Campaign for ONE MILLION
CLIMATE JOBS!
Its possible, necessary and urgent!
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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Thank you
COSATU / Sustain Labour
November 2012
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