Browsing by Author "Jooste, Meagan"

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    The effect of response measures to climate change on South Africa's economy and trade
    (Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town., 2009) Jooste, Meagan; Winkler, Harald; van Seventer, Dirk; Truong, Truong P
    Article 4.8 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) provides that ‘Parties shall give full consideration to … the impact of the implementation of response measures, especially on … (h) Countries whose economies are highly dependent on income generated from the production, processing and export, and/or on consumption of fossil fuels and associated energy intensive products’. Article 2.3 of the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC requires that developed country Parties (Annex I) ‘shall strive to implement policies and measures … in such a way to minimize … effects on international trade’ as well as minimizing the adverse effects on developing country Parties (Article 3.14). If Annex I Parties implement mitigation, they are assumed to buy less oil, coal or other fossil fuels. In this context, response measures are actions taken or initiated by developed countries (Annex 1) but with the impacts and ramifications flowing on to developing countries. The concern of developing countries, therefore, is in those impacts which to a greater or lesser extent depend on the degree of exposure of developing countries to trade (with or without the implementation of corresponding climate measures within the developing countries themselves). The South African economy derives much of its growth from production related to the energy-intensive sectors of its economy. In general, with the climate negotiations on the future of the climate regime post-2012, the implications for energy-intensive and trade-exposed sectors of the economy need to be clearly understood. This research confirms findings of previous studies (see Section 1.3), that the impacts of response measures may imply losses of exports in some sectors, but also possibly gains in other sectors. In this report the scenarios examined are broader than those examined under an earlier Fund of Research into Industrial Development, Growth and Equity (FRIDGE) study. In particular, this study highlights the impacts which response measures have on sectors other than the manufacturing sector, including mining, agriculture and tourism. The present report has provided a more specific identification of energy-intensive and trade-intensive sectors – and those that are both energy- and trade-intensive. We have also examined variations related to scenarios with and without emission trading among Annex I countries, and extended this to the consideration of a no-lose crediting approach for non-Annex I (NAI) countries.
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    Exploring the degree of stability in young adults' living arrangements in the Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS) between 2002 and 2005 and how this relates to their well-being
    (2009) Jooste, Meagan; Leibbrandt, Murray; Woolard, Ingrid
    The legacy of racial discrimination in South Africa continues in terms of differences in levels of income and poverty across races. While much work has been done on understanding these dynamics at the level of the household, little attention has been paid to the impact on individual members, specifically young adults. This dissertation illustrates the extent to which young adults of the three dominant race groups (African, Coloured and White) alter their living arrangements and how these changes relate to changing household income dynamics. In this way, a clearer understanding is developed of how household fragmentation and reconstruction influences the well-being of young adults. The Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS) of young adults between the ages of 14 to 22 years in 2002, and 17 to 25 years in 2005, is employed to investigate these living arrangement and income dynamic changes in 2002 and 2005. In general, it is found that most young adults reside with both parents or with their mother. African young adults have a more varied living arrangement pattern than Coloureds and Whites. This dissertation defines a measure of young adult living arrangement stability. This measure distinguishes between young adults who have stayed in the same living arrangement, 'stayer' young adults, and those who have altered this, 'mover' young adults, between 2002 and 2005. This distinction is used to explain and contrast the well-being of these two groups of young adults using their household income dynamics. Overall, while the literature suggests that there is a large degree of fluidity in the living arrangements of young adults, this dissertation shows that it occurs on a limited scale in the CAPS. A poverty transition analysis shows that stayer young adults progress at a faster pace than movers. In contrast, mover young adults experience greater upward mobility in their well-being over time. A multivariate regression analysis shows that whether a change in a young adult's living circumstance impacts on their well-being, depends on their initial (2002) living circumstances. As such, in formulating strategies to enhance the well-being of young adults, attention should be given to the living arrangement dynamics they confront.
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    Mitigating climate change through carbon pricing: An emerging policy debate in South Africa
    (Taylor and Francis, 2011) Vorster, Shaun; Winkler, Harald; Jooste, Meagan
    South Africa is considering how best to contribute its fair share to the global effort to mitigate climate change. The domestic policy debate is characterized by a vibrant engagement involving government, business, labour and civil society. The policy option with greatest potential for reducing emissions is carbon pricing through a carbon tax or emissions’ trading scheme. The welfare and development impacts need to be carefully considered. The broader debate considers economic efficiency, environmental effectiveness, welfare impacts, competitiveness impacts, design implications given market concentration, and complexity and transaction costs. This article examines the challenges of pricing carbon given considerations of political economy, such as high unemployment, poverty and lack of access to basic services. The article shows a preference emerging for a carbon tax. A carbon tax does not create equivalent certainty with respect to environmental outcomes, but the tax level can be adjusted to achieve desired emissions reductions. Where the policy priority is price stability a tax is advantageous, providing long-term policy signals to investors, as well as price transparency, fiscal revenue stability, economy-wide coverage of emissions and administrative efficiency. However, three implementation issues need clarity: limiting welfare impacts on poor households; the feasibility of a hybrid model; and integrating carbon pricing with the broader transition to a low-carbon economy.
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    Putting a price on carbon: economic instruments to mitigate climate change in South Africa and other developing countries
    (Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town., 2010) Winkler, Harald; Marquard, Andrew; Jooste, Meagan
    There has been extensive debate among researchers in developed countries whether an emissions trading scheme or carbon tax is the best means to ‘put a price on carbon’. Other economic instruments could contribute to mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions indirectly, including tradable certificates for renewable energy or energy efficiency. The conference organisers intended to take up the debate on how such instruments might apply in South Africa and other developing countries, putting carbon pricing in the context of broader policy on climate and development. This has not been done in depth previously.