Amid growing calls for South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon economy to be a just one, a project has been launched to map the possible socioeconomic and environmental scenarios for the transition.

The initiative is being undertaken by the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (Mistra), in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung South Africa. It aims to offer policymakers, and citizens, an integrated view of the implications of the different policy choices.

Mistra senior researcher for the knowledge economy and scientific advancement Zamanzima Mazibuko tells Engineering News Online that the project is exploring answers to the following question: How do we build a just transition toward a socially inclusive economy by 2063?

She reports that the research, which is still under way, is drawing on insights gained from interviews with 20 experts drawn from various sectors of society, including government, labour and the private sector.

These insights will be backed by fact-based research before being synthesized into two or three scenario narratives, outlining the threats and opportunities associated with various policy pathways.

Mazibuko expects the research and the scenario narratives to be finalised in the coming few months and for a ‘Low-Carbon Economy Scenarios’ publication to be made publicly available upon completion.