| Title | Chapter 2 |
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| Subtitle | Driving green growth: Unlocking the potential of local economies in South Africa |
| Contributor | Ilsé Botha(author) |
| Marinda Pretorius(author) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2025.BK566.02 |
| Landing page | https://books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/catalog/book/566 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Marius Venter & Chané de Bruyn. Licensee: AOSIS (Pty) Ltd. The moral rights of the editors and authors have been asserted. |
| Publisher | AOSIS |
| Long abstract | The sustainable development (SD) goal of economic growth and decent work encompasses the green economy. The green economy is an important tool for SD, driving economic growth and employment and alleviating poverty within a healthy ecosystem. Policymakers focus mainly on the global effects of the green economy and the transition to the green economy in different countries on the macroeconomic level; however, most problems occur at the regional and local levels. In the past decade, the focus has shifted towards developing a green economy at the local level, focusing on socio-economic systems, local communities and business structures. The development of the green economy at the local level depends on government or municipal programmes, social and environmental responsibility of businesses, financing of green projects locally and green consumption of local communities (Tereshina et al. 2019). South Africa faces several economic challenges, such as income inequality, that lower economic growth, and the deterioration of natural resources hampers green economy development. The development of the green economy has the potential to promote sustainability in local communities in South Africa by generating jobs, improving health and living conditions, and strengthening economic resilience in the face of climate and economic challenges. This chapter explores the key areas and drivers for developing a green economy at the local level. Local communities will be evaluated based on the definition of the green economy, which focuses on improved human well-being and the reduction of environmental risks based on the sustainable local economic development approach. Therefore, the potential for green growth by focusing on the environmental practices of local communities as catalysts for the expansion of a green economy will be evaluated. Additionally, this evaluation will inform the development of a framework to promote green growth across local communities in South Africa. |
| Print length | 18 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
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Ilsé Botha holds a PhD in Economics and is a professor in the School of Accounting at UJ, South Africa. Her scholarly work focuses on time series econometrics and forecasting, with current interests in tourism economics, financial and business cycle analysis and sovereign credit ratings. Her work on nonlinear forecasting of tourism demand has contributed significantly to methodological developments in this field of research. As an applied econometrician, she has engaged in research projects across both public and private sectors, linking her expertise as a researcher with specific problems facing the economy. She is also a member of the International Institute of Forecasters.
Marinda Pretorius is an associate professor in the School of Economics at UJ, South Africa, and holds a PhD in Finance. Her research covers a range of economic fields, including subjective well-being, sovereign credit ratings, and forecasting methods for macroeconomic variables. Her current research focuses on measuring environmental climate vulnerability and addressing contemporary LED challenges. She has published extensively in both national and international journals.