Coal mining on the Highveld has historically served, and continues to serve as an indissoluble cog in South Africa’s development. The study contends that the inherent speculative character of coal as a finite resource results in bearing costs beyond the financial sphere. These costs at some stage of the mine life-cycle have to be accounted for. By using a Polanyian interpretation of double movement and crisis, the study argues that the manner in which natural factors such as coal have historically been inscribed in the production process, alongside labour and technology, to a large degree determine the character of productive relations in a particular society. More fundamentally, it is argued, this interaction between capital, society and nature determines the extent to which the State is able to perform its role of counter-movement against the over-exploitation of society and nature. This is demonstrated by situating the development of a former coal mining village, Rietspruit colliery, within the necessary historical phase of South African development – as hinged upon the accessibility and availability of coal, in particular from the Witbank coalfield. It is however, in a post-coal mining context that the study alludes to the unintended social costs arising from coal-led development, arguing social costs and inequality as evident at Rietspruit colliery, as effectively institutionalised. This is due to the historic function of the State vis-à-vis facilitating mineral extraction. On this basis, the study calls into question recent sustainable development discourse such as the Department of Minerals and Energy’s Sustainable Development through Mining (2009) (SDM) initiative. The study argues the notion of mineral extraction and coal mining in particular, serving as the means de jour for achieving sustainable development, as flawed. This is illustrated at Rietspruit colliery by reflecting upon the manner in which a post-mining sustainability plan was implemented. The core issue concerns the dis-embedding of social costs related to mining, including mine closure, from the necessary historical, socio-political and socio-ecological context. Compounded by a poorly enforced regulatory environment, this approach views mine closure, including the social aspects of mine closure, in a de-politicised, technocratic manner of rationalising closure as cost-effectively as possible. It is here that the utility of the socio-ecological approach is made evident, by opening up the discursive space for social justice discourses relating to the social costs of coal mining, to find common ground with discourses concerned with environmental activism. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

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The emission of trace metals (TMs) into boreal forest regions of the northern hemisphere is an important environmental issue due to their potential detrimental impacts on these sensitive ecosystems. One of the foremost factors controlling metal cycling is the chemistry of the overlying organic forest floor of the forest soil. In this thesis we examine the chemistry of forest floor horizons of podzolic soils. Our goal is to improve our ability to predict the partitioning of metals between the soil solid and solution phases. / We developed a standard protocol to produce solutions that resemble lysimeter solutions from podzolic soils using air-dried samples. We hypothesized that the stabilization point of the electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil solution is indicative of the point in which soluble salts and organic material precipitated during sampling and storage are removed from the soil particle surfaces. Solutions produced by leaching the soils, once the EC of wash solutions had stabilized, were comparable to lysimeter solutions from the area where samples were collected with respect to the concentrations of divalent cations, pH, EC and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The applicability of this procedure to trace metal partitioning in forest floors was explored. Laboratory extractions produced partition coefficients (log Kd) similar to observed lysimeter solutions ranging from 3.4 to 3.9 for Cd, 3.4 to 3.9 for Cu, 3.4 to 4.1 for Ni, 4.1 to 5.2 for Pb and 3.2 to 3.5 for Zn. According to a semi-mechanistic regression model based on observed lysimeter concentrations, the metal concentrations in solution were appropriate relative to known factors that influence metal partitioning in soils: pH, the concentrations of total metals and DOC. / While chemical characteristics of soils have been consistently observed to play important roles in the partitioning and toxicity of metals we wished to place the importance of the chemical characteristics of soil on mobility and toxicity in context. We interpreted field data that had been collected from transects established with distance from two point source emitters in Rouyn PQ, and Sudbury ON. Canada find developed equations that predict dissolved metal concentrations from total metal concentrations, soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), and DOC contents. We integrated these equations into a simple box model that calculates changes in the concentration of metals in the organic and upper mineral horizons and includes a loop for vegetative return of metals to the forest floor.

<p>A global prospecting and mining leader recognizes HIV/AIDS as a threat to the company and its employees. The management has committed them to have a proactive approach trying to minimize the impact of this killing disease by putting in place effective workplace programmes. However, programmes can only be successful if the employees&rsquo / needs regarding knowledge, attitudes and sexual practices have been thoroughly researched identified. The aim of this study was to do an explorative descriptive study of the knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and behaviours of the employees of a mining company in Namibia on HIV/AIDS. The objectives were:<br /> &diams / To measure the overall knowledge levels as well as attitudes and sexual practices of DBMN employees on HIV and STD&rsquo / s.<br /> &diams / To determine whether there was a difference in the knowledge levels, attitudes and sexual practices of employees in different job categories, age groups, marital status, religion and education level.<br /> &diams / To measure risky sexual behaviours of participants.</p> <p><br /> All employees (550) of this mining company were invited to participate in the survey and 226 employees responded. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect data administered in a group setting. The questionnaire was regarded as having content validity and the SPSS program was be utilized for descriptive statistics. Utilizing the ratio data developed through the indexes, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine significant difference between the means of the groups in comparison. Because multiple comparisons were done, a post hoc test (Fisher LSD) was used to determine significant differences between group means.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Australian National University, 2003.

Thesis--Cornell University. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 326-336).

Thesis--Pennsylvania State College. / Series stamped on cover. "Bibliographical notes": p. 456-488.

Thesis (doctoral)--Uppsala University, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 146-153).

Thesis--Cornell University. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 326-336).

Thesis (doctoral)--Uppsala University, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 146-153).