A green economy includes the principles of sustainability, inclusivity, equity, efficiency and low-carbon development. References to South Africa’s commitment to and pursuit of a green economy can be found in many national policies, plans and strategies, as documented by the Green Economy Coalition’s Green Economy Tracker. To date, however. there have been few efforts to measure progress in the transition towards an inclusive green economy. This is changing with the launch of this new publication, the Green Economy Bulletin (GEB), which tracks the progress in South Africa against a selected set of economic, social and environmental indicators.

Fourteen metrics have been chosen for measurement. These, while by no means exhaustive, indicate progress (or lack thereof) in the development of green industries and the greening of others. As a green economy can only be sustainable if it is inclusive, equitable and improves human well-being, social indicators are also included in the GEB. They track human well-being through trends in inequality and access to (good quality) basic services, food and education. Then, environmental indicators, such as greenhouse gas emissions and the country’s biocapacity relative to its ecological footprint and water security, measure the extent to which South Africa lives within or “overshoots” natural thresholds and stocks of natural capital.

Download a copy of the Green Economy Bulletin or read online

Data for the Green Economy Bulletin 2022 is available in Excel format: GEB data sheets

Media

Press release: South Africa has some way to go to meet its sustainability commitments