Abstract
A society’s resilience to the economic impacts of peak oil will depend to a large degree on its existing levels of welfare, distribution of wealth, food security status, spatial configuration, and social cohesiveness. This chapter uses these aspects of contemporary South African society as a lens to understand the potential social vulnerabilities to oil price and supply shocks resulting from increasing global oil scarcity. The first section presents the status quo, while the second section considers the possible social impacts of peak oil—once again assuming a business-as-usual policy environment. The third section discusses a range of mitigation strategies and policies that could boost the resilience of South African society to the consequences of peak oil.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
African Loft (2008) South Africa WIZZIT: banking the unbanked with mobile phones. African Loft Media. http://www.africanloft.com/south-africa-wizzit-banking-the-unbanked-with-mobile-phones/. Accessed 20 Jun 2011
APPGOPO (2009) Tradable energy quotas (TEQs): a policy framework for peak oil and climate change. All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil, UK House of Commons, London
CES (2013) Community exchange system. http://www.ces.org.za. Accessed 1 Mar 2013
City of Portland (2007) Descending the oil peak: navigating the transition from oil and natural gas. City of Portland Peak Oil Task Force, Portland, OR
Curtis F (2009) Peak globalization: climate change, oil depletion and global trade. Ecol Econ 69:427–434
DCoGTA (2011a) Local economic development. Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. http://www.thedplg.gov.za/subwebsites/led/index.html. Accessed 16 May 2011
DCoGTA (2011b) About the CWP. Department of Cooperative Governance. http://www.cogta.gov.za/cwp/index.php/about-the-cwp.html. Accessed 16 May 2011
DEA (2010) National strategy and action plan for sustainable development. Department of Environmental Affairs, Pretoria
Diamond J (2005) Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed. Viking, New York
Douthwaite R (1996) Short circuit: strengthening local economics for security in an unstable world. Lilliput Press, Dublin
DPLG (2006) National framework for local economic development in South Africa. Department of Provincial and Local Government, Pretoria
DPW (2011) Expanded public works programme. Department of Public Works. http://www.epwp.gov.za/. Accessed 19 May 2011
DRDLR (2009) The comprehensive rural development programme framework. Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, Pretoria
Essama-Nssah B, Go D, Kearney M, Korman V, Robinson S, Thierfelder K (2007) Economywide and distributional impacts of an oil price shock on the South African economy. Policy research working paper 4354. World Bank, Washington, DC
Feasta (2008) Cap and share: a fair way to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, Dublin
Fleming D (2007) Energy and the common purpose: descending the energy staircase with tradable energy quotas (TEQs). The Lean Economy Connection, London
Harkinson J (2009) How the nation’s only state-owned bank became the envy of wall street. Mother Jones. http://motherjones.com/mojo/2009/03/how-nation%E2%80%99s-only-state-owned-bank-became-envy-wall-street. Accessed 3 Jun 2011
Heinberg R (2004) Powerdown: options and actions for a post-carbon world. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, Canada
Heinberg R (2006b) Fifty million farmers. New Economics Institute. http://neweconomicsinstitute.org/publications/lectures/heinberg/richard/fifty-million-farmers. Accessed 17 May 2011
Hendriks SL (2005) The challenges facing empirical estimation of household food (in)security in South Africa. Dev South Afr 22(1):103–123
Hendriks SL, Msaki MM (2009) The impact of smallholder commercialisation of organic crops on food consumption patterns, dietary diversity and consumption elasticities. Agrekon 48(2):184–199
Hine R, Pretty J, Twarog S (2008) Organic agriculture and food security in Africa. 2007/15. UNEP-UNCTAD Capacity-building Task Force on Trade, Environment and Development, New York
Hirsch RL, Bezdek RH, Wendling RM (2010) The impending world energy mess: what it is and what it means to you. Apogee Prime, Burlington, ON
Hopkins R (2008) The transition handbook. Green Books, Totnes, UK
INR (2008) Study to develop a value chain strategy for sustainable development and growth of organic agriculture. Investigational report no. IR285. Institute of Natural Resources, Scottsville
Korowicz D (2010a) On the cusp of collapse: complexity, energy, and the globalised economy. In: Douthwaite R, Fallon G (eds) Fleeing vesuvius. FEASTA, Dublin, pp 12–39
Korowicz D (2010b) Tipping point: near-term systemic implications of a peak in global oil production. FEASTA, Dublin
Leibbrandt MV, Woolard I, Finn A, Argent J (2010) Trends in South African income distribution and poverty since the fall of apartheid. OECD social, employment and migration working papers, No. 101. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris
National Planning Commission (2012) National development plan 2030: our future—make it work. Presidency of South Africa, Pretoria
North P (2010) Eco-localisation as a progressive response to peak oil and climate change—a sympathetic critique. Geoforum 41:585–594
Pauw KW (2007) Agriculture and poverty: farming for food or farming for money? Agrekon 46(2):195–218
Philip K (2010) Towards a right to work: the rationale for an employment guarantee in South Africa. TIPS, Pretoria
Rosset P (1999) Small is bountiful. Ecologist 29(8):452–456
Rubin J (2009) Why your world is about to get a whole lot smaller: oil and the end of globalisation. Random House, New York
Cap and Share (2011) Cap and share. http://www.capandshare.org/index.html. Accessed 13 May 2011
Sharp J (2008) “Fortress SA”: xenophobic violence in South Africa. Anthropol Today 24(4):1–3
Simms A (2008) Nine meals from anarchy: oil depletion, climate change and the transition to resilience, Schumacher lecture, 2008. New Economics Foundation, London
StatsSA (2012) Income and expenditure survey 2010/2011. Statistics South Africa, Pretoria
Tainter JA (1988) The collapse of complex societies. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
The Presidency (2008) Towards a fifteen year review. The Presidency, Republic of South Africa, Pretoria
The Presidency (2009) Development indicators 2009. The Presidency, Republic of South Africa, Pretoria
The Presidency (2010) Strategic plan 2010/11 to 2012/13. The Presidency, Republic of South Africa, Pretoria
Thornton A (2008) Beyond the metropolis: small town case studies of urban and peri-urban agriculture in South Africa. Urban Forum 19:243–262
TIPS (2010) Community work programme annual report 2009/10. Department of Cooperative Governance, Pretoria
Turok I, Hunter R, Robinson B, Swilling M, van Ryneveld P (2011) Towards resilient cities. South African Cities Network, Johannesburg
World Bank (2013) World development indicators. World Bank. http://databank.worldbank.org/ddp/home.do. Accessed 4 Mar 2013
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Jeremy J. Wakeford
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wakeford, J.J., Wakeford, J.J. (2013). Society. In: Preparing for Peak Oil in South Africa. SpringerBriefs in Energy(). Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9518-5_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9518-5_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-9517-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9518-5
eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)