Rapid, human-forced climate change as a result of greenhouse gases is threatening the fabric of
human civilisation itself. It is clear that we need to alter our development and poorer countries
will need to develop while limiting their emissions, but it is not clear what sustainable
development would entail. Climate change policy solutions have pivoted on carbon trading,
under the auspices of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), but this too has failed to limit
growth in carbon emissions. This report looks at the operations of the CDM in South Africa as a
source of climate finance meant to facilitate sustainable development. Though South Africa has
emphasised its commitment towards a low-carbon transition, in practice its national planners
seek to preserve energy-intensive mineral and industrial sectors. This research draws on both
primary and secondary documents as well as interviews with carbon professionals to conclude
that CDM projects have played a limited role in South Africa, but has tended to reproduce the
existing minerals and energy complex within the country.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/13177 |
| Date | 02 October 2013 |
| Creators | Newmarch, Jocelyn |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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