Preparing for Peak Oil in South Africa

Preparing for Peak Oil in South Africa
Author: Jeremy J. Wakeford
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2013-11-29
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1461495180

Oil is the lifeblood of modern industrial economies. Petroleum powers virtually all motorized transport, which in turn enables most economic activities and provides mobility for citizens. But oil is a finite resource that is steadily depleting. In the past decade, the phenomenon of global peak oil – the fact that annual world oil production must at some point reach a maximum and then decline – has emerged as one of the twenty-first century’s greatest challenges. South Africa imports over two-thirds of its petroleum fuels, and history has shown that oil price shocks generally translate into a weakening currency, rising consumer prices, increasing joblessness and a slow-down in economic activity. This book examines the implications of peak oil for socioeconomic welfare in South Africa and proposes a wide range of strategies and policies for mitigating and adapting to the likely impacts. It contains a wealth of data in tables and figures that illustrate South Africa’s oil dependencies and vulnerabilities to oil shocks. The material is presented from a systems perspective and is organized in key thematic areas including energy, transport, agriculture, macro-economy and society. The study highlights the risks, uncertainties and difficult choices South Africa faces if it is to tackle its oil addiction, and thereby serves as an example for researchers, planners and policy-makers in the developing world who will sooner or later confront similar challenges. This case study brings a fresh southern perspective to an issue of global importance, and shows how the era of flattening and then declining global oil supplies may be a pivotal period in which either the project of industrialization progressively runs out of steam, or societies are able to undertake a proactive transition to a more sustainable future.

Peak Oil Paradigm Shift

Peak Oil Paradigm Shift
Author: Bilaal Abdullah
Publisher: Medianet Limited
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2005
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9789769513709

The Governance of Transitions - The Transitions of Governance

The Governance of Transitions - The Transitions of Governance
Author: Martijn van der Steen
Publisher: AFRICAN SUN MeDIA
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2018-12-18
Genre:
ISBN: 1928480047

Why is societal transition not simply a matter of change management or normal policy design? South Africa is living proof of the ability of a society to reinvent and reinstall itself. With the advent of new societal challenges, came the need for real societal innovation, especially in sectors where it was never deemed necessary or possible before. This book asks: What type of governance is helpful for developing new societal institutions and systems that can overcome systemic crises in emerging economies and fragile communities? What emerges is a compilation of chapters that introduce different parts of a solution which can be used in developing both a growing body of practices of ?governed? societal transitions and the associated transition of governance. The Governance of Transitions ? The Transitions of Governance, in part, aims to provide building blocks which government and society could use to develop strategies for creating sustainable outcomes. It considers what kind of leadership, organisation or methods for accountability enable new types of governance and what the most important barriers are.

Greening the South African Economy

Greening the South African Economy
Author: Mark Swilling
Publisher: Juta and Company (Pty) Ltd
Total Pages: 496
Release: 2016-02-23
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1775820696

The depletion of South Africa’s (and in some cases the world’s) natural resources and the degradation of environmental sinks (including the atmosphere, lakes and rivers, and land) are continuing at such a rate that natural resource prices are climbing and many critical ecosystem services that underpin human welfare are increasingly threatened. The concept of the ‘green economy’ has gained increasing traction in South African policy discourses over the past few years. However, in much of this discourse it is viewed in a piecemeal way as one part or sector of the economy (e.g. an industrial sector dealing with manufacture and installation of renewable energy technologies and energy-efficient equipment and appliances). In the view of the authors, ‘greening the South African economy’ requires an application of sustainability principles and practices across the full range of primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy in an integrated manner. The aim of this book is therefore to apply principles of sustainability and ‘green economics’ to the entire South African socio-economic system and its major elements in an integrated and comprehensive manner.

The Citizen's Guide to Climate Success

The Citizen's Guide to Climate Success
Author: Mark Jaccard
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2020-02-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1108479375

Shows readers how we can all help solve the climate crisis by focusing on a few key, achievable actions.

Tourism and Oil

Tourism and Oil
Author: Susanne Becken
Publisher: Channel View Publications
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2015-01-12
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 184541490X

This book is the first to examine oil constraints and tourism, and addresses one of the key challenges for the tourism industry in the future. It provides an estimate of how much oil tourism consumes globally and summarises state-of-the-art information on oil resources, oil data and public discourse. The volume also offers an analysis of the economic implications of increasing oil prices for tourism and discusses key dimensions relevant for tourism in a post peak oil world. It will be useful for tourism stakeholders globally, postgraduate students in tourism and resource management, ecological economists and those researching issues of resource efficiency, carrying capacity and global environmental change.

Understanding the Peak Oil Theory

Understanding the Peak Oil Theory
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
Publisher:
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2005
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

Governing Climate Change

Governing Climate Change
Author: Harriet Bulkeley
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 122
Release: 2023-05-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000876853

This fully revised and expanded new edition provides a short and accessible introduction to how climate change is governed by an increasingly diverse range of actors, from civil society and business actors to multilateral development banks, donors, and cities. The issue of global climate change has risen to the top of the international political agenda. Despite ongoing contestation about the science informing policy, the economic costs of action and the allocation of responsibility for addressing the issue within and between nations, it is clear that climate change will continue to be one of the most pressing and challenging issues facing humanity for many years to come. The book: Evaluates the role of states and non-state actors in governing climate change at multiple levels of political organization: local, national, and global Provides a discussion of theoretical debates on climate change governance, moving beyond analytical approaches focused solely on nation-states and international negotiations Examines a range of key topical issues in the politics of climate change Includes multiple examples from both the north and the global south Providing an inter-disciplinary perspective drawing on geography, politics, international relations, and development studies, this book is essential reading for all those concerned not only with the climate governance but with the future of the environment in general.

The Political Economy of Low Carbon Transformation

The Political Economy of Low Carbon Transformation
Author: Harold Wilhite
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2016-03-10
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317596374

Deep reductions in energy use and carbon emissions will not be possible within political economies that are driven by the capitalist imperatives of growth, commodification and individualization. As such, it has now become necessary to understand the relationship between capitalism and the emergence of high energy habits. Using the examples of home energy, transport and food, The Political Economy of Low Carbon Transformation articulates the relationship between the politics of economic expansion and the formation of high-energy habits at the level of family and household. The book elaborates a theory of habit and how it can contribute to this relationship. It critiques mainstream green economy and green energy prescriptions for low carbon transformation that take economic growth for granted and ignore habits formed in a material world designed and built for high energy use. The book explores the growing number of communities around the world that are engaged in collaborative efforts to reform their community and household habits in ways that are less environmentally intrusive. It assesses their potential to make an impact on national and urban low carbon political agendas. The book is aimed at a large and growing interdisciplinary audience interested in the relationship between political economy, consumption and sustainability.

Climate Change, Assets and Food Security in Southern African Cities

Climate Change, Assets and Food Security in Southern African Cities
Author: Bruce Frayne
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2013-03-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1136502025

There is overwhelming evidence that the climate is changing. It is the poorest countries and people who are the most vulnerable to this threat and who will suffer the most. This book shows how increasing urbanization and growing poverty levels mean that it is imperative to ask how climate change might impact on asset accumulation and food security for the urban poor. It demonstrates how these three, often separate foci, can be brought together to frame a holistic urban adaptation approach. Furthermore, although much has been written about climate change, limited evidence exists in southern Africa of how climate change has been integrated in urban planning. The authors explore the urban climate change nexus linking asset adaptation, climate change science and food security through several case study cities. These include Cape Town, George and Khara Hais (South Africa), Lusaka (Zambia), Maputo (Mozambique), Mombasa (Kenya) and Harare (Zimbabwe). The results shed light on how this nexus might be explored from different perspectives, both theoretical and practical, in order to plan for a more resilient future. Climate Change, Assets and Food Security in Southern African Cities comprises ten chapters which focus on southern African cities, with each chapter written by highly experienced academics, research-focused practitioners and professional planners. Although the book concentrates on southern African cities, the insights which are presented can be used to understand other urban centres in low and middle-income countries outside of this region and around the world.