The DEA intends to ensure that South Africans will continue to enjoy their constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being

Environmental quality and management

There will be greater focus in addressing challenges in the area of pollution and waste management. DEA’s work will focus on ensuring that there is less waste disposed at landfill sites and increased waste services and waste management systems. An effective environmental impact assessment and management system will be put in place to ensure that in future we are able to effectively and proactively manage, minimise and mitigate against potential negative impacts of significant development activities and development patterns in line with government policy, legislation, goals and strategies.

Achievements and future endeavours

• Legislation

In October 2011, Cabinet approved the National Climate Change Response White Paper. The policy paper sets out South Africa’s vision for an effective climate change response, and a transition, in the longer term, to a climate resilient and lower carbon economy and society. Our work will focus on implementing the policy. The department will work towards the development and implementation of the National Vehicle Emissions Strategy which will clearly define the national approach on dealing with carbon emissions from the many vehicles our roads.

• Environmental management strategies

One of the recent achievements in efforts to deal with waste is the recently launched National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) during 2011. The strategy aims to promote effective minimisation of waste and ensurethe effective and efficient delivery of waste services among others. The Environmental Impact Assessment and Management Strategy (EIAMS) process is another initiative that facilitates a participatory process in order to compile a strategy that gives effect to the objectives of integrated environmental management within the context of the principles of sustainable development