Electronic Theses and Dissertations (PhDs)

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Browsing Electronic Theses and Dissertations (PhDs) by Keyword "Climate change adaption"

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    Integration of Sustainable Development Principles and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Energy Optimization in Gold Mining in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Nadunga, Irene; Simatele, Mulala Danny
    South Africa located in the sub-Saharan African region and being a mining-intense country, is reported to be affected by extreme weather events which are increasing the country’s vulnerability to climate change impacts and therefore reducing the chances of achieving sustainable development. In light of this, mining companies are being pressured to make strong commitments towards implementation of sustainable development principles for sustainable mining. This study therefore aimed at investigating how sustainable development principles and climate change adaptation measures are interlinked and structured; and embedded in a gold mining company’s policies and strategies, in an effort to build the mining operations’ adaptive capacity and resilience against the impacts of climate change and achieve energy optimization. The challenges that can potentially prevent the effective integration of the sustainability principles and adaptation measures were also explored. Using a case study approach, this study was centered on the gold mining operations located within the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa. Research data was collected from multiple sources, therefore employing a mixed method approach by applying the concurrent triangulation technique. Different analytical tools of policy, content and inductive data analysis, and descriptive statistical data analysis were applied. The empirical evidence shows that the gold mining operations are faced with increasing operating costs associated with the increased energy consumption and implementation of costly mining practices in an effort to combat the impacts of extreme weather events caused by climate change. This affirms that a relationship exists between climate change and energy use in gold mining. In an effort to address climate related risks and energy security, gold mining operations are implementing energy efficiency measures and using renewable energy in their energy mix; which measures are seen to integrate sustainability principles, therefore adopted as sustainability adaptation measures. In addition, some mining company policies and strategies are also seen to integrate sustainability principles and adaptation measures, in an effort to guide the mining operations in effectively developing and implementing sustainability adaptation measures, designed to holistically address climate related risks and energy security. This affirms that a relationship exists between sustainable development principles, climate change adaptation measures and energy optimization. This therefore, implies that sustainability principles and adaptation measures can be integrated to form sustainability adaptation measures, and that gold mining companies have the potential to achieve sustainable mining and contribute to sustainable development, particularly achieving SDG 7 and SDG 13.