South African Municipal Workers’ Union

1. South African Municipal Workers’ Union • Climate Change and Economic Policy. • Global Negotiations. • Greening Local Government. • Protecting and growing employment –just transition.

2. MITIGATION AND MORE LOW CARBON ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE (Technological Revolution) - Solar Water Heaters -Wind Turbines -Concentrated Solar -Nuclear ? No! -Public transport infrastructure RAPID SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION -new decarbonised growth path. -internal markets rather than global markets. EFFICIENCY ISSUES -Energy Saving -Recycling -Building codes and retrofitting SHORT TERM ADAPTATION - No building in 100 year flood plain.

3. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PATH ISSUES Tackling Green House Gas (GHG) Emissions is not just a technological problem. It requires a fundamental economic and social transformation to substantially changes current patterns of production and consumption. Greening the economy must not be reduced to some sub-set of industrial strategy about renewable energy manufacturing – it must be an overarching thrust to created a different kind of low carbon society -an ecological economy. In its own terms the Policy document needs to integrate itself with Government Economic Growth Path.

4. GLOBAL NEGOTIATIONS In applying the principle of “Common but Differentiated Responsibility and Respective Capabilities” – we should be placing much more emphasis on our common responsibility to humanity. We should be mapping out a clear Carbon Budget based approach targeting specific reduction of emissions. We should be supporting an International Green Tax on flows of capital to create a Global Climate Change Fund.

5. LOCAL GOVERNMENT Current corrupt and inefficient state has to be overcome –it is a critical sphere in dealing with climate change. Reform of SALGA. This include issues of the future of provinces and districts –out view is the former should be reduced to administrative structures.

6. THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF TOWNS AND CITIES (ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION) About adaptation in the sense that the major vulnerability of the poor lies in the lack of housing or badly located informal settlement – or poorly constructed housing. The paper is weak in failing to clearly identify housing and related infrastructure as critical adaptation technology. About mitigation in the sense of spatial planning for shorter transport route- architectural energy efficiency and building standards.

7. WATER Water Stress and Water Sharing. Industrial and agricultural water efficiency. Free Basic Water (FBW) and stepped tariffs – the water cost (price) chain– nothing concrete stated. Not clear enough on micro water capture technologies for rural and poor – very into macro water transfer schemes.

8. ENERGY Crucial role in saving – including through solar heating extension, street lighting. Does not deal with new notions of more flexible and decentralized GRID in which local governments becomes a champion of renewable -supported by state grant. No to nuclear –because of lead time and cost and the unresolved safety issues.

9. SOLID WASTE Not even in keeping with the Waste Act 2008 that: “the generation of waste is avoided, or where it cannot be avoided, that it is reduced, re-used, recycled or recovered and only as a last resort treated and safely disposed of.”

10. Just Transition –Decent Work –Quality Jobs (From Long Term Cooperation Framework) “Realising that addressing climate change requires a paradigm shift towards building a low carbon society that offers substantial opportunities and ensures continued growth and sustainable development, based on innovative technologies and more sustained production and consumption life styles, while ensuring a just transition of the workforce that creates decent work and quality jobs.”

11. EMPLOYMENT CREATION Re-establish Local Government housing construction unit with training in adaptation and mitigation design. Move beyond the Working for Water, Working for Fire, Working for Wetlands – move beyond the EPWP model to permanent employment of adaptation workforces.