Trata-se de estudo da força normativa do direito constitucional de todos ao meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado para a construção de uma cultura de equilíbrio ambiental no Brasil, integrante da linha de pesquisa Direito Ambiental e Novos Direitos, área de concentração Direito Ambiental e Sociedade, do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito, nível de Mestrado acadêmico, da Universidade de Caxias do Sul (Brasil). O meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado, que é direito transindividual, é bem de uso comum do povo e essencial à sadia qualidade de vida, incumbindo ao Poder Público e da coletividade o dever de defendê-lo e preservá-lo para as presentes e futuras gerações. O novo paradigma constitucional do direito de propriedade privada condiciona o exercício do domínio à função social e à função ambiental da propriedade. Por isso, o Estado não mais defende qualquer propriedade, mas aquela que cumpre a sua função social e ambiental. A democracia participativa ambiental, por meio de seus vários instrumentos, garante às cidadãs e aos cidadãos a participação ativa na construção de uma cultura de equilíbrio ambiental no Brasil. A educação ambiental tem especial importância para criar em todos os partícipes da vida nacional a consciência da vontade de Constituição. A informação ambiental completa a educação ambiental. Tendo presente os pressupostos da força normativa da Constituição (Konrad Hesse), o estudo constata que, quanto ao conteúdo, a Constituição é atual, e quanto à práxis, o direito constitucional de todos ao meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado está tendo força normativa para a construção de uma cultura de equilíbrio ambiental no Brasil. / This is a study of the normative force of everyone´s constitutional right to an ecologically balanced environment in order to build a culture of environmental balance in Brazil, belonging to Environmental Law and New Rights research line, main field Enviromental and Social Law, of Post-Graduate Program in Law, for Master degree obtention, University of Caxias do Sul (Brazil). The ecologically balanced environment, which is a transindividual right, is a people´s common use and essential to a healthy quality of life, commissioning the Government and the collectivity to defend it and preserve it for the current and future generations. The new constitutional right to private property paradigm affects the exercise on the field of the social function and environmental function of the property. Therefore, the State no longer maintains any property, but one that fulfills its social and environmental function. Environmental participatory democracy, through its various instruments, guarantees to citizens the right to participate actively in building a culture of environmental balance in Brazil. Environmental education has particular importance for all participants in the national life consciousness of the will of the Constitution. Environmental information completes environmental education. Bearing in mind the assumptions of the normative force of the Constitution (Konrad Hesse), the study notes that, in substance, the Constitution is modern, and what about práxis, the everyone´s constitutional right to an ecologically balanced environment is having normative force for building a culture of environmental balance in Brazil.

As dragagens no Porto do Rio Grande / RS são consideradas potencialmente poluidoras e geram uma crescente instabilidade nos ecossistemas, costeiro e marinho da região, devido à complexidade para efetivar o seu procedimento. Por outro lado, desempenham importante papel para a expansão do setor portuário, o qual contribui intensamente com o crescimento econômico do país. Apesar da existência de uma ampla legislação que versa sobre a proteção ao meio ambiente nas áreas portuárias, ainda são visualizados inúmeros problemas ambientais nessa seara. Diante o fato, esta dissertação responde ao seguinte problema: A aplicação da política deliberativa é a melhor proposta para amenizar as problemáticas ambientais decorrentes das atividades de dragagem no Porto do Rio Grande/RS? O método hipotético-dedutivo foi o abordado. A ênfase foi à analítica, através de levantamento documental com base em fontes legislativas e documentos em geral. O foco principal através da pesquisa bibliográfica foi de selecionar publicações sobre o tema, tais como: livros, artigos científicos e um aprofundamento maior nos autores já utilizados na pesquisa. Como resultado, percebeu-se a necessidade do despertar de uma cidadania ativa em prol da proteção ambiental como a melhor forma para reverter os modelos impostos pelo sistema capitalista, o qual fracassou em sua promessa de vincular crescimento econômico e a proteção da natureza. Portanto, a criação das normas deve ser objeto de deliberação para que seu alcance não abarque apenas os interesses de uma minoria que detêm o poder. / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, CAPES. / The dredging of Rio Grande/RS Port is considered potentially polluting and generate an increased instability on coastal and marine ecosystems in the region due to the complexity to perform its procedure. On the other hand, it plays an important role in the expansion of the sector, which strongly contributes to the economic growth of the country. Despite the existence of a wide legislation, that deals with the protection of the environment in port areas, there are still displayed numerous problems about that topic. For that reason, this dissertation aimed at answering the following problem: Is the application of deliberative politics the best approach to mitigate the environmental problems arising from dredging activities in the Port of Rio Grande / RS? The hypothetical-deductive method was approached. The emphasis was analytical, through documentary review based on legislative sources and documents in general. The main focus through the literature research was to select publications on the subject, such as books, papers with a greater deepening in the most important authors used in this research. As a result, it was cognized that the awakening of an active citizenship in favor of environmental protection is required as the best way to reverse the models imposed by the capitalist system, which failed in its promise to link economic growth and the protection of nature. Therefore, the creation of the standards should be the deliberation subject so that its scope encompasses not only the stakes of a minority in power.

The effects of climate and environmental change are likely to exacerbate water stress in Africa over the next five decades. It appears obvious, therefore, that large river basins with considerable total renewable water resources will play a prominent role in regional cooperation to alleviate the pressure of water scarcity within Africa. However, managing water resources in the large river basins of Africa involves problems of data paucity, lack of technical resources and the sheer scale of the problem. These river basins are located in regions that are characterized by poverty, low levels of economic development and little food security. The rivers provide multiple goods and services that include hydro-power, water supply, fisheries, agriculture, transportation, and maintenance of aquatic ecosystems. Sustainable water resources management is a critical issue, but there is almost always insufficient data available to formulate adequate management strategies. These basins therefore represent some of the best test cases for the practical application of the science associated with the Predictions in Ungauged Basins (PUB). The thesis presents the results of a process-based hydrological modelling study in the Congo Basin. One of the primary objectives of this study was to establish a hydrological model for the whole Congo Basin, using available historical data. The secondary objective of the study was to use the model and assess the impacts of future environmental change on water resources of the Congo Basin. Given the lack of adequate data on the basin physical characteristics, the preliminary work consisted of assessing available global datasets and building a database of the basin physical characteristics. The database was used for both assessing relationships of similarities between features of physiographic settings in the basin (Chapters 3 and 4), and establishing models that adequately represent the basin hydrology (Chapters 5, 6, and 7). The representative model of the Congo Basin hydrology was then used to assess the impacts of future environmental changes on water resources availability of the Congo Basin (Chapter 8). Through assessment of the physical characteristics of the basin, relationships of similarities were used to determine homogenous regions with regard to rainfall variability, physiographic settings, and hydrological responses. The first observation that comes from this study is that these three categories of regional groups of homogenous characteristics are sensible with regards to their geographical settings, but the overlap and apparent relationships between them are weak. An explanation of this observation is that there are insufficient data, particularly associated with defining sub-surface processes, and it is possible that additional data would have assisted in the discrimination of more homogenous groups and better links between the different datasets. The model application in this study consisted of two phases: model calibration, using a manual approach, and the application of a physically-based a priori parameter estimation approach. While the first approach was designed to assess the general applicability of the model and identify major errors with regard to input data and model structure, the second approach aimed to establish an understanding of the processes and identify useful relationships between the model parameters and the variations in real hydrological processes. The second approach was also designed to quantify the sensitivity of the model outputs to the parameters of the model and to encompass information sharing between the basin physical characteristics and quantifying the parameters of the model. Collectively, the study’s findings show that these two approaches work well and are appropriate to represent the real hydrological processes of Congo Basin. The secondary objective of this study was achieved by forcing the hydrological model developed for the Congo Basin with downscaled Global Climate Model (GCMs) data in order to assess scenarios of change and future possible impacts on water resources availability within the basin. The results provide useful lessons in terms of basin-wide adaptation measures to future climates. The lessons suggest that there is a risk of developing inappropriate adaptation measures to future climate change based on large scale hydrological response, as the response at small scales shows a completely different picture from that which is based on large scale predictions. While the study has concluded that the application of the hydrological model has been successful and can be used with some degree of confidence for enhanced decision making, there remain a number of uncertainties and opportunities to improve the methods used for water resources assessment within the basin. The focus of future activities from the perspective of practical application should be on improved access to data collection to increase confidence in model predictions, on dissemination of the knowledge generated by this study, and on training in the use of the developed water resources assessment techniques.

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies / See the attached abstract below

MESMEG / Department of Mining and Environmental Geology / See the attached abstract below

Cultural tourism is a fast-growing sector in many countries. In South Africa, it is a key growth segment of local economic development (LED). South Africa is home to many cultural institutions such as museums, art galleries, theatres, monuments and festivals that – thanks to a growing number of international and local interests – encourage entrepreneurship and help generate local business growth and employment opportunities. South Africa’s Limpopo Province is predominately known for its wildlife and hunting tourism. However, it is endowed with many cultural institutions that are contributing significantly to the regional economy – specifically in the metropole of Greater Polokwane. As yet, no study has researched the size and impact of this cultural contribution on the local economy vis a vis more well-known tourism activities. This study sketches the size and nature of the cultural tourism industry in Greater Polokwane. In the first phase of the study, a database of formal cultural institutions in Greater Polokwane was created. In the study’s second phase, interviews with staff members of these institutions using both quantitative and qualitative methods, were conducted. The data revealed that most employees, including senior managerial staff, are local Black Africans. None of these cultural institutions are state funded; they all operate privately, but some are located on state-owned land. Thus, government support for cultural tourism in this region is minimal. Insufficient funds and resources inhibit the growth of this sector. Some employees expressed dissatisfaction with their working conditions and remuneration. Nonetheless, these cultural institutions generate local economic growth and employment opportunities. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management

This dissertation is about economic resilience of local governments to natural disasters. Specifically, the dissertation investigates resilience on regional level. Moreover, the dissertation also investigates growth in the green job sector in local governments. The findings indicate that local governments working with each other helps green job creation. In addition, the dissertation finds that green jobs, following disasters, experience three percent growth. This dissertation is important because it investigates the relationship between climate- related disasters and green jobs, which is an area that is under-investigated.

This research was conducted in one of the districts in the Oromia region located in the Central Rift Valley to assess the problem of soil erosion and deforestation and to determine how these drivers of land degradation affect the livelihoods of farmers. The research was a case study undertaken in an identified micro-watershed making use of the questionnaire interview method. A household sample was obtained using a simple random sampling technique; Information interviews were conducted with community representatives, district level experts and development agents who worked in the community. The objective of the research was to assess the levels of soil erosion and deforestation and the impact on the livelihoods of the community. Research methods were questionnaire and direct observation. The results of the study indicated that the effects of soil erosion and deforestation on land productively, agriculture and livestock production at large, had a negative effect on livelihoods of the community members. Recommendations based on the research affirm the necessity to undertake large-scale natural resource management starting with community-based watershed management thereby reducing the impact of land degradation on livelihoods of farmers and ensuring food security and sustainable land management. / Agriculture, Animal Health & Human Ecology / M.A. (Human Ecology)

Countries and governments around the world have accepted the scientific argument on the prevalence and the possible effect of global warming and climate change on the environment, world economy and ultimately human life (Nhamo, 2011). Amongst all industrial corporations, the mining industry is the biggest environmental polluter due to its extractive nature and energy intensive operations. However because of its economic importance, it cannot be abandoned, instead it needs to find a win-win situation, where it continues to succeed but minimizes environmental damage. This thesis aims to examine the possible impact of clean technology on the sustainability of South African gold mining sector. Specifically, the study aims to determine the drivers behind the move towards clean technologies and methods, identify challenges and opportunities associated with this transition at Harmony Gold’s Kusasalethu mine. This was achieved through using Kusasalethu as a case study to which investigations of the effectiveness of clean technology and methods were carried out. The case study was multidimensional; exploring the effect of clean technology on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission (GHG), water consumption, cyanide management and Kusasalethu’s financial performance. While the case study was largely qualitative it involved quantitative data analysis that had to be triangulated with other data sources and data gathering instruments to achieve legitimacy. This meant that the study had to adopt the mixed research methods. The instruments used included; key informant interviews, and document analysis, structured questionnaire and a set of open ended questions that served as interview guide. The qualitative data were analyzed by means of coding, descriptions, typologies, taxonomies and visual representations, whilst quantitative data were processed through Microsoft Excel to generate various forms of descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that resource consumption (energy, water, cyanide) depends on the mine design and gold output rate. Clean technology implementation at Kusasalethu helped the mine reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions. However scope 2 (indirect GHG emissions associated with energy consumption) is also determined by coal production technologies and methods used by coal mines. Although data on Kusasalethu water and cyanide management and related technologies was not available, the aggregate data for all Harmony Gold mines indicated higher annual water and cyanide consumption during 2010 and 2012. In terms of Kusasalethu’s financial performance and clean technology adaptation, acquisition of clean technologies increased capital expenditure temporarily. However, the positive effects of the clean technology transition and implementation minimized operational cost and increased operational profit greatly. Although adopting clean technologies calls for increased capital expenditure, this study reveals that this expenditure pays off in lower operation costs for the mine and the environment benefits through lower GHG emission. However, clean technologies are yet to impact significantly in lowering water and cyanide consumption levels as they do with energy consumption. The study concluded that clean technology and methods played a positive role on Kusasalethu’s environmental impact and financial performance by reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions. Though, more need to be done in terms of water and cyanide management. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

Environmental degradation is a global challenge that affects all. One of the most prominent impacts of environmental degradation is the climate change phenomenon. The adverse impacts of climate change have given rise to responses aimed at retarding, halting and learning to live with the already present effects of climate change. These responses to climate change fall into two broad categories: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation addresses the climate change challenge through seeking a reduction or elimination of anthropogenic generated greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Adaptation on the other hand addresses climate change through reducing the adverse impacts of climate change as well as exploiting economic and social opportunities presented by climate change. Green procurement has been identified as one of the climate change intervention measures. This is because research shows that procurement policies and practices of both the public and private sectors have the potential to influence environmentally friendly modes of production and the provision of ‘greener’ goods and services that include infrastructure. In many developing countries the big spending power of the public sector, particularly municipalities, makes them influential players in the nature of goods and services production and provision. Against this background, this study investigates the role of South African metropolitan municipalities in addressing environmental decay through green procurement. Specifically, the study aims to assess the levels of green procurement practices of goods and services within South Africa metropolitan municipalities. This is achieved through; (i) determining the level of understanding of sustainable development, and (ii) determining the extent to which green procurement is practiced in South African metropolitan municipalities, and identifying policy and legislative requirements (if any) that support green procurement practices. Given the complexity of means, policy and practices around the green procurement drive; the study employed a mixed method approach. The mixed method approach employed three methods namely: document analysis, interviews and the use of a questionnaire. Analysis of data included content analysis, inductive thematic analysis and basic numerical analysis of the questionnaire, using MS Excel. The study made two broad findings; (i) there is generally a good understanding of the sustainable development discourse among South Africa’s metropolitan officials; and (ii) policy response to green procurement shows that the older metropolitans that include the City of Cape Town, City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini and Nelson Mandela Bay have made greater progress making explicit reference to green procurement in different policies compared to the younger metropolitans such as Buffalo City and Mangaung. Despite the general understanding of the sustainable development discourse and evidence of explicit reference to green procurement in some metropolitan policy documents there is a general lack of comprehensive implementation of green procurement practices across all the metropolitan municipalities. The current implementation is sporadic and largely through a number of projects that are not always linked to give rise to effective synergies. The study concludes that there is limited implementation of green procurement policies and strategies in all metropolitans. This may be attributed to limited policy understanding and lack of education and training around green economy transition and green procurement issues. The study recommends the mainstreaming of the green procurement concept into already existing policies and to establish new policies where there are none. There is a need to translate the policies into legislation and regulations that carry incentive to reward and encourage the desired green procurement practices. There is further need to put in place sanctions to discourage and halt undesired procurement practices. / Environmental Sciences / D. Litt. et Phil. (Environmental Management)