Green Economy Journal Issue 61

PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
Reading the now annual COP headline: Poor countries that contribute
the least to global emissions but who are most at risk lobby for more
climate adaptation funding. The logic of this line of reasoning cannot
be faulted, but it’s not what COP was originally about, and it’s certainly
not what wealthy countries want it to be about.
Wealthy countries want to work towards a climate mitigation
deal that results in countries like India, South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria,
Indonesia, the Philippines and other leading developing economies
changing course and emerging on a low-carbon trajectory.
That is what the Kyoto Protocol was about and what the Paris
Accord was about. And in my view, it is what COP should continue to
be about.
The loud, boisterous and frankly disruptive voices calling for
compensation led by our own South African delegation are not
constructive. They are being opportunistic, and this constant
banter may undermine the ability of the People to reach any kind of
consensus and thus undermine the global importance of COP.
My proposal – have a separate conference that only discusses
adaptation funding and climate disaster compensation, and ban
these discussions at COP.
Let’s get the ball back in the court and move to the establishment
of a global deal to accelerate the green economy internationally.
Note: a very positive development is coming to the fore of the
plastic crisis within the COP framework. Waste is a tangible, imminent
crisis no one can debate the scientific existence of.
I wish the COP delegates every success in their deliberations!
Yours,
G R E E N
Economy
journal
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EDITOR’S NOTE
Our requirement for energy remains an important topic based on
infrastructural development. Energy security is critical for meeting
objectives with respect to reconstruction and recovery. The transition
will require many new skills currently not prioritised in South Africa
(page 18).
On page 10, Llewellyn van Wyk attests that the causes for the poor
standard of infrastructure services worldwide have more to do with
scale and complexity than funding/skills shortages.
South Africa is experiencing a transformation from monopolistic
electricity provision to decentralised services operating at several
scales. Decentralised grids have contributed to alleviating the
disruptions caused by outages by adding a substantial amount of
solar PV (page 44) and battery energy storage (page 36).
The mini-bus taxi industry is a decentralised, yet significant public
transportation system. Congestion within South African cities is
worsening. E-micromobility provides cost-effective and eco-friendly
urban transportation opportunities, but we need to – once again –
prioritise infrastructure development (page 32).
Electricity wheeling facilitates the integration of renewable energy
into the grid. Virtual wheeling opens opportunities for companies
with low-voltage loads across South Africa to participate in the
market (page 40).
With almost 25-million solar panels in South Africa, and most of
those with a lifespan of 20 years, mass recycling will be required in
about 15 years. We must adopt waste management solutions for
solar, and the batteries used in these systems, now (page 52).
And that’s where circularity steps in (page 48). Round and round
we go.
A happy and green 2024 to you!
Alexis Knipe
Editor
4
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