Political ecology: DA’s environmental policies

Q&A with the DA on a few front-line issues regarding their environmental resources policies (political ecology). The questionnaire — sent to major political parties — interrogated a number of issues ranging from agriculture and the extractive industries to carbon trading, energy and sustainable economics. Due to limited space, only a handful of responses have been pasted below.

DA’s environmental priorities:
The DA’s primary focus is on the maintenance and improvement of environmental quality as it relates strongly to human and eco-system health. This resonates in our responses to water quality and environmental degradation from inappropriate development, most notably certain types of mining. We also have a strong focus on the need to adapt to climate change. South Africa is highly vulnerable to climate change, and the most vulnerable people in society, the poor and rural citizens, will be worst affected. Also high on the DA list of environmental priorities is the creation of jobs through opportunities in conservation and the overall response to climate change, most notably in the renewable energy sector.

DA’s thoughts on SA in relation to our biocapacity and footprint:
South Africa is living beyond its means. The most recent state of the environment report points to a “general decline” in the state of South Africa’s environment. Sustainable development remains only a paper concept. The national strategy on sustainable development, despite having been drafted more than two years ago, has not been implemented. Our carbon emissions per capita are among the highest in the world, and extractive industries are placing an alarmingly high burden on the environment, most clearly evident in our declining water quality.

DA’s stance on democratic ownership of resources:
The DA is a strong supporter of private property rights. However, we acknowledge that in the field of ecology and the environment, the use and abuse of one’s own property can have severe consequences for others. Protection of private property does not give one to the right for example to pollute the air, soil and water, and the state must punish transgressors in this regard. It is the role of the state to protect and allow access to all people to common resources like protected areas and coastal public property which are held in trust for the nation.

DA on the issue of water as a finite resource; privatisation and public right of access; corporate use, cost and access; irrigation; protection from pollution; hydropolitics:
The starting point is that the ecological reserve is determined and defended for all rivers and human requirements must never be compromised. Users in the commercial agriculture, mining and manufacturing sectors will be strictly licensed, and serious penalties for contraventions of licences will be enforced. Special attention will be paid to ensuring that mines and municipalities comply with licences. Planning for future industrial, mining and agricultural expansion will take into account the true capacity of catchment areas. A DA government will further increase access to clean water for all South Africans. All public schools and clinics will have access to water, and the costs of water to no-fee schools will be paid by the state. With regards to foreign policy as it relates to water, the DA is acutely aware that much of Southern Africa is water scarce. The regional conflicts of the future may very well be over access to water, especially under future climate change. SADC needs to take a regional approach to water management.

The DA is concerned about the quality of water in South Africa as a result of weakening capacity in treatment works, the effects of acid mine drainage, environmental pollution and eutrophication. In fact the dilution capacity of South Africa’s water systems has been severely compromised. The DA would ensure that annual investment in water infrastructure, including dams and waste water treatment plants is increased, municipal infrastructure grants for water projects are spent, water engineers, scientists and project managers are trained, and their services are retained by municipalities, and a national task team of water engineers and scientists is established to work with the 100 municipalities where water quality is at its worst. Further the state would fund research into the effects of microsystins on human health and water quality data would be regularly punished. Mines would be held responsible for returning clean water back into water systems, and we would encourage the formation of community watchdogs to monitor such users.

DA on renewable energy:
South Africa has the potential to become a world leader in renewable technology, but we need to act now. The current government’s focus on large scale energy production, mainly from coal, has resulted in the neglect of renewable technology, despite the benefits it offers in improving energy security, decentralising production and mitigating climate change. The DA believes that a target of 15% of electricity generation from new renewable energy sources is achievable by 2020. The stimulation of a growing and sustainable renewable energy sector will create thousands of new jobs, further realising the DA’s vision of an open, opportunity society for all. The role of the state must be to provide the correct market signals that unleash the full potential of investment by the private sector and individual households, thus creating an entirely new value chain from the production of renewable technology to its installation and maintenance.

DA on supporting the development of renewable energy e.g. additional R&D funds, subsidisation:
A feed-in-tariff will be introduced allowing a fixed price to be paid for decentralised renewable technologies such as wind, photovoltaic, concentrated solar thermal, small scale hydro, biomass and tidal. The purchase of smart meters (which measure electricity flowing out of and into a premises) by any person installing micro-generating capacity will be subject to tax relief. The environmental authorisations for micro-generating renewable technologies are simple and predictable. The financial sector will be encouraged to develop special, competitive lending schemes that will contribute to making the purchase of microgenerating renewable technologies more affordable. Besides the provision of incentives, the state will play a role in funding research and development into renewable technologies. South Africa already has a wealth of expertise in its research institutions that can benefit from increased funding. By doing this the state can assist in the flattening of the technology learning curves for renewable energy technologies, thus further contributing to the levelling of the playing field for all generating sources of electricity in South Africa.

DA on food sovereignty/security eg. GMOs (patents, environmental risk, labelling … recent studies from the University of Michigan to the UNEP reveal that organic practices double yields, lead to greater water retention, healthier soils, and higher plant nutrient content, as well as accelerating development of infrastructure, increasing income, environmental and social health, self-reliance and skill):

Food security is under threat, and is likely to worsen under future climate change. South Africa is increasingly having to import food to satisfy its needs. The DA would expand the support of agricultural extensive workers to rural communities, we would work to create skills transfers between commercial and small scale and subsistence farmers. We would provide state support for irrigation projects in poor rural communities, particularly for people residing on marginal lands.The DA supports rigorous environmental authorisations for GMOs, as well as ongoing research into this matter. We also support the creation of GMO-free zones where local communities so desire them. We support labeling of food products to include GMO information.

DA on factory farming/cruelty to animals/hormones/animal byproducts:
The DA believes that standards in factory farming can be significantly improved. Our broader policy on animal protection includes the creation of an ombudsman for animal protection, the employ of at least one state attorney in each province to represent the interests of animals and increased capacity for working committees at provincial and national levels for all stakeholders who work with animals including farmers, wildlife managers, veterinarians, scientists and animal protection organisations.

DA on chemically intensive farming (economic cost, ecological and social impacts):
The DA has a growing concern for the effect of pesticides on rural communities and eco-systems. This matter is poorly managed by the current government, with many people struggling to obtain protection from transgressors. Further, phosphates and nitrates from fertilisers and pesticides are major causes of eutrophication in our water systems. All in all, the DA would seek to improve regulation of pesticides and fertilizers and ensure improved enforcement.

DA on waste sanitation (disposal/domestic/industrial/sewage/agri runoff:
The current situation is poor, although it has the potential to improve for many waste categories if the new Waste Act is enforced properly.

There is a crisis in the medical waste industry. Government does not understand this industry and has been poor at forcing compliance. The health departments have been complicit in creating problems by often awarding tenders to companies that do not have the capacity to treat medical waste. Government needs to encourage the uptake of new medical waste technologies that can gradually replace incineration.

Acid mine drainage is one of the greatest threats facing South Africa. We are dealing with the legacy of over a century of mining. There is very little responsibility taken by DWAF, DEAT and DME, with each department passing the buck to the others. The West Rand faces a particularly severe water crisis due to the effects of AMD. Government needs to enforce compliance by the mining companies, and needs to work in partnership with civil society to ensure that communities have full knowledge of risks.

Agricultural run-off is resulting in South Africa having one of the highest eutrophication rates in the world. Improved regulations of products with phosphates and nitrates are required.

With regards to sewage more than half of South Africa’s municipalities only have one or no water engineer, hence there are growing problems with the maintenance of treatment works, posing risks to ecosystems. There needs to be interventions to improve municipal investments into treatment plants and there needs to be a focus on training and retaining water engineers.
South Africa needs to radically reduce its waste. The DA believes that government needs to work with individual industrial sectors to introduce waste reduction targets. Further, recycling must be promoted, and recycling must be used to create new jobs and small businesses.

Increased attention needs to be directed at the disposal of certain types of hazardous waste including e-waste, batteries and CFLs.

DA on marine stocks (sustainability, corporate — foreign and domestic — access, conservation zones):
The sustainable management of South Africa’s fisheries resources is important for the creation of opportunities in coastal communities. While these opportunities need to be maximised, it must be acknowledged that there is an ecological limit. The creation of opportunities through fishing rights cannot be viewed as the only means to create wealth in coastal communities.

The reality is that our fisheries, especially inshore fisheries, are under severe threat from over-fishing, climate change and pollution. The situation is accentuated by poor management and inadequate scientific research, as well as political pressure to increase rights in already overexploited fisheries. The DA supports a system of ecosystem based fishery management which takes into account the impact of fishing on all aspects of the marine environment including target species, bycatch species, protected species, habitat and communities. The DA supports the principle of co-management of our resources. While under a DA government executive authority would rest with the minister, the management of resources would be undertaken jointly by business, including large, medium and smallscale enterprises, labour, coastal communities and the scientists. A competent consultative advisory forum would be appointed to advise the minister and monitor government implementation of policy and compliance measures.

The DA supports the allocation of long-term fishing rights. The integrity of this process helps to increase certainty in the sector, improves sustainable management and drives appropriate private investment. The allocation of rights needs to be primarily based on the scientifically defendable capacity of individual fisheries, while rights allocations need to be of an adequate quantity to allow for efficient utilisation. Rights holders who do not exercise their rights will have them removed and reallocated. The DA believes that the state should be able to buy back rights if the need arises and that rights will be transferable under controlled conditions.

There is enough effort within the South African industry to catch fish within South African waters, therefore the DA does not believe that foreign companies should receive rights.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) should not only be used to protect biodiversity and improve fish stocks but should also be used to create opportunities for local communities through tourism. The DA would ensure that MPAs are adequately protected and resourced.