Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Responding appropriately to anthropogenic climate change presents a considerable challenge to humankind. Projected changes in climate are anticipated to affect the world's natural systems, human health and economies in many ways. Consequently, there is an urgent need to implement climate change mitigation and adaptation measures that are appropriate and efficient. This dissertation focuses on aspects of risk and feasibility associated with land use based climate change mitigation. First, it reviews policy, implementation and incentive issues that are key to promoting permanence and reducing the risk of leakage associated with reducing emissions from deforestation and forest deforestation (REDD1) in sub-Saharan Africa. Secondly, it assesses the transaction costs associated with the implementation of avoided deforestation and reforestation activities and their effect on the financial feasibility of ventures located in woodland and rangeland systems. Thirdly, it explores the potential impact of biophysical risk factors (such as fire) on the outcome of REDD activities in two chapters. The first risk chapter introduces the notion of biophysical risk and reviews the risk of fire to REDD activities located in important African vegetation types. The second chapter on risk uses the Century Ecosystem Program and published climate projection data to assess the effect of projected changes in temperature, rainfall and atmospheric carbon dioxide on the outcome of REDD activities. The results indicate that, among the biophysical risk variables assessed, fire may not present a major risk to REDD activities located in African woodland, savanna and grassland systems. In contrast, fire may present a significant risk in moist forests where unprecedented dry periods may allow fire to occur in a system where it has previously been absent. The analysis of the affect of climate change found that changes in climate are generally predicted to lead to an increase in carbon stocks and sequestration rates for the vegetation types assessed. Exceptions do occur, such as the modeled effect on nutrient-rich savannas, which require further investigation. The analysis of transaction costs associated with REDD activities illustrated that such costs may inhibit the feasibility of smaller-scale activities, especially in ecosystems outside of moist forests with relatively low carbon stocks and associated revenues. Whereas the proposed creation of national-scale capacity may reduce some transaction costs to a certain extent, there is a clear need to better understand the true cost of REDD activities. In terms of required supporting policy and implementation capacity, it is noted 1) that multi-criteria land use planning is particularly important in reducing permanence risk, 2) that the scope of recognized land use activities that reduce atmospheric GHG needs to be expanded if the benefits of REDD are to be fully realised and 3) that informal land tenure may not require transformation prior to successful, sustainable implementation. A review of the appropriateness of community-based forest carbon monitoring found that such an approach presents significant cost savings while providing local employment and incentive opportunities. Exposure to such initiatives to date indicated that the quality of data collected is adequate and sufficiently robust to fulfill project and national-scale reporting and verification requirements. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Antropogeniese klimaatsverandering hou daadwerklike uitdagings vir die mensdom in. Huidige voorspellings dui daarop dat klimaatsverandering natuurlike sisteme, gesondheid en die ekonomie op 'n verskeidenheid van vlakke gaan beinvloed. Daar is dus 'n dringende nood aan korrekte en effektiewe aanpassings- en mitigasie maatstawwe wat geimplementeer kan word. Hierdie proefskrif fokus op die risiko en lewensvatbaarheid van grondgebruiksgebaseerde klimaatsverandering mitigasie. Eerstens gee dit 'n oorsig van die beleids en implementasie dryfvere wat noodsaaklik is vir die bevordering van permanentheid en die verlaging van die risiko van lekkasie wat geassosieer word met verlaagde emissies vanwee degradasie en ontbossing (VEDO2) in sub-Sahara Afrika. Tweedens analiseer dit die transaksiekoste wat geassosieer word met die vermyding van ontbossing en herbebossing en die effek daarvan op die finansiele lewensvatbaarheid van sulke aktiwiteite in bosveld en weiveld. Derdens ondersoek die proefskrif die biofisiese risiko faktore (soos vuur) op die uitslag van VEDO aktiwiteite in twee hoofstukke. Die eerste hoofstuk word ingelei deur 'n ontleding en verklaring van biofisiese risiko en gee dan 'n oorsig oor die risiko van vuur op VEDO projekte in belangrike plantegroei-tipes in Afrika. Die tweede hoofstuk maak gebruik van die Century Ekostelsel Program om die impak van voorspelde veranderings in temperatuur, reenval en atmosferiese koolstofdioksied op VEDO aktiwiteite te evalueer. Die resultate dui aan dat onder die biofisiese risiko faktore wat ondersoek is, vuur nie so „n belangrike risiko inhou vir VEDO projekte in die bosveld, savanna en grasveld plantegroeitipes in Afrika nie. In teenstelling hou vuur 'n groot risiko in vir nat woude waar ongekende droeë tydperke kan veroorsaak dat vuur wel mag voorkom in „n stelsel waar dit voorheen afwesig was. Die analise op die effek van klimaatsverandering het bevind dat veranderinge in klimaat tipies sal lei tot a toename in koolstof voorrade en verhoogde sekwestrasie tempos vir die plantegroeitipes wat geevalueer is. Daar was egter uitsonderings, soos byvoorbeeld die gemodeleerde impakte op nutrientryke savannas wat verdere ondersoek benodig. Die analise ten opsigte van die transaksiekoste wat gepaardgaan met VEDO aktiwiteite illustreer dat sulke kostes dalk die lewensvatbaarheid van kleinerskaal projekte mag benadeel, veral in ekostelsels anders as nat woude met relatief lae koolstof voorrade en geassosieerde inkomste. Die voorgestelde skepping van kapasiteit op 'n nasionale vlak mag dalk transaksie koste verlaag tot 'n mate, maar daar is duidelik 'n behoefte om beter insigte te verkry oor die ware kostes van VEDO aktiwiteite. Wat betref die vereiste ondersteunende beleid en implimentasie kapasiteit is daar bevind dat 1) multi-kriteria grondgebruik beplanning uiters belangrik is in die verlaging van permanentheidsrisiko, 2) die omvang van erkende grondgebruiks aktiwiteite moet uitgebrei word om ten volle voordeel te trek uit VEDO, 3) dat informele grondbesit dalk nie transformasie vereis voor suksesvolle, volhoubare implementasie nie. „n Oorsig oor die aanvaarbaarheid van gemeenskapsgebaseerde woudkoolstofmonitering het gevind dat so 'n benadering tot groot kostebesparings lei terwyl dit ook plaaslike werkskepping bevorder en dien as dryfveer vir projekte. Blootstelling aan sulke inisiatiewe tot op hede dui aan dat die kwaliteit van die data wat ingesamel is voldoen aan projek- sowel as nasionale vlak verslaggewingsvereistes.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / abstract / Geography / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

This case study evaluates government communication practices at Superfund sites. I describe agency communication practices in Superfund communities, paying particular attention to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk Communication and its role as a model for federal agencies engaged at these sites. Situating the study within a theoretical milieu that includes sensemaking and symbolic interactionism, I examine whether current practices deepen divisions among stakeholders, reducing the possibility for communicative convergence. I implement textual analysis and narrative inquiry to examine written and spoken communication about the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant National Priorities List Superfund site. Through crystallized analysis of media coverage, public comments, focus group transcripts, and local blogs, I address the following research questions: RQ1: How does the enactment of accepted agency risk communication practices affect relationships among stakeholders, specifically: • how do stakeholders (including federal agency personnel) characterize past and present agency risk communication practices, and • how do stakeholders (including federal agency personnel) characterize each other in relation to these communicative practices? RQ2: What are the related implications for improving agency risk communication approaches? The study concludes with recommendations for improving existing agency risk communication guidelines, as well as the creation of a new communication model to promote convergent communication at Superfund sites.

The purpose of this dissertation is to derive a production possibilities curve illustrating alternative choices of agricultural production and rural environmental quality for the Willow Creek area of the Columbia Plateau in Oregon. The research was done as a supplement to the USDA Oregon Rivers Cooperative River Basin Nonpoint Pollution Study. The dissertation is primarily a methodology which can be expanded to address similar trade-offs between conflicting goals. The study initially presented a methodology for measuring environmental quality. A hierarchical structure was introduced which allowed goals and subgoals to be measured in order of their importance. Linkages among these different goals were also defined. Then a preference function was introduced so that goals could be related to preferences or values. Technical indicators were used to measure how well different practices achieve various goals. Finally a model was developed which maximized the level of environmental quality subject to various profit constraints. The model used mathematical programming to develop a production possibilities frontier giving various choices of economic production and environmental quality.

No description available.

In the late 1970s, Southern California Edison Company proposed the construction of a 500 Kilovolt transmission line from Buckeye, Arizona (just west of Phoenix) to the Devers substation near Banning California. The proposed routes crossed the traditional territory of numerous Native American groups such as the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi Southern Paiutes, Cocopah, Mojave, Maricopa, O’Odham, Quechan, and Yavapai. As required by the National Environmental Policy Act, an environmental impact assessment was conducted to understand potential impacts this project could have on human and natural resources. For the first time since the passage of NEPA, Native American concerns were fully considered. This report presents the findings of the first Native American social impact assessment in the United States. This report presents contemporary Native American values that were pertinent to planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of high voltage generation and transmission facilities. The ethnographic study also considered the following aspects: (a) determine if, where, and in what manner such values were relevant to the Devers Palo Verde study area, (b) define differing levels of significance that Native Americans assigned to geographical points, zones, or issues within the subject study area exhibiting such values, (c) assign appropriate sensitivity ratings to the pertinent points, zones, or issues of significance and rank such points, zones, and issues from highest to lowest, explain what actions might constitute varying degrees, kinds of impact to those points, zones, or issues, and (e) provide recommendations for mitigation of negative impacts to those points, zones, or issues.

This project examined the potential impacts that construction of the Western Transmission System of the Allen-Warner Valley Energy System would have on the ethnographic and historic resources of the Mojave Desert area. The Western Transmission System of the Allen-Warner Valley Energy System project consisted of two 500-kilovolt transmission lines extending from Southern California Edison Company’s Eldorado Substation in southern Nevada westward across the Mojave Desert to Lugo Substation in Victorville, California. The ethnographic component of this study included the identification of culturally affiliated Native American groups and extensive field investigations which focused on ethnohistory and ethnogeography of the study area. The ethnographic study also documented Native American recommendations for mitigation by Southern California Edison Company of potential adverse impacts that the project had on Native American values and resources.

Connecting Urban Residents to Their Watershed with Green Stormwater Infrastructure: A case study of Thornton Creek in Seattle, Washington.