Testing the mitigation manual on trainers

The Energy Research Centre (ERC), together with the Munasinghe Institute for Development (MIND) in Sri Lanka and the Environment and Development Action (ENDA) in Senegal, are developing training manuals to train trainers under UNITAR’s Climate Change Capacity Development Programme (C3D). The rationale for this is clear. The UNFCCC seeks to strengthen non-Annex 1 countries’ effective participation in the Kyoto Protocol process, and to strengthen existing and/or establish new training and research institutions to ensure sustainability of capacity building programmes. These capacity building initiatives should be country driven, involve stakeholder participation, and address specific needs and conditions of the country. For this reason, the ERC is developing training modules on climate change mitigation. ENDA is developing modules on climate change on vulnerability and adaptation; and MIND on sustainable development

The impacts of efficient residential lighting in Matatiele, South Africa

A very significant proportion of Matatiela households still rely on environmentally polluting fuels (i.e. woodfuel, candles, and paraffin) for reasons that they are easily accessible and affordable, and as a legacy of the inequalities of the past social and economic policies. Use of non-electric fuels is prevalent where unemployment and poverty are the norm, and yet, very essential for improving the quality of life. This study focuses on efficient lighting. There are strong economic, social and environmental reasons not only in favour of electric lighting, but in the use of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) over the traditional incandescent lamps

Climate change mitigation: A training manual

The Energy Research Centre (ERC) has developed a training manual on climate change mitigation courses. The manual covers the following modules: Greenhouse gas inventories (GHGI), Mitigation (MIT), and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). These modules have been developed in response to the need for capacity building initiatives that are country driven and regionally focused, address specific needs and conditions of the country, and involve stakeholders. In doing so, the overall aim is to assist non-Annex 1 countries to participate effectively in the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol, and to ensure the sustainability of these programmes. There are two important points to note. Firstly, the training manual is tailored to the specific needs and contexts of those being targeted, but with sufficient flexibility to avoid a ‘one-size-fitsall’ training programme. Secondly, although the manual is prepared in South Africa, it is designed in a flexible form and can be modified by using case studies and exercises relevant to the country teams with diverse backgrounds

The business case for women leaders: Meta-analysis, research critique, and path forward

Since the 1990s, a growing body of research has sought to quantify the relationship between women’s representation in leadership positions and organizational financial performance. Commonly known as the “business case” for women’s leadership, the idea is that having more women leaders is good for business. Through meta-analysis ( k = 78, n = 117,639 organizations) of the direct effects of women’s representation in leadership (as CEOs, on top management teams, and on boards of directors) on financial performance, and tests that proxy theoretical arguments for moderated relationships, we call attention to equivocal findings. Our results suggest women’s leadership may affect firm performance in general and sales performance in particular. And women’s leadership—overall and, specifically, the presence of a female CEO—is more likely to positively relate to firms’ financial performance in more gender egalitarian cultures. Yet taking our findings as a whole, we argue that commonly used methods of testing the business case for women leaders may limit our ability as scholars to understand the value that women bring to leadership positions. We do not advocate that the business case be abandoned altogether but, rather, improved and refined. We name exemplary research studies to show how different perspectives on gender, alternative conceptualizations of value, and the specification of underlying mechanisms linking leadership to performance can generate changes in both the dominant ontology and the epistemology underlying this body of research.</jats:p

Demand for energy in Zimbabwe industries: an aggregated demand analysis

This paper describes interfuel substitution for liquid fuel, coal and electricity in Zimbabwe manufacturing and mining using a translog cost function. Our data series spans over a 24 year period. To mitigate the short time span of this time series data, we partially pool time-series cross-section observations, and take into account the ‘random effects’ and ‘fixed effects’ framework in estimating regression equations. Estimated results are used to determine possibilities for interfuel substitution particularly given persistent increases in the price of liquid fuel. We use an aggregated demand approach as this should both sharpen our results and yield more efficient estimates

Energy price responsiveness in Zimbabwean mining and manufacturing: a disaggregated demand analysis

This paper examines market signals that enhance efficiency in energy use and the allocation of energy resources, focusing on Zimbabwean manufacturing and mining. We estimate own- and cross -price elasticities of demand to determine how far industrial energy types consumed are substitutable for each other. Our main emphasis is on reducing imported liquid fuel and promoting the country’s coal resources. While liquid fuel claims a huge proportion of the country’s foreign exchange, there is plentiful supply of coal. Coal, however, is environmentally damaging. Elasticity estimates, obtained at a highly disaggregated industrial level, will provide information about the impact of energy taxes on the demand for the different energy types

Overlay virtualized wireless sensor networks for application in industrial internet of things : a review

Abstract: In recent times, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are broadly applied in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in order to enhance the productivity and efficiency of existing and prospective manufacturing industries. In particular, an area of interest that concerns the use of WSNs in IIoT is the concept of sensor network virtualization and overlay networks. Both network virtualization and overlay networks are considered contemporary because they provide the capacity to create services and applications at the edge of existing virtual networks without changing the underlying infrastructure. This capability makes both network virtualization and overlay network services highly beneficial, particularly for the dynamic needs of IIoT based applications such as in smart industry applications, smart city, and smart home applications. Consequently, the study of both WSN virtualization and overlay networks has become highly patronized in the literature, leading to the growth and maturity of the research area. In line with this growth, this paper provides a review of the development made thus far concerning virtualized sensor networks, with emphasis on the application of overlay networks in IIoT. Principally, the process of virtualization in WSN is discussed along with its importance in IIoT applications. Different challenges in WSN are also presented along with possible solutions given by the use of virtualized WSNs. Further details are also presented concerning the use of overlay networks as the next step to supporting virtualization in shared sensor networks. Our discussion closes with an exposition of the existing challenges in the use of virtualized WSN for IIoT applications. In general, because overlay networks will be contributory to the future development and advancement of smart industrial and smart city applications, this review may be considered by researchers as a reference point for those particularly interested in the study of this growing field

Energy price responsiveness in Zimbabwean mining and manufacturing: a disaggregated demand analysis

This paper examines market signals that enhance efficiency in energy use and the allocation of energy resources, focusing on Zimbabwean manufacturing and mining. We estimate own- and cross -price elasticities of demand to determine how far industrial energy types consumed are substitutable for each other. Our main emphasis is on reducing imported liquid fuel and promoting the country’s coal resources. While liquid fuel claims a huge proportion of the country’s foreign exchange, there is plentiful supply of coal. Coal, however, is environmentally damaging. Elasticity estimates, obtained at a highly disaggregated industrial level, will provide information about the impact of energy taxes on the demand for the different energy types

Children's daily travel to school in Johannesburg-Soweto, South Africa: geography and school choice in the Birth to Twenty cohort study

This paper has two aims: to explore approaches to the measurement of children’s daily travel to school in a context of limited geospatial data availability, and to provide data regarding school choice and distance travelled to school in Soweto-Johannesburg, South Africa. The paper makes use of data from the Birth to Twenty cohort study (n=1428) to explore three different approaches to estimating school choice and travel to school. Firstly, straight-line distance between home and school is calculated. Secondly, census geography is used to determine whether a child's home and school fall in the same area. Thirdly, distance data are used to determine whether a child attends the nearest school. Each of these approaches highlights a different aspect of mobility, and all provide valuable data. Overall, primary school aged children in Soweto-Johannesburg are shown to be travelling substantial distances to school on a daily basis. Over a third travel more than 3km, one-way, to school, 60% attend schools outside of the suburb in which they live, and only 18% attend their nearest school. These data provide evidence for high levels of school choice in Johannesburg-Soweto, and that families and children are making substantial investments in pursuit of high quality educational opportunities. Additionally, these data suggest that two patterns of school choice are evident: one pattern involving travel of substantial distances and requiring a higher level of financial investment, and a second pattern, involving choice between more local schools, requiring less travel and a more limited financial investment