Contested notions of the transition to a ‘green economy'

Recently , the  South African trade union federation, COSATU expressed its commitment to a ‘just  transition to a low carbon economy’. However the content of that commitment is unclear. Members of COSATU affiliates have very different understandings of the scale and nature of the changes involved. These  vary from demands for shallow change focused on protecting vulnerable workers, to deep, transformative  change involving very different forms of production and consumption. In addition the trajectory of the transition is unclear as the notion of a ‘low carbon’ or ‘green economy’ is highly contested.  Many labour activists are focusing on the creation of ‘decent’, ‘green’ jobs and the COSATU General Secretary frequently refers to a ‘just transition to a Green Economy’. At the same time at COP 17 in Durban 2011 many climate justice activists denounced the notion of the green economy as greenwash, as “a green-tinted regurgitation of a failed and unjust economic system”. This perspective views the green economy  as central to a green capitalism based on expanding markets and new technology which involves the increasing commodification of nature. An alternative view from capital and the World Bank views the green economy as the profitable site of ‘green growth’ which is about making growth processes resource-efficient, cleaner and more resilient.   Based on in-depth interviews the paper will analyse these differences from the perspective of how to deepen solidarity between labour and environmental activists.