Transcript Powerpoint - Trade Unions for Energy Democracy

JUST TRANSITION TO A LOW
CARBON ECONOMY
HELEN DIATILE
NUM PRESENTATION IN NEW YORK
2012
National Chairperson –Education
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Introduction and contents
Safety first! Profits later! Important for transitions
Background
Num and climate change
Causes for climate change
Num and just transition
Fundamental principles
Num supports Cosatu position
Migration to low carbon economy
Num positions on the debate
Prioritising legislative framework
Fundamental principles – economy
Rights and services
Towards a low carbon economy
International mobilization
Environmental challenges and energy prospects
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A just transition enviable
and possible
Safety
and
Justice First
Profits
Later
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THE NATIONAL UNION OF MINEWORKRS
BACKGROUND
• NUM Established in 1982
• organizing in Energy ,
Mining and Construction
in South African
• Celebrating 30th year
anniversary of
revolutionary struggle
and trade unionism.
• NUM 320 000
membership
• Largest affiliate of Cosatu
• NUM via COSATU in
member of the Tripartite
Alliance in South Africa
• Has a parliamentary
office to influence policy
and legislative processes
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NUM AND CLIMATE CHANGE
• NUM has an
organisational
commitment to
mitigating the risk to
climate change
• Promote new
development path that
considers the benefits for
workers, this is broader
placed in environmental
aspects
• Green versus Climate
Economy
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NUM AND JUST TRANSITION
• LOW CARBON ECONOMY
– NUM supports a shift to a lower
carbon economy to avoid danger of
climate change
• FRAMEWORK FOR FAIRNESS
– a framework for a fair and
sustainable shift to a low carbon
economy
• SYSTEMATIC TRANSITIONS
– It must be systematic and not
chaotic(it must be predictable )
• CAPITAL MUST SACRIFICE
– Must not create a sense of a survival
of the fittest where workers and the
poor grease change with their lives
and limb
•
THE POOR MUST BE EMPOWERED
– Workers, families , communities must
benefit and not bear the brunt of
transition
• TRUSTWORTHY TRANSITION
– The transition must be credible such
that it can be trusted by communities
, workers , the environment , and
families
• MORAL INTERGRITY
– It must have moral integrity e.g.
fairness ,create opportunities than
take opportunities away
• JOB CREATION
– It must contribute towards job
creation and fight against
unemployment
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Fundamental principles
• INTERACTIVE TRANSITION
– The transition must be
broadly interactive and
not corporatist
predominant
• Job creation
– It must create green jobs
– Descent green jobs
• Worker /Community
Empowerment
– Create and expand
democratic space in
terms of community
consultations and
worker participations in
their respective
constituent space
towards change
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NUM SUPPORTS COSATU
POSITION
• Transition must not
disadvantage the
working class world
wide
• Developing countries
should not be
compromised such that
they are disadvantaged
• Industrialised countries
should pay for their
environmental loot
• We must take action to
make the above
realisable
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Causes of climate change
greenhouse
gas
emissions
average
global
warming
up by 0.7°C in
1900s, against
pre-industrial
levels
climate
change
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MIGRATION TO LOW CARBON
ECONOMY
• “We need to migrate to a low carbon economy” (Labour/civil society
conference declaration Oct 2010)
• We resolved “to mobilize our members for the Global Day of Action on
Climate Change on 3rd December 2011” (Cosatu CC July 2011)
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NUM positions to date
• Greenhouse gas emissions are
causing global warming.
Global warming is causing
climate change,
• including unpredictable and
extreme weather events.
• Climate change “is one of the
greatest threats to our plants
and our people….with the
working class most adversely
affected” (2009 Congress
resolution)
• Environmental sustainability is
one of the 6 pillars for
achieving redistribution and
decent jobs (Cosatu Growth
Path 2010)
• We need to migrate to a low
carbon economy” (Labour/civil
society conference declaration
Oct 2010)
• We resolved “to mobilise our
members for the Global Day of
Action on Climate Change on
3rd December 2011” (Cosatu
CC July 2011)
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Priorities of the framework
• WORKING CLASS INTEREST
– It is also the working class’
interest to reduce our
dependence on fossil fuels
• REDISTRIBUTION
– An opportunity for deeper
transformation including
redistribution of power and
resources
• JUST TRANSITION TO LOW
CARBON ECONOMY
– Working class and poor
worldwide should not be
disadvantaged
– Developing countries should
not be disadvantaged
– The industrialised countries
must pay for the damage of
their development
– But we also have to take
action
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Principles : The Economy
• 1. Capitalist
accumulation
– is the cause of climate
change –
– we need new patterns of
production and
consumption. While
building towards socialism
we also have to act NOW.
• 2. Low carbon
development path
– is needed to create
decent jobs.
– We need to redefine
“growth” so that we
measure social growth.
– New economic activities
should assist to reduce
carbon emissions
(mitigation), or help to deal
with the impact of global
warming (adaptation)
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Principles : Basic rights &
SERVICES
BASIC RIGHTS
3. Food Security must be urgently
addressed – promote local and
small scale food production
4. All South Africans have the
right to clean, safe and
affordable energy – connect
ALL, reduce consumption
through energy efficiency,
promote renewable, reject
nuclear
5. All South Africans have the
right to clean water – access
by ALL, protect all our water
sources, use rainwater
SERVICES
6. Transport emissions are high.
30% of commuters use own
cars. We need to ramp up
public transport that is safe,
affordable, frequent &
comfortable. Massive public
investment and subsidisation
necessary.
7. We need to understand the
impact of climate change on
health e.g. increased incidents
of malaria & heat-stroke, as
well as ill health related to
increased poverty
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Towards a low carbon economy
THE TRANSITION & BUDGETS
INTERNATIONAL POSITION
8.
We need a Just Transition,
10. African solidarity
– Invests in environmentally
friendly activities that create
decent jobs
– Protects the most vulnerable
with appropriate social policies
– Develops the skills of workers to
be part of the new low carbon
development model
a.
b.
9.
We must have a carbon budget
– An ambitious national target for
REAL emission reductions
– Sectoral targets
– Trade union involvement in
setting and implementation
African solidarity is imperative.
A two degree rise in temperature
means a 3 degree rise for Africa.
This will incinerate the Continent.
11.A international agreement
a.
b.
c.
that limits temperature increases to
1.5 degrees.
The agreement must be fair,
ambitious, and legally binding. In
the absence of a new agreement,
the existing Kyoto Protocol
commitments must be extended
beyond 2012. “Pledges” are not
enough.
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International Mobilization
• GREEN REGULATION
– 12.We reject market
mechanisms to reduce
carbon emissions,
– including the Clean
Development
Mechanism and carbon
trading.
– The atmosphere should
not be for sale!
– We need international
regulation, with
sanctions, instead.
• GREEN FUND
– 13.Developed countries
must pay for their
climate debt, and the
Green Climate Fund
must be accountable
– The Fund must make
grants, not loans, to
projects that respect
worker rights and
promote gender equity.
– the World Bank must
keep its hands off the
Fund
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International Mobilization
• TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
– We need technology
development and
transfers, without the
burden of payment for
intellectual property
rights.
• INTERANTIONAL NETWORKS
– International
collaboration on
research into issues such
as “carbon capture” are
important.
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ENVORONMENTAL CHALLENGES
AND ENERGY PROSPECTS
• Acid Mine Drainage
(AMD)
• ``Coal Mine Drainage``
(CMD)
• Mine Rehabilitation
Programmes and
financing
• Environmental
degradation
• No! to Nuclear
Energy and not in the
sustainable Energy Mix
•Yes !
To
Renewable Energy
sources:
–
–
–
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Wind
Biomass
Solar
Hydro
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S
S A’s - Energy Mix
New build programs
• Medupi
• Kusile
• Ingula
• Networks
• Gas
• Nuclear
Accelerating universal access
= R 18.5 bn (2010-15)
Support IPPs
= R 308 bn1
Growth of renewables
• Biomass
• Solar2
• Wind
• Waste
= R 7.4 bn (2010-15)
Support solar geyser program
= R 3.5 bn (2010-15)
Energy
Strengthen existing asset
base
• Boilers
• Turbines
• T&D networks
• IT
• = R 48.4 bn (2010-2015)
R&D
• UCG
= R 0.8 bn
Growth related to mining
• Coal mining projects
• Water pipeline
• Road maintenance
• Majuba rail link (R 4.9 bl)
• Mpumalanga rail
development (R 2.2 bl)
• Waterberg link
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Challenges and prospects for
Energy
• Renewable Energy
– development of
renewable energy must
lead to economic
development and
transformation in SA
• Improve /import
technology
– To develop our coal
deposits into clean
energy economy
• CHALLENGES FOR
ENERGY IN SA
– Export of good rate
energy
– For domestic use poor
quality rate is employed
which contributes to
pollution
– This is the legacy of
apartheid and must be
corrected
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CONCLUSION
A low carbon
socialist world is possible
Thank you
AMANDLA!
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