Integration of Sustainable Development Principles and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Energy Optimization in Gold Mining in South Africa
| dc.contributor.author | Nadunga, Irene | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Simatele, Mulala Danny | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-10-22T14:16:35Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-10-22T14:16:35Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-08 | |
| dc.description | This thesis is being submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Science, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023. | |
| dc.description.abstract | 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. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Harmony Gold Mining Company. | |
| dc.description.submitter | MM2024 | |
| dc.faculty | Faculty of Science | |
| dc.identifier | 0000-0002-7671-8049 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Nadunga, Irene. (2023). Integration of Sustainable Development Principles and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Energy Optimization in Gold Mining in South Africa. [PhD thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/41822 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10539/41822 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.rights | ©2023 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. | |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.school | School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Sciences | |
| dc.subject | Sustainable development principles | |
| dc.subject | Climate change adaption | |
| dc.subject | Energy optimisation | |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.subject.other | SDG-13: Climate action | |
| dc.subject.other | SDG-7: Affordable and clean energy | |
| dc.title | Integration of Sustainable Development Principles and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Energy Optimization in Gold Mining in South Africa | |
| dc.type | Thesis |