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Green Economy: A Strategy to Alleviate Urban Poverty and Safeguard the Environment? KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

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Abstract

The global failure to develop in a sustainable manner has led to attempts to adopt green economy approaches in the context of poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Given South Africa’s high carbon footprint and other negative environmental externalities, the government, in partnership with civil society and the private sector, is taking steps to green its economy. The efforts range from large-scale solar installation projects to small-scale grassroots level projects where green jobs are created for the poor, predominantly women, by paying them for environmental services. This paper addresses if and how green economy can be used to alleviate poverty and protect the environment at a grassroots level. In a project under the management of a local environmental non-governmental organisation (ENGO), poor urban women in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, are utilising the concept to generate income, improve their livelihoods and contribute to environmental sustainability. Green economy is in some ways addressing the gendered social and environmental externalities of urbanisation, wherein women are differentially poor and the environment is neglected in economic development. Left with few other options, the urban poor are using an ENGO and its green economy programme as a mechanism to lift themselves out of poverty, while indirectly managing the environment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Wildlands Conservation Trust and its green-preneurs for their participation in the study. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Canada) is thanked for research funding support, and the research enumerators are acknowledged for their assistance with data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Discipline of Geography, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg campus), 3rd Floor Science Building, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    S. Hlahla & T. R. Hill

  2. School of Environmental Studies, Queen’s University, Room 3125 Biosciences Building, Arch St., Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada

    A Goebel

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  1. S. Hlahla
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Correspondence to S. Hlahla.

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Hlahla, S., Goebel, A. & Hill, T.R. Green Economy: A Strategy to Alleviate Urban Poverty and Safeguard the Environment? KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Urban Forum 27, 113–127 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-015-9263-7

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