CLIMATE CHANGE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

Capacity Building, Gender and Climate Change

Briefing for the Portfolio Committee on Minerals and Energy 28th August 2001

Shomenthree Moodley

Introduction

South Africa being an energy intensive economy and one of the top twenty greenhouse gas emitters in the world and the highest in Africa is directly affected by the Kyoto Protocol, the recent Bonn Agreement and international efforts to reduce carbon emissions. In an attempt to mitigate against the harmful impacts of climate change, the impact of energy and its externalities on sustainable development is receiving increasing attention.

The participation and contribution of women is being recognised as a key component of reducing externalities in energy and mitigating against the harmful impacts of climate change. Women, children and the elderly are often recognised as the indirect victims of environmental impacts from energy production. Few women are involved in the formulation of energy policy, and big energy projects remain the preserve of men. Women dwellers have little choice over the use of domestic fuels due to poor access to resources. The use of these domestic fuels is now being recognised as a possible source of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The role of urban and rural women in energy issues differs according to different energy sources and according to the role that women play.

As host to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, South Africa has a crucial role to play in holistically integrating national sustainable development objectives into all social, environmental and economic policies. Sustainable development will only be achieved with an informed society hence the, need for adequate training and capacity building in the energy sector. Women are key players in society and their role in achieving sustainable development objectives is being increasing highlighted.

Gender and Climate Change

Energy is recognised as a critical component of the environment-development nexus. A significant number of developing countries now view women as active participants in economic development, justifying the need to consider their needs and interests in both climate change policy and energy development. Women’s preferences and interests have historically not been accommodated in energy policy and planning. Their participation in energy policy processes has also been limited due to the historical and cultural dominance of men in the sector. Women and men continue to participate in energy projects on unequal terms, with women benefiting less and suffering more of the disadvantages. In many cases women suffer the consequences of negative environmental and health impacts caused by energy use and production.

Gender, Energy and Economic Development

The new thrust to linking energy to economic activities is critical in improving women’s access to energy services, and implies that energy provision for women should no longer be looked at in the narrow scope of "cooking and heating". Energy provision goes hand in hand with economic empowerment. Only when women are economically empowered will they be able to exercise choice over various energy sources. Economic empowerment of both poor men and women would also address the issue of affordability. Men and women have different levels of access to different types of energy. Shortages in a particular energy source may affect one gender more than the other. Current policy interventions will bring different problems and opportunities for men and women.

Integrating Men and Women in Gender, Energy and Climate Change Policies

Research and projects that focus on women to the exclusion of men reinforce mainstream development planning that ignores the equitable participation and benefits for women in social, economic, and political programmes. There is a need to convert the focus on women into a broader gender approach which links the relations between women and men, and how these relations affect the ability of both men and women to benefit from development efforts. It should be recognised that development is about change, and being able to reach out to women calls for a change in traditional gender-relations. This requires that men have to understand, agree with, and become actively involved in measures to improve women’s access to sustainable energy projects.

Gender, Energy, Climate Change and Development

Based on current trend and the lack of participation of women, it is clear that energy projects need to be designed with the aim of promoting sustainable development in both rural and urban areas through social and economic integration in order to mitigate against the negative impacts of climate change. Women are key players in social and economic development and play an important role in linking energy to sustainable development. Policy and mitigation strategies require new energy projects be designed for more than meeting electrification targets, these projects need to contribute to poverty alleviation and social development while reducing the negative environmental impacts. Energy policies currently focus on access to safe, reliable and affordable energy sources, with very little emphasis on social and economic development. It is accepted that energy is a basic need for development and that it impacts on and affects the natural, social and economic environments.

Gender, Energy, Capacity Building and Policymakers

Policymakers need to acknowledge the importance of gender sensitive policies as the absence of gender issues result in implementation problems, which in turn impacts on project and service delivery. In promoting gender sensitive policies, policymakers acknowledge the different needs of men and women in addressing social, environmental and economic concerns. Gender issues in the energy sector are complex and multi faceted, and must be addressed from all levels including decision making, policy and regulation, financing, awareness raising and capacity building to service delivery. The challenge facing policy makers is to integrate gender issues into energy policies by ensuring that there is sufficient information dissemination, training and capacity building, empowerment and networking of men and women. These include auditing and establishing capacity, gaps, needs, constraints and opportunities in the energy sector and identifying, establishing and strengthening national, regional and international information linkages.

Gender, Energy, Climate Change and South African Policy

It is regionally accepted that energy is the key to development in Southern Africa. South Africa’s acceptance of this is visible, as electricity for all South Africans is one of government’s priorities. In 1994 the South African government initiated a national electrification programme aimed at connecting 2,5 million households by the year 2000. However, the real increase in rural households with access to electricity was 47%, slightly above the level of electrified households in the urban areas. There is also a huge backlog for the electrification of community facilities such as schools and clinics in the rural areas.

Government sees the electrification of rural areas as the foundation for development in rural areas (Rukato, 2001). The provision of electricity is expected to improve the quality of life, health, education, provide the rural communities with exposure to the global world, create an environment conducive to for income generation and SMME development and enhance communication with the outside world. Women play a vital role in this, it therefore important that capacity of women in particular rural women be built in order to constructively contribute to development in South Africa.

According to Rukato, 2001, the following observations were highlighted at the Energy and Sustainable Development Round Table organised by the Department of Environment and Tourism.

Women have a role to play in all of the points highlighted including the shift to more sustainable energy use, to reducing and mitigating against climate change and contributing to national sustainable development objectives.

Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable development in South Africa

It is widely acknowledged by energy policymakers and researchers that economic development should be the centrepiece of the South African energy debate. At the national level, the issue of affordability and its macro-economic impact should be the driver of a robust energy policy. Energy should be viewed as an integral part of the broader South African development objective, while integrating all other sectors. It is imperative that energy issues be seen in the context of national development objectives as detailed by government’s economic policies namely the RDP programme and GEAR. There is a need for a single national vision for energy and sustainable development. The current fragmented approach that is based on departmental and sectoral priorities is retrogressive and is not assisting in achieving national development.

Gender, Energy and MEPC

MEPC established a gender unit within its energy programme, with the intention of addressing gender issues in the energy sector. The role of the Southern African Gender and Energy Network attempts to advance and influence integration of gender and development issues through capacity building for gender mainstreaming and developing information linkages that ensure wider women’s participation from energy policy formulation to project implementation. The network that seeks to develop an institutional framework for mainstreaming gender sensitive policies and procedures by drawing on the skills of regional and international experts and project developers in the field.

Conclusion

If women’s needs are adequately addressed in national and local energy policies and if these policies are properly implemented the overall benefits and empowerment goals are likely to assist in achieving climate change mitigation while still promoting sustainable development. Progressive gender sensitive policies and capacity building will recognise and acknowledge the existing division of labour between men and women and their energy needs and the impact that this has on climate change. Innovative capacity building and training of women in energy use can achieve integrated solutions to the challenges faces sustainable development and climate change.

 

 

REFERENCES

Department of Mineral and Energy, 2000, Power for the People-Workshop Proceedings for the People’s Power Workshop, Minerals and Energy Policy Centre, Midrand

Karlsson, G.V., 2001, Generating Opportunities-Case Studies of Energy and Women, UNDP-Sustainable Energy, United Nations Development Programme, New York

Rukato, H., 2001, Energy and Sustainable Development Roundtable: Synthesis of Discussions, Department of Environment Affairs and Tourism, Pretoria

Rukato, H., 2001, NGO-Climate Change Meeting Proceedings, Development Bank of Southern Africa and Minerals and Energy Policy Centre, Midrand

Rukato, H., and Smuts, W, 2001, The Rural Development Framework, Making it work by getting practical, Minerals and Energy Policy Centre, Johannesburg

Thom, C., Anneke, W., Mavhungu, J., 2000, Review of South Africa’s Rural Electrification Strategy, Energy Development Research Centre, Cape Town