Browsing by Author "Letete, Thapelo"

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    Analysis of possible quantified emission reduction commitments by individual Annex I Parties
    (Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town., 2009) Winkler, Harald; Marquard, Andrew; Letete, Thapelo
    This paper draws on research in the public domain, in order to provide an analytical basis for a proposal on possible quantified emission reduction commitments for Annex 1 countries under the Kyoto Protocol.
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    Biofuel policies in South Africa: a critical analysis
    (Springer, 2012) Letete, Thapelo; von Blottnitz, Harro
    In 2007 the South African government released the country’s National Biofuels Industrial Strategy targeting a biofuels market penetration of 2% of liquid road transport fuels by 2013. Contrary to the international situation, the main driver for the development of a biofuels industry in South Africa is neither the economic threat of increasing oil prices nor mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, but the need to create a link between the country’s first and second economies. Specifically, the government hopes to stimulate economic development and to alleviate poverty through the promotion of farming in areas previously neglected by the apartheid system. Before the release of this strategy, commercial sugar producers and maize farmers represented the majority of the parties looking to drive the South African biofuels industry. But, two years after its release none of the ventures by these stakeholders have been able to take off, mainly due to the Strategy’s restrictions on the type and source of feedstock as well as on the type of farmers whose participation in the industry would be subsidised. This chapter presents a critical scientific-­based analysis of the implications and results of South Africa’s National Biofuels Industrial Strategy. Firstly an update is presented on the state of the biofuels industry in the country, highlighting the current production statistics and the major investment activities, and how these were affected by the release of the Strategy. Then the ambiguities in the Strategy are outlined and critically analysed with reference to the current state of the biofuels industry in the country. The chapter then concludes with the lessons to be learnt from the South African experience by those African countries which are yet to develop their respective biofuel policies.
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    South African approaches to measuring, reporting and verifying: a scoping report
    (University of Cape Town. Energy Research Centre, 2012) Boyd, Anya; Rennkamp, Britta; Winkler, Harald; Larmour, Richard; Letete, Thapelo; Rahlao, Sebataolo; Trikam, Ajay
    The South African government announced its intention to make emissions data reporting mandatory for emitters of more than a 0.1Mt of greenhouse gases per year in the 2011 National Climate Change Response White Paper. The government intends to establish a ‘climate change response monitoring and evaluation system’, that ‘evolves with international measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) requirements.’ MRV is one of the key topics in the international climate negotiations to create trust and legitimacy. This report presents a mapping exercise of South African approaches to MRV. Research shows that a lot of databases and collections exist already, particularly in the emissions intensive energy sector. However, there is no coherent overall approach to the management of these data. Coordination is necessary for a comprehensive system. Government needs to lead this process ensuring the participation of all departments. It will be necessary to build on the existing structures and capacities to achieve the commitments in the White Paper. Three case studies present existing approaches to GHG reporting, besides the overall scoping. This scoping report is the result from the first phase of the Measurement and Performance Tracking Project that the World Resource Institute conducts in cooperation with the German Ministry for Environment and the Energy Research Centre.
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    University of Cape Town carbon footprint
    (Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town., 2010) Letete, Thapelo; Mungwe, Nothando; Guma, Mondli; Marquard, Andrew
    The aim of this analysis was to determine the carbon footprint of UCT, not only to give a tangible number with which the university’s carbon sustainability level can be compared with other academic institutions, but also to provide the much needed baseline against which future mitigation efforts on university campus can be measured.