Green Economy Journal Issue 61

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
The IUCN proposes NbS as an umbrella concept with covering
various categories: the category of interest to this think piece is the
infrastructure-related category which includes natural infrastructure
and green infrastructure.
NbS is classified into types (see figure 1) with Type 3: Design and
Management of New Ecosystems being the category that includes
greening cities, greening buildings and artificial ecosystems.
Figure 1: Types of nature-based solutions. By Hilde Eggermont –
received from the original article author, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The use of mangroves along coastlines is one of the more readily
identified nature-based solutions. However, green roofs or walls are
also deemed to be NbS as they can moderate the impact of high
temperatures, capture storm water, abate pollution and act as carbon
sinks while simultaneously enhancing biodiversity. In this capacity,
NbS can bring together established eco-based approaches, such as
ecosystem services, green-blue infrastructure, ecological engineering,
ecosystem-based management and natural capital .
The World Water Development Report 2018 by UN-Water notes
that NbS is particularly helpful in enhancing water availability and
improving water quality by, inter alia, the use of natural wetlands and
constructed wetlands to treat wastewater.
More specifically, the following solutions are of benefit to infrastructure:
blue-green roofs; ecological sanitation; hydroelectricity; hydropower;
marine energy; rainwater harvesting; rainwater tank; tidal power and
wave power.
Green infrastructure is considered a sub-set of NbS. It is also included
in standards such as the Standard for Sustainable and Resilient
Infrastructure (SuRe). It can also include low-carbon infrastructure
such as renewable energy infrastructure and public transportation
The bigger question is whether
decentralised infrastructure can solve
the ongoing decline in infrastructure
services and assets.
In 2021, the [mini-bus taxi]
industry transported about
16.5-million passengers a day.
The use of mangroves along coastlines is one of the more
readily identified nature-based solutions.
systems. In concert with green infrastructure is the idea of green-blue
infrastructure which includes sustainable urban drainage systems
(SUDS) for managing urban stormwater systems.
Green infrastructure has been found to reduce project costs: in a
2012 study focusing on 479 green infrastructure projects across the US,
44% of green infrastructure costs were reduced. The most notable cost
savings related to reduced stormwater runoff and decreased heating
and cooling costs , . Green-blue infrastructure projects completed in the
City of Philadelphia in the US reduced their stormwater infrastructure
costs from $6-billion to $1.2-billion over a 25-year period.
DECENTRALISED SOLUTIONS
A decentralised physical infrastructure network refers to a network
of physical devises or resources distributed across various locations
and operated in a decentralised manner. Unlike traditional centralised
infrastructure networks, where a single entity or organisation controls
and manages resources, decentralised networks aim to distribute
control and decision-making authority among multiple participants.
Decentralisation at this level entails a shift from monopolistic silos
to a federated structure operating at several scales. Decentralisation
also means ensuring real control of the user’s own resources either
at the individual or collective level.
South Africa is currently experiencing, because of Eskom’s failures,
such a transformation from monopolistic electricity service provision
to decentralised services operating at several scales. It can be argued
that this would have happened anyway, but it has been accelerated
by the critical power shortages experienced by consumers.
Decentralised grids – residential and commercial – have contributed
to alleviating the disruptions caused by outages by adding a significant
amount of rooftop solar PV and battery energy storage. Data from
Eskom and Professor Anton Eberhard revealed that South African
households and businesses have installed 4 400MW of rooftop solar
PV, an increase from 983MW in March 2022 to 4 412MW in June 2023.
This 349% increase in solar rooftop PV significantly reduced the residual
load that Eskom needs to meet during the day.
In truth, decentralisation of infrastructure services in South Africa
began many decades ago with the emergence of the mini-bus taxi
industry, again a result of monopolistic service delivery failure, just
like Eskom. This decentralised transport system is a significant part of
the country’s public transportation system, transporting about 69%
of South Africa’s commuters. In 2021, the industry transported about
16.5-million passengers a day. By way of context, Gautrain ridership
is about 55 000 passengers per day.
The bigger question is whether decentralised infrastructure can solve
the ongoing decline in infrastructure services and assets. Decentralised
infrastructure shifts functions and responsibilities towards entities
distributed across various locations and scales. A specific concept
associated with decentralisation of services is that these systems are
scalable, modular and can be geographically distributed in proximity
to customers without big networks and grids. In addition, suppliers
can perform distribution, maintenance and repair services as well as
additional services. This approach can address challenges associated
with traditional centralised networks such as cost, risk and scale as
well as lowering barriers to access and participation.
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