Transcript ACTING NOW OR MORE SUFFERING LATER?

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, 2011
Commission For Gender Equality, Gender and Energy Network South Africa, and Gender Climate Change
South Africa – Women For Climate Justice
By Commissioner Yvette Abrahams
CLIMATE CHANGE IS CAUSED BY HUMAN
BEHAVIOUR
HUMAN
BEHAVIOUR
IS
GENDERED
Climate 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 POOR
In 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
Solar
Biomass
Wind
Coal
Oil and gas
Nuclear
5.4
7.4
4.6
1.9
0.8
1.2
SOURCE:
WWF ENERGY REVIEW
2010
Indirect and
induced
8.32
9.96
8.1
4.96
4.38
3
Total
13.72
17.36
13.3
6.86
5.18
4.2
RENEWABLE ENERGY:
JOBS PER MW CAPACITYive
Fr2amework, 2
FOSSIL
DIRECT JOBS
TECHNOLOGY PER GW
GENERATED
COAL,
0.3
CURRENT
COAL,
0.7
FUTURE
NUCLEAR
0.1
NUCLEAR
0.2
BMR
GAS
0.1
SOURCE:
WWF ENERGY REVIEW
2010
RENEWABLE DIRECT JOBS
TECHNOLOGY PER GW
GENERATED
SOLAR
10.4
THERMAL
SOLAR PV
62.0
WIND
BIOMASS
12.6
5.6
LANDFILLS
23.0
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 Presidency
2. 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
NCCRP
b/ that each and every political and administrative unit has the capacity to implement what
it is committed to
c/ 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 developed
f/ 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 !!!