SOCY 211

LEARNING ACTIVITY 11

THE ENVIRONMENT AND POLICY:

STUDY UNIT: 7

LECTURER: MS. K. PHAJANE

J.E. COETZEE

33760845

TEL: 0795043183

04 JUNE 2021

1. Introduction

Although the environment plays a substantial role in the functioning of society, it often happens that this fact remains unnoticed. Herein will be discussed briefly the four main narratives in environmental awareness and perception, as well as how these may be applied to the South African context. Additionally, there will be made mention of the two most pronounced environmental discourses in South Africa today - sustainable development and environmental racism and justice – and how sustainable development plays a role in modern South African environmental policy. As a starting point, however, a brief overview of the four environmental narratives and whether and how these apply to the South African context.

2. Main environmental narratives

According to Sishutu (2015:514) the four main environmental narratives comprise of the conservation, economic, non-state agent, and local, community views.

1. 1. The Conservation view of the environment holds that public environmental resources which are threatened ought to be ceased by an authoritarian agent (typically the State) and be made accessible to only a select few (Sishutu, 2015:514). This view may arguably also be based on the aftermath of what is refer to by Sishutu (2015:514) as the “tragedy of the commons thesis”.

1. 2. The Economic view of the environment holds that the environment and its natural resource serve as an inexhaustible object of human utilisation and exploitation (Sishutu, 2015:515). Additionally, the commodity that is the environment is often typically also reserved for “a select and privileged few” (Sishutu, 2015:515).

1. 3. The Non-State Agent view of the environment normally emanates from the interests of external, non-governmental parties, and often manifests in the form of an adamant, intrinsically motivated belief in the non-anthropocentric, accountable attitude toward the environment (Sishutu, 2015:515).

1. 4. Local community views, unlike the other, prominent environmental narratives, vary substantially based on socioeconomic and geo-political setting and circumstance. Indeed Sishutu (2015:216) writes to this precise effect by stating that these perspectives may be “highly differentiated” and are based on the “distribution of power”, “geographical area” and “ecological dynamics” among various others.

3. Contribution to the South African view of the environment

The understanding of the environment in South Africa may be a somewhat peculiar case. Given the country’s political and socioeconomic history, it would be reasonable to say that one need carefully consider how the events of the past, in conjunction with the happenings of the present actively shape the view of the environment held by it. Certainly, and as noted by Sishutu (2015:514), South Africa has had some encounters with the underpinning themes of the Conservation environmental narrative that may very well have had a baring on the view of the environment that developed in the country over time. However, whether this narrative continues to actively shape the South African view of the environment is doubtful, as the various conservational institutions long ago established are no longer reserved for a select group or segment of the population thanks to the constitutionally sanctioned, equal rights of all South Africans. Thus, the role this particular narrative plays in the contemporary view of the environment is somewhat reserved to the influence it had in the past and how this translates into the present. On the other hand, the Economic narrative may be seen as still having an active influence on the view of the environment held in South Africa. As pointed out by Sishutu (2015:515), the South African government granted permission to an Australian mining company to commence with their plans for mining on the Wild Coast despite the fact that this area is regarded as an “ecologically rich, diverse and sensitive coastal zone”. This could very well be seen as an example of how the environment has hitherto been seen as a commodity that is to be exploited – but not necessarily to the benefit of the entire citizenry, as the above example aptly illustrates. Similarly, the Non-State Agent narrative may also be actively shaping the way in which the environment is regarded in South Africa, with environmentalism campaigns against rhino-poaching, mining on the Wild Coast, and hydraulic fracking in the Karoo (Sishutu, 2015:521) exhibiting a strong presence of environmental activism arguably emanating from this very narrative which is evidently prominent in various communities across the country.

Lastly, it would be reasonable to argue that the Community-Specific view of the environment will remain an active, shaping narrative in South Africa regardless of locality or socioeconomic, geo-political circumstances. Whether or not the overhauling majority of a community is dependent on the environment for its livelihood (Sishutu, 2015:516), there will exist a view or perspective of the environment, nonetheless. In other words, the view of the environment may vary substantially from one community or geographic location to another based on how much each individual community depends upon it, but a view of the environment there will continue to exist irrespective.

4. Environmental discourses in South Africa

The two main discourses in South Africa include that of sustainable development, and environmental racism and justice (Sishutu, 2015:516). The former, in essence, revolves around the idea that humans ought to develop society in such a way and trajectory that it does not compromise the ability of future generations of humans to access and utilise environmental resources for their own purposes (Sishutu, 2015:516); whilst the latter focuses on the systemic and “institutionalised racial discrimination in environmental policy, regulation and practices which deliberately locates  toxic waste sites and industrial facilities in poor minority neighbourhoods” (Sishutu, 2015:519).

5. Sustainable development in South Africa

The sustainable development discourse has a definite effect on South African policy, as Upadhyaya et al. (2018:187) confirms that indeed South Africa, along with India and Brazil, forms part of an international, environmental policy-framework initiative called NAMA (Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions), which is aimed at facilitating drastic climate-action and relies upon the individual, nationally determined contributions (NDCs). According to Upadhyaya et al. (2018:188), South Africa has acted in the form of formulating its National Climate Change Response White Paper. This serves as sufficient enough evidence that the environmental discourse of sustainable development does indeed influence environmental policy in South Africa.

6. Conclusion

As such, not only has the four, distinct environmental narratives and their relevance to the SA-context been shown, but also the two most important, contemporary environmental discourses in South Africa and how sustainable development, being one of these, has been shown as having a definite impact on South African environmental policy.

7. Reference list

Prabhat, U., Mathias, F., Bjorn-Ola, L. & Mikael, R. 2018. Comparing climate policy processes in India, Brazil, and South Africa: domestic engagements with international climate policy frameworks. Journal of Environment & Development, 27(2): 186–209.

Sishutu, B. 2015. Environment. In: Steward, P. & Zaaiman, J., eds. Sociology: a South African introduction. Cape Town: Juta. pp. 509-529.