OpenUCT :: Browsing by Author "Cohen, Brett"

Browsing by Author "Cohen, Brett"

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Open Access
A complex transdisciplinary exploration of South African climate mitigation policy
(2019) Tyler, Emily; Cohen, Brett
The research journey reflected in this thesis emerged from fifteen years of practice of (predominantly South African) climate mitigation policy from 2001 - 2016; from a dissatisfaction with the pace and depth of progress, and a realisation that the South African climate mitigation policy community of practice approaches what we do in a particular way. Guided by a complex transdisciplinary methodology, in this thesis I explore this realm of 'approach’, asking whether it is consequential for the decarbonisation policy agenda in South Africa, and considering complexity thinking as an alternative. A four-part research question acts as the central attractor to this exploration: 1. What is the current dominant approach to SA CM policy? The thesis starts by articulating the 'dominant approach’ of the SA CM community of practice (CoP) observed during the research and building on my experience in the field. I reveal this approach as being influenced by the perspective of the international climate mitigation policy process, and the 'hegemonic worldview’ - using Capra’s (1974) term as a heuristic to convey the set of assumptions and beliefs dominant in the cultural values and form of scientific knowledge that holds power. A normative undercurrent and an environmental perspective that discounts the social realm further shape the dominant approach, an approach that has particular implications for how the SA CM CoP engages with its key policy concepts of transformative change and development. 2. What does the dominant approach illuminate and what does it obscure about the policy issue? I find in the thesis that the dominant approach illuminates aspects of the climate mitigation policy issue: the greenhouse gas constraint; its macro and sectoral scale and temporal implications; technology and finance mitigation options; how various policy instruments work; with a focus on data. However the dominant approach also actively obscures other aspects: the implications of the complex, systemic and long-term aspects of the SA CM policy issue for policymaking; how policy implementation happens; the roles of power, values, culture and behaviour in transformative change; and how to engage perspectives and contestation. 3. How can a complexity approach contribute towards revealing SA CM policy more fully? The thesis then turns to complexity and complex systems thinking to explore how a view from complexity opens up these important but currently obscured spaces for climate mitigation policymaking. The SA CM policy issue is described in terms of complex systems, and a complexity view is offered of: the relationship between the SA CM policy issue and policymaking, the 'mitigation- development complex’, power patterns relevant to SA CM policy, the SA CM policy objectives, and deliberate transformative change. Building on this view, complex SA CM policymaking is described as a journey, reflecting a shift in focus away from content, plans and evidence towards principles, process and emergent strategies; a re-ordering of policy priorities and leverage points, all premised on the complexity observation that top-down control of a complex social system is impossible. A set of policymaking initiatives arising from this complexity approach is offered, including the establishment of a permanent stakeholder engagement platform, a sense-making function, a dedicated strategic and political policy capacity, and a complexification of CM policy instruments and research practice. 4. What is the usefulness of this inquiry to the SA CM Community of Practice (CoP)? Finally, the usefulness of the inquiry to the SA CM CoP is assessed. I conclude that 'approach’ is consequential to our work, and that reflecting on our approach can reveal how it might be constraining us and support our explicit consideration of alternatives. The complexity exploration is useful in two ways. First, it offers the set of practical initiatives referred to above for the SA CM CoP’s consideration as SA CM policy is advanced. Second, it offers an alternative underpinning for approaching SA CM policymaking based on rigorous science, aligned with both the complex, systemic nature of the SA CM policy issue and with the increasing complexification and pace of change of the twenty first century. Whilst the gap between the hegemonic worldview and its organisational and physical manifestations and those of a complexity approach is significant - perhaps sufficiently so as to undermine the immediate usefulness of this aspect of the research to most members of the SA CM CoP - a complexity view of transformation as non-linear and episodic proves encouraging. The research journey traverses the territories of practice and academia, the specifics of South Africa and the breadth of global environmental and societal change, disciplines, perspectives, paradigms and worldviews. Essentially, the research comprises a heuristic move which calls attention to the relevance of policy approach in increasing the pace and depth of climate mitigation action in a development context. As required by a transdisciplinary inquiry this contribution - which lies in the realm of knowledge - has both the societal usefulness described above and academic relevance. In the academic realm the thesis opens a new, multi-disciplinary research agenda around 'approach’ at the intersection of climate mitigation, energy, public policy and development studies. By scoping out a complexity interpretation of the mitigation policy issue in a development context, the research contributes to both the climate mitigation and complexity fields, and to thinking on issues of sustainable development. Finally, the thesis provides a rare example of transdisciplinary research and method in climate mitigation and energy studies. It is my hope that these transdisciplinary and reflexivity inroads will some day become paths well trodden.
Open Access
Analysis of energy efficiency in South Africa's primary mineral industry: a focus on gold
(2012) Johnston, Oliver Ross; Cohen, Brett; Broadhurst, Jennifer Lee
Energy use is the human activity responsible for the majority of its greenhouse gas emissions. In 2010 the global energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide - the principal greenhouse gas-jumped by 5.3% from the previous year, to a record 30.4 gigatonnes (IEA 2011a). The International Energy Agency (2011) has projected that the world's primary energy demand could increase by 33% and that energy related CO2 emissions will increase by 20% to 36.4 Gt between 2010 and 2035 (IEA 2011a). South Africa is one of the most energy intensive countries in the world, measured as GHG emissions per Gross Domestic Product produced. South Africa's energy intensiveness is a result of the energy intensive nature of a number of its key industries. The mineral industry is one such industry. It plays a crucial role in South Africa's economy and is the largest industry in its primary economic sector (Chamber of Mines 2010). Energy efficiency has been identified as one of the cheapest and most effective measures to reduce energy consumption and its associated greenhouse gas emissions. The Long Term Mitigation Scenarios coordinated by the University of Cape Town's Energy Research Centre identified that South Africa's industrial sector had cumulatively the greatest potential to reduce its GHG emissions through improved energy efficiency, ahead of the commercial, residential or transport sectors(Winkler 2007). South Africa's continued reliance on unsustainable energy production, particularly coal, increases the need for maximising energy efficiency to mitigate resource consumption and the GHG emissions associated with the production and use of fossil fuel generated energy. This project aims to identify and holistically evaluate the potential opportunities that exist for the reduction of energy and climate footprints of South Africa's gold industry sub-sector, with the aim of providing guidance to both government and industry for a path towards a more energy efficient industry with lower associated GHG emissions. To this end the thesis begins with a comprehensive review of the potential drivers, barriers and opportunities for increased EE and GHG emissions mitigation for the local minerals industry.
Open Access
Energy efficiency in the South Africa crude oil refining industry drivers, barriers and opportunities
(2012) Bergh, Caitlin; Cohen, Brett
This study has explored a range of barriers, drivers and opportunities to improving energy performance in the South African crude oil refining industry, thus providing information to further support energy efficiency improvement efforts. Energy efficiency is a cost effective means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs, bringing additional quality and production benefits.
Open Access
A financial feasibility study of waste to energy generation in the City of Cape Town
(2011) Purser, Richard; Cohen, Brett
The objective of this research is to examine what the city of Cape Town has undertaken regarding its municipal solid waste (MSW) and to investigate the financial feasibility of WtE as a source of energy and a key component of integrated solid waste management for the City.
Open Access
Greenhouse gas emissions from shale gas and coal for electricity generation in South Africa
(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2014) Cohen, Brett; Winkler, Harald
There is increased interest, both in South Africa and globally, in the use of shale gas for electricity and energy supply. The exploitation of shale gas is, however, not without controversy, because of the reported environmental impacts associated with its extraction. The focus of this article is on the greenhouse gas footprint of shale gas, which some literature suggests may be higher than what would have been expected as a consequence of the contribution of fugitive emissions during extraction, processing and transport. Based on some studies, it has been suggested that life-cycle emissions may be higher than those from coal-fired power. Here we review a number of studies and analyse the data to provide a view of the likely greenhouse gas emissions from producing electricity from shale gas, and compare these emissions to those of coal-fired power in South Africa. Consideration was given to critical assumptions that determine the relative performance of the two sources of feedstock for generating electricity - that is the global warming potential of methane and the extent of fugitive emissions. The present analysis suggests that a 100-year time horizon is appropriate in analysis related to climate change, over which period the relative contribution is lower than for shorter periods. The purpose is to limit temperature increase in the long term and the choice of metric should be appropriate. The analysis indicates that, regardless of the assumptions about fugitive emissions and the period over which global warming potential is assessed, shale gas has lower greenhouse gas emissions per MWh of electricity generated than coal. Depending on various factors, electricity from shale gas would have a specific emissions intensity between 0.3 tCO2/MWh and 0.6 tCO2/MWh, compared with about 1 tCO,/MWh for coal-fired electricity in South Africa.
Open Access
An LCA study comparing e-books read on an Apple Air iPad to printed books in South Africa
(2015) Naicker, Vinesh; Cohen, Brett
A number of studies assessing the environmental impacts of print media systems in comparison to digital media systems offering the same services have been conducted in United States of America (USA) or Sweden. The most notable are studies done by Kozak (2003), Gard & Keoleian (2003), Enroth (2009), Moberg et al. (2011) and Achachlouei et al. (2013). However, no studies have been conducted in South Africa. The main purpose of this study was to compare environmental impacts and cumulative energy demand of electronic books (e-books)read from a Tablet personal computer (PC) or Apple Air iPad, the digital system, with the equivalent printed paper books (print system) in South Africa, and establish which of two systems has less of an environmental and energy demand impact. The study was aimed at creating awareness amongst consumers and producers about the environmental and energy impacts of both systems. The study also included scenarios which investigated the effect that changing the energy mix as planned in the 2010 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) has on the environmental impacts and cumulative energy demand of both systems, and the effect of multiple users per system. The initial hypothesis of this study was that reading 21 e-books from a Tablet PC would have a lower environmental impact and cumulative energy demand than reading 21 printed books. The time period of the study is four years, the length of time for completing a commerce university degree. During this period each learner will purchase 21 books, either in the form of printed paper books or as e-books that can be read using a Tablet PC.
Open Access
A life cycle based energy and greenhouse gas emission assessment of C&D waste and container glass recycling in the City of Cape Town
(2012) Vossberg, Cherilyn; Cohen, Brett
The rate at which the world is consuming energy is growing, and with climate change an immediate concern (Stern, 2006), it is incumbent for the global society to find alternate ways of fuelling human activity. Along with greater energy use, global development is also generating ever-greater quantities of waste. Landfill space is becoming increasingly scarce and the assimilative capacity of Earth is reaching its limits. Society's current approach to the production, consumption, and disposal of goods is likely unsustainable. The goal of this research was to assess the difference in cumulative energy demand (CED) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for two waste management options: landfilling and recycling for the two materials of Construction and Demolition (C&D) rubble and container glass in the City of Cape Town (CCT) in order to determine which option has the lower climate impact.
Open Access
Measuring the rebound effect of energy efficiency initiatives for the future: A South African case study
(2011) Davis, Stephen; Cohen, Brett; Hughes, Alison; Durbach, Ian; Nyatsanza, Kudakwashe
The rebound effect is a phrase which was originally defined to refer to the extent to which energy efficiency improvements are lost due to subsequent behavioural changes. This report documents almost three years of research work that set out to quantify the rebound effect of energy efficiency initiatives in South Africa’s residential sector, and to explore ways of mitigating that effect using awareness and education. Society is in an era where energy commodities are characterised by constrained supply, increasing demand, and higher prices, and where the harmful social and environmental externalities resulting from the conversion of primary into useful energy can no longer be ignored. Part of the solution to the sustainable energy provision and consumption challenge has focused on the technology devices used to convert primary and secondary energy to useful energy that can be used for lighting, water heating, space heating and cooling (and a host of other end-uses). Given that all energy demand can ultimately be traced to the energy required for survival, a study of the residential sector is the natural place to begin.
Open Access
The potential of solar process heat for South Africa industry
(2011) Du Plessis, Pieter; Cohen, Brett
This study explores the potential of concentrated solar thermal technologies for high temperature industrial processes in South Africa which makes a significant contribution to global Greenhouse Gas emissions and it whose electricity supply is under pressure. It is thus required to explore reliable technologies that can provide low-carbon renewable energy at competitive costs. Few studies have investigated the economic and other benefits of using solar-generated heat for large-scale industrial process heat applications to replace or support conventional heating methods. Parabolic trough collectors are the most mature technology for both power and process heat, or steam generation. Linear Fresnel collectors could become an attractive alternative in terms of cost in the not too distant future.
Open Access
Quantifying the energy needs of the transport sector for South Africa: a bottom-up model
(Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town., 2012) Merven, Bruno; Stone, Adrian; Hughes, Alison; Cohen, Brett
Transport is a large consumer of energy in South Africa and vital for economic development. Currently the transport sector consumes 28% of final energy, the bulk of which, 97%, is in the form of liquid fuels. As the population grows and becomes wealthier, so the demand for passenger transport and private vehicles increases; similarly, rising GDP drives the demand for freight transport. Supply interruptions are costly to the economy and careful long‐term planning is required to ensure that there is sufficient infrastructure to support the efficient functioning and growth of the transport sector in the future.
Open Access
Sustainability performance analysis and decision-making for minerals beneficiation : a South African iron and steel scrap case study
(2015) Chitaka, Takunda Yeukai; Von Blottnitz, Harro; Cohen, Brett
It is widely accepted that downstream mineral resource beneficiation has the potential to promote socio-economic growth in resource-rich nations. Many African countries, including South Africa, are thus prioritizing mineral beneficiation in their national policies and development strategies. However, policies with a strict focus on promoting downstream mineral beneficiation may come at the expense of other emerging sectors, as well as overshadow potential economic benefits of cross linkages into lateral sectors. Therefore, when presented with different beneficiation alternatives for a particular commodity, decision makers ideally need to base decisions on a systematic analysis of positive and negative impacts, if the sustainability benefits are to be maximised. Decision support frameworks (DSF) have been recommended for the promotion of sustainable development in the minerals sector, in particular for corporate and public policy development. They provide a structured and systematic approach to decision-making in complex situations, often characterised by multiple decision-makers with potentially conflicting views and objectives. Furthermore, the structured approach allows for transparent decisions to be made which take into consideration both the decision situation and stakeholder perspectives. Research thus far, on DSFs in the minerals sector, has been in the context of mineral processing decision situations which were primarily concerned with technology selection or process design. This dissertation investigates the applicability of decision support frameworks for sustainability performance analysis and comparison of decision alternatives, aimed at strategic planning in the minerals sector. More specifically, this entails the sustainability performance evaluation of decision alternatives as well as exploration of stakeholder perspectives regarding the relative importance of different factors in the decision-making process. The dissertation places particular emphasis on the different steps outlined in DSFs, rather than the final decision outcome, enabling analysis of the value that may be gleaned from the DSF as a whole, and from the individual stages. The application of decision support frameworks is demonstrated for the case of the iron and steel scrap industry in South Africa, with a particular focus on the potential for increased local beneficiation of scrap in steel mills and/or foundries. The export of scrap metal has been identified as a significant concern to some, as it is viewed to come at the expense of local beneficiation, hampering access to affordable and quality scrap for local processors. As such, decision-makers are faced with the question of which option for scrap metal processing has the most potential sustainability benefits. The sustainability performance evaluation was based on available industry data, and assumptions were made when data were unavailable. Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders in the industry, which included representatives of metal recycling, steel mills, foundries and institutions.
Metadata only
The TCLP and its applicability for the characterization of worst case leaching of wastes from Mining and Metallurgical operations
(Elsevier, 1999) Cohen, Brett; Lewis, Alison; Petersen, Jochen; von Blottnitz, Harro; Drews, S C; Mahote, S I
Laboratory batch extraction tests, such as the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), are widely used to classify industrial solid wastes destined for disposal in landfills. Whilst the ease and speed of such tests makes their use an attractive option, it is also immediately clear that the physical and chemical mechanisms dominating in such tests do not bear much resemblance to those expected in a landfill situation. Neither can tests of such short duration be expected to identify long term effects which, if present, are likely to dominate leachate generation behaviour once the waste is disposed. This paper discusses the mechanisms involved in leaching. A series of tests on a metallurgical waste (an EAF dust) is reported which aimed to identify the appropriateness of the TCLP in characterising worst case leaching for this type of material. The results are discussed together with some more theoretical aspects of leaching to assess the applicability of the TCLP for wastes from the mining and metallurgical operations. It is concluded that some of the physical and chemical parameters defining the TCLP require some flexibility in order to create adequate worst case scenarios for each particular waste material.
Open Access
A techno-economic study of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies for supermarkets in South Africa
(2011) Pather-Elias, Simisha; Cohen, Brett; Davis, Stephen
The aim of this study was to do a techno-economic analysis for the use of both energy efficient and renewable energy technologies in supermarkets to determine the best options to implement to reduce grid electricity consumption, and its resulting carbon emissions in a cost-effective way.
Open Access
Using system dynamics to explore gini coefficient parametrics
(2014) Pillay, Nalini Sooknanan; Cohen, Brett; Nel, Willem
Modern economies are dependent on a reliable electricity supply for sustaining economic health and development, enabled by adequate energy planning and/or investment in capacity. Identifying drivers such as changes in income distribution that impact electricity demand is thus critical. This project made use of a system dynamics methodology with feedback loops to provide an insightful alternative to the conventional linear statistical empirical approaches such as multiple regression analysis and principal component analysis, generally used to explore the sensitivities of key driving forces which affect income distribution. The system dynamics simulation tool highlighted the direct causal influence of Gini coefficient on residential electricity consumption, by using equations as opposed to correlations. Results show that for a GDP growth rate of 2, by year 2035, a Gini coefficient of 0.5 is linked to a 3.14 increase in residential electricity demand while a Gini coefficient of 0.4 means a 4.73 increase in residential electricity demand. This dynamic is an important consideration for energy planners since government has (and continues to) introduce policies and mechanisms to ensure a more equal income distribution and hence a decrease in Gini coefficient from 0.67 to lower values.

Browsing by Author "Cohen, Brett"

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