scholarly journals Pruning the Money-Tree to Ensure Sustainable Growth: Facilitating Sustainable Development Through Market-Based Instruments

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
AR Paterson
Keyword(s):  
Waste Water ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Market Failure ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Policy Paper ◽  
Environmental Objectives

There is growing global recognition that market-based instruments (MBI), such as environmentally-related taxes, levies and user-charges, are viable tools for facilitating environmental management and, ultimately, sustainable development. These instruments seek to correct market failure to value, or accurately value, environmental goods and services that consequently lead to environmental concerns being accorded insufficient consideration in everyday market activities.  South Africa has introduced various MBI, largely in the form of environmentally-related taxes pertaining to mining, agriculture, electricity supply, water supply, waste water discharge and various products such as fuel and plastic shopping bags. The primary rationale underlying the introduction of these instruments has been revenue generation. Government has, however, acknowledged that MBI have potential to achieve other objectives, namely to mould human behaviour, encourage more efficient resource use and improve actual environmental outcomes. In an effort to facilitate further debate on the issue, the National Treasury recently published a draft policy paper titled A Framework for Considering Market-Based Instruments to Support Environmental Fiscal Reform in South Africa. The Draft Policy Paper reflects a significant shift in fiscal policy and provides four broad tax reform options that could contribute towards meeting both fiscal and environmental objectives, namely: reforming existing environmentally-related taxes and charges in the transport and solid waste sectors; introducing new environmentally-related taxes in the electricity and waste water sectors; reforming legal aspects of non-environmentally-related taxes with perverse environmental incentives and creating incentives to improve environmental outcomes.  This article briefly considers each of the above options set out in the Draft Policy Paper by focusing on the following questions: Why has there been a shift toward the use of MBI to achieve environmental outcomes? To what extent are they used currently in South Africa? What are the options for extending their use in South Africa? What are the prerequisites for their successful implementation?

SOUTH AFRICA'S RESERVE: CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

2006 ◽  
Vol 08 (01) ◽  
pp. 61-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALISON BODURTHA QUA-ENOO ◽  
KATE SCHENDEL ◽  
NEVIL QUINN
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Key Issues

South Africa introduced a visionary policy for water resource management in 1998. The South African National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) contains several innovative mechanisms with the potential to transform water resource management within the country and abroad. The Reserve is one of these innovations, guaranteeing a basic water requirement for both human needs and ecosystem health. This article discusses the process of Reserve determination and implementation in South Africa and identifies challenges and opportunities for successful implementation. Based on the perceptions of 28 water managers, consultants, and researchers, the key issues and recommendations for improving implementation are presented. The major findings indicate that political support, the capacity of the implementing organization, supporting policies, strong linkages between policy actors and effective monitoring programs are key issues in the successful implementation of sustainable development policy mechanisms.

scholarly journals Role of courts in interpreting local government's environmental powers in South Africa

2016 ◽  
pp. 17-35
Author(s):  
Oliver Fuo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Environmental Rights ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Fundamental Transformation ◽  
The Republic

Local government in post-apartheid South Africa has undergone fundamental transformation. This is evident from its extensive governing powers and functions and its expanded developmental mandate. At the forefront of sustainable development, municipalities have legislative and executive powers to administer the matters listed in Schedules 4B and 5B of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. Moreover, matters listed in Schedules 4A and 5A of the Constitution can be assigned to municipalities by national and provincial governments. Like other spheres of government, municipalities are obliged to contribute towards realising s 24 of the Constitution – guaranteeing environmental rights. However, the exact contours of their powers in promoting the objectives of s 24 of the Constitution are ill-defined and subject to ongoing definition by way of legislation, policies and case-law. This article argues that environmental litigation presents courts an opportunity to further redefine the powers of municipalities in fostering constitutional environmental objectives in South Africa. Drawing from Le Sueur and Another v eThekwini Municipality and Others [2013] ZAKZPHC 6 (30 January 2013), this article demonstrates how courts can play an important role in clarifying the environmental powers and functions of municipalities in South Africa. This article is based on a review of legal and extra-legal sources.

Social Design for Services Framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie SARANTOU ◽  
Satu MIETTINEN
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Research Group ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Social Design ◽  
Practical Action ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World

This paper addresses the fields of social and service design in development contexts, practice-based and constructive design research. A framework for social design for services will be explored through the survey of existing literature, specifically by drawing on eight doctoral theses that were produced by the World Design research group. The work of World Design researcher-designers was guided by a strong ethos of social and service design for development in marginalised communities. The paper also draws on a case study in Namibia and South Africa titled ‘My Dream World’. This case study presents a good example of how the social design for services framework functions in practice during experimentation and research in the field. The social design for services framework transfers the World Design group’s research results into practical action, providing a tool for the facilitation of design and research processes for sustainable development in marginal contexts.

scholarly journals A health worker knowledge, attitudes and practices survey of SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention and control in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saiendhra Vasudevan Moodley ◽  
Muzimkhulu Zungu ◽  
Molebogeng Malotle ◽  
Kuku Voyi ◽  
Nico Claassen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background Health workers are crucial to the successful implementation of infection prevention and control strategies to limit the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at healthcare facilities. The aim of our study was to determine SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention and control knowledge and attitudes of frontline health workers in four provinces of South Africa as well as explore some elements of health worker and health facility infection prevention and control practices. Methods A cross-sectional study design was utilised. The study population comprised both clinical and non-clinical staff working in casualty departments, outpatient departments, and entrance points of health facilities. A structured self-administered questionnaire was developed using the World Health Organization guidance as the basis for the knowledge questions. COVID-19 protocols were observed during data collection. Results A total of 286 health workers from 47 health facilities at different levels of care participated in the survey. The mean score on the 10 knowledge items was 6.3 (SD = 1.6). Approximately two-thirds of participants (67.4%) answered six or more questions correctly while less than a quarter of all participants (24.1%) managed to score eight or more. A knowledge score of 8 or more was significantly associated with occupational category (being either a medical doctor or nurse), age (< 40 years) and level of hospital (tertiary level). Only half of participants (50.7%) felt adequately prepared to deal with patients with COVD-19 at the time of the survey. The health workers displaying attitudes that would put themselves or others at risk were in the minority. Only 55.6% of participants had received infection prevention and control training. Some participants indicated they did not have access to medical masks (11.8%) and gloves (9.9%) in their departments. Conclusions The attitudes of participants reflected a willingness to engage in appropriate SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention and control practices as well as a commitment to be involved in COVID-19 patient care. Ensuring adequate infection prevention and control training for all staff and universal access to appropriate PPE were identified as key areas that needed to be addressed. Interim and final reports which identified key shortcomings that needed to be addressed were provided to the relevant provincial departments of health.

Assessment of wood industrial pollutants based on emission coefficients in China

Holzforschung ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 1071-1078
Author(s):  
Jie Chu ◽  
Anuj Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industrial Waste ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Medium Density Fiberboard ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Waste Gas ◽  
Industrial Gases

AbstractThe implementation of circular economy in wood industries is an effective way for future sustainable development. The wood industries in China are not in the direction of circular economy approach due to less availability of assessment/calculation data of pollutants as per life cycle assessment (LCA) criteria. The present study focuses on the calculation of emission and pollutants from wood industries as per LCA; the emission and pollution data were collected from fiberboard Medium-density fiberboard (MDF), plywood and particleboard (PB) production. The comparative analysis of dust emissions, industrial waste gases and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were performed among three wood industries. The results revealed that the fiberboard industry was the highest emitter of dust, industrial waste gas and COD; and particleboard industry was the least emitter. Further, results indicated that pollutant index of wood industries were significantly changed between 2015 and 2017; the industrial waste water discharge increased five folds and the COD, dust and industrial gases increased two times. This study provides with the emission and pollutants data of wood industries as per LCA to promote the sustainable development for circular and low carbon economics.

Study on Water Quality Improvement of Streams in Baoan District, Shenzhen City, China

2011 ◽  
Vol 347-353 ◽  
pp. 1902-1905
Author(s):  
Hua Li You
Keyword(s):  
Waste Water ◽  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Shenzhen City

Water is the basis of natural resources and strategic economic resources.Deteriorated water environment of streams in Shenzhen city could have a great impact on ecological safety, people's health,and economic development.Based on the data of field observation and Remote sensing (RS) image,integrated analysis of the water degradation causes,and the changes of biochemical oxygen demand in five days(BOD5）concentration by mathematical model were carried out,which is on basis of percentage of waste water disposal,fresh water transformation,and harbor excavation, respectively.The results show that degradation causes of water quality were resulted from waste water discharge, harbor construction,and ecological environment damage, which could lead to slowly water exchange. Accordingly,the pollution can be easily to store in the bay,which result in water quality changes.The most important improved countermeasure is the control of waste water, which could be had a great effectiveness to decrease pollution.In addition, fresh water must be supplied after polluted water was cut off,which can be better improvement for water quality.This would be extreme improvement for hydrological dynamics due to 15m harbor excavation,which can significantly reduce BOD5 concentration.The innovation points of this paper is to mathematical model,which is based on the basis of qualitative analysis.

scholarly journals Community health worker models in South Africa: a qualitative study on policy implementation of the 2018/19 revised framework

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua P Murphy ◽  
Aneesa Moolla ◽  
Sharon Kgowedi ◽  
Constance Mongwenyana ◽  
Sithabile Mngadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Programme Implementation ◽  
Healthcare Facilities

Abstract South Africa has a long history of community health workers (CHWs). It has been a journey that has required balancing constrained resources and competing priorities. CHWs form a bridge between communities and healthcare service provision within health facilities and act as the cornerstone of South Africa’s Ward-Based Primary Healthcare Outreach Teams. This study aimed to document the CHW policy implementation landscape across six provinces in South Africa and explore the reasons for local adaptation of CHW models and to identify potential barriers and facilitators to implementation of the revised framework to help guide and inform future planning. We conducted a qualitative study among a sample of Department of Health Managers at the National, Provincial and District level, healthcare providers, implementing partners [including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who worked with CHWs] and CHWs themselves. Data were collected between April 2018 and December 2018. We conducted 65 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with healthcare providers, managers and experts familiar with CHW work and nine focus group discussions (FGDs) with 101 CHWs. We present (i) current models of CHW policy implementation across South Africa, (ii) facilitators, (iii) barriers to CHW programme implementation and (iv) respondents’ recommendations on how the CHW programme can be improved. We chronicled the differences in NGO involvement, the common facilitators of purpose and passion in the CHWs’ work and the multitude of barriers and resource limitations CHWs must work under. We found that models of implementation vary greatly and that adaptability is an important aspect of successful implementation under resource constraints. Our findings largely aligned to existing research but included an evaluation of districts/provinces that had not previously been explored together. CHWs continue to promote health and link their communities to healthcare facilities, in spite of lack of permanent employment, limited resources, such as uniforms, and low wages.

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