Through our choices and lifestyles, we have placed an onerous burden on the environment that sustains us. Everything is now at risk including the long term growth prospects of our economy and the jobs that must be created; the food supply we rely upon and our very quality of life.
Rapid development and other resource-use inefficiencies are causing extensive environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and a decline in agricultural production in this province. Climate change will exacerbate this. There is no choice in the matter, we must become more sustainable. The Provincial Government of the Western Cape is committed to achieving real sustainability and resource use efficiency. We acknowledge that we cannot do this in isolation and that we must work closely with other stakeholders, private and public to achieve our goals. We will however, take up the leadership of this process.
In order to achieve real environmental sustainability and resource use efficiency the Western Cape provincial government will focus on the following priorities:
- Climate change: We will promote energy efficiency, renewable energy production, conservation farming and reduce the burning of fossil fuels. Approximately 95% of energy use in the province is generated by the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil). This is simply unsustainable. We will reduce the gross provincial product to carbon emission ratio by 10% by 2014. We will reduce electricity usage in selected provincial buildings including schools and hospitals by five to 10%. By 2014, 15% of the electricity usage in the province will be through renewable energy sources.
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Water management: We will improve agricultural, industrial, commercial and household water use efficiency, planning and management. Climate change models predict a drying and warming trend in our province. This highlights the need for improved water supply and demand management. We will implement a provincial Integrated Water Resource Management Plan to improve agricultural, industrial, commercial and household water use efficiency by 5 to 10% by 2014.
- Pollution and waste management: We will improve pollution and waste planning and management. Landfills in the province have become overfilled - not all are licensed, nor do all facilities comply with permit conditions. This is exacerbated by inappropriate spatial planning, lack of available land, lengthy license approval time-frames, and increased waste transport costs. We will increase the percentage of waste diversion from landfills to 15% by 2014.
- Biodiversity management: We will improve biodiversity planning, management and conservation. The conservation of the province's globally significant biodiversity resources is under threat due from development. We will increase conservation stewardship sites from 50 to 78 by 2012, rehabilitate 40 000 hectares per annum of land infested with alien vegetation, reduce wild fires by increasing the number of planned fires.
- Agricultural land-use management: We will ensure the optimal and integrated management and use of land. The province has experienced a drastic increase in natural disasters during the past three years and the indications are that this trend will continue as the impacts of climate change take effect. Another challenge will be to promote the more efficient use of water, by both commercial and emerging farmers. We will achieve a five improvement in conservation farming practices by 2014.
- Built environment: We will ensure resource-use efficiency and sustainability are incorporated into all land-use management and development. Land-use development and management practices in both the rural and urban areas are unsustainable.
We will promulgate responsive planning legislation for land development to promote resource-use efficiency and sustainability. We will also develop and implement a Provincial Spatial Plan and determine set-back lines for the Western Cape coastline.
The provincial government is committed to its primary role to regulate, support and monitor we are also determined to be the leading facilitator to achieve real and lasting sustainability and resource-use efficiency in the Western Cape.
Enquiries:
Heini Odendal
Cell: 084 959 4515
