Browsing by Author "Du Toit, Louise"

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    Promoting renewable energy in South Africa through the inclusion of market-based instruments in South Africa's legal and policy framework with particular reference to the feed-in tariff
    (2014) Du Toit, Louise; Glazewski, Jan
    The thesis considers the problem of climate change and identifies that the use of fossil fuels to generate energy since the Industrial Revolution has been a significant factor fuelling the emission of greenhouse gases and the consequent increase in global temperatures. Due to continuing economic growth, greenhouse gas emissions show no signs of abating. The thesis argues that promoting renewable energy would contribute to displacing fossil fuel-generated energy and a consequent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions or, at least, the rate at which such emissions are increasing. However, a significant barrier to the uptake of renewable energy is that it generally has higher initial costs than conventional fossil fuel-generated energy. In recognition of this barrier, a number of market-based instruments have been introduced internationally to support the uptake of renewable energy. Through a discussion of the literature, the thesis identifies that the renewable energy feed-in tariff has thus far been the most effective instrument in promoting renewable energy. It considers international examples of the feed-in tariff with a focus on Germany, which is largely considered to have had the most success with the feed-in tariff. In South Africa, which has a coal-based economy, renewable energy has only started to gain importance relatively recently. The thesis traces the development of renewable energy policy in South Africa through a consideration of the relevant legislation and policy documents as well as the market-based instruments that have been introduced to promote renewable energy. Even though the South African government has chosen to implement renewables tendering in respect of specific quantities of renewable energy, the thesis – in light of the numerous advantages of the feed-in tariff and its effectiveness internationally – argues in favour of a feed-in tariff and examines the elements of a feed-in tariff framework in the South African context.
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    Towards an Effective Climate Change Regime in South Africa: Policy and Legal Developments
    (2010) Du Toit, Louise; Glazewski, Jan
    Global climate change has been recognised as 'unequivocal'. Some of the changes observed in the environment include the melting of polar icecaps, rising sea levels, as well as more extreme weather conditions including droughts, tropical cyclone activity and heavy precipitation. These impacts have been caused by a drastic increase in global levels of greenhouse gas emissions 'since 1750 as a result of human activities' and a consequent increase in global temperatures of more than half a degree Celsius since before the Industrial Revolution