Semester 2 2025 – DUE 15 September 2025; 100% correct
solutions and explanations.
Question 1: Using the concept of ecological modernisation, explain,
by using one specific example from South Africa, how a better
sustainable future of the country can be achieved (or not) by moving
closer towards environmentalism.
1. Introduction
South Africa faces the dual challenge of ensuring economic growth
while addressing severe environmental problems such as coal
dependency, greenhouse gas emissions, and community-level energy
poverty. Ecological modernisation offers one way to address these
challenges by promoting the idea that economic development and
environmental sustainability can reinforce one another through
innovation, technology, and institutional reform. To demonstrate this,
the focus of this essay will be the Loeriesfontein and Khobab wind
farms in the Northern Cape, developed under the Renewable Energy
Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).
2. Understanding the Concept of Ecological Modernisation
2.1 Ecological modernisation is a school of green political thinking that
emerged in the 1980s. It argues that industrialisation and capitalism need
not always be destructive to the environment; instead, they can be
restructured to support ecological sustainability.
2.2 The central idea is that environmental challenges should not be seen
as barriers to growth but as opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and
competitiveness. Ecological modernisation emphasizes: