South African Government Initiatives Toward a Transition to Green Economy

Abstract

Green economy is a pathway leading to sustainable development. It can be defined as an economic system aimed to improve people’s lives by combating climate change, energy insecurity, and ecological instability. Environmental degradation due to increased human activity driven by social and economic growth is the main motivation for the need and subsequent existence of green principle-based economy. The South African government defines it as a just transition to a resource-efficient, low-carbon, and pro-employment growth path. The main aim of this article is to present this green economy concept and to focus on the South African government’s initiatives toward transition to green economy.