C40 summit addresses SA’s urgent need for green job investment

Image credit: IRENA

In a recent C40 Cities (C40) virtual press conference, panellists unpacked C40’s latest research which looks at the urgency of investing in future green jobs and the opportunities this could present for South Africa’s economic development.

The youth unemployment rate in South Africa currently stands at 66.5% and yet the renewable energy sector is projected to create 1.8 million green jobs in South Africa by 2030, thereby addressing a myriad of socio-economic issues, such as unemployment, poverty and skills development.

“The best time to invest in green jobs is yesterday, and the next best time is today,” said Regional Director for Africa at C40 Cities, Hastings Chikoko.

Amid global leaders pledging to implement a just energy transition, C40 held a virtual press conference to welcome the launch of new research on green jobs in South Africa that considers a just energy transition as a way to an equitable and sustainable recovery from COVID-19.

The event hosted a knowledgeable panel all with one common interest: the upliftment of youth, women and fellow South Africans through the facilitation of a just energy transition.

During the summit, Chikoko highlighted that COVID-19 is but a crisis among crises, such as energy insecurity, that also add to inequality, unemployment and poverty. As a solution, Chikoko said that he sees “a green and just recovery as an opportunity to address these”.

“In addition to the jobs potential, a green and just recovery brings clear additional social and climate benefits and this is what, to me, makes this research important – the potential to realise a fair transition that leaves no one behind,” added Chikoko.

“We must tackle these challenges together! Green jobs can help to alleviate poverty whilst helping to build clean, healthy, sustainable and resilient communities,” said Dr Mpho Phalatse, Executive Mayor of Johannesburg and C40 Vice-Chair, in a previous statement.

Fostering social resilience through green jobs

C40’s research has revealed that 900,000 jobs can be created and supported just by improving the energy efficiency of existing and new homes, schools and workplaces. Another 705,000 jobs can be created by investing in adaption to extreme weather events such as floods and droughts and an additional 210,000 jobs can be secured by improving public transport systems and electrifying power.

Sibusiso Mazomba who is a Youth Climate Leader and a panellist at the C40 Climate Conference said: “While the just transition is an important stepping stone in promoting divestment from fossil fuels, it is also important that we acknowledge the pivotal role [the just transition] has to play in fostering social resilience, improving the standards of living for millions of people and empowering the biggest demographic on the continent, which is young people”.

The panel also highlighted the importance of the energy transition in slowly closing the skills gap through retraining and upskilling programmes for green jobs that can be accessed by marginalised groups such as women and youth.

Therefore, Mazomba suggested that authorities adopt a comprehensive roadmap and timeline for the just transition that is realistic and is aligned with South Africa’s commitment to the Paris agreement. If additional efforts are made and new policies are adopted and implemented, a 55% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions can be reached; all while creating employment opportunities.

The message is clear

A public polling exercise found that two-thirds of South Africans want to see the government investing in green jobs, which would lead to significant emissions reduction that would surpass the South African 2030 climate target in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

The panel discussion also highlighted that cities need significant investment from public and private sources to realise their full potential in terms of job creation, emissions reduction and building resilience wherein the gains from this investment will far outweigh the cost.

Investments of a similar magnitude would be required under a business-as-usual recovery that wouldn’t provide the same benefits across people’s lives (such as more energy-efficient houses, cleaner air, better public transport systems and more resilient cities) or put the country on track to meet climate targets. This means that it is not a matter of additional investments, but more to ensure that investment moves from carbon-intensive projects to low-carbon ones supporting a green and just recovery for everyone.

“The message is clear. Cities are critical partners in South Africa’s just transition and for them to realise their full green jobs potential, they need direct sources of investment,” said Chikoko.

“This research offers us hope and shows that there is so much to fight for, but to get there we need to enact equitable policies now. We need to be sure that we are including training and skills development programmes in what we do and these should support an equitable transition from fossil fuels and guarantee that new jobs are accessible to women, previously disadvantaged individuals, youth and all other groups that are usually left out. All these can be achieved while reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a way that would exceed South Africa’s 2030 target,” said Chikoko.

This article was first published on ESI Africa.