Main sectors: MINING, ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE, INDUSTRY, MANUFACTURING, TRANSPORT

Client:

WWF South Africa

Problem Statement:

WWF South Africa identified the need to further understand the “why, what and how” of low-carbon planning in South Africa, which, like all emerging economies, faces a multitude of developmental challenges. The Green House was part of a consortium that undertook “blue skies” research to develop a practical approach to low-carbon planning.

The Green House approach:

Through a series of structured brainstorming sessions, desk-top research and testing, the consortium developed a low-carbon planning framework, which included: a carbon budget framing; stakeholder-developed quantitative systems modelling; a suite of low-carbon and development indicators; and an outline of the institutional and process requirements.

Outcomes:

A framework and set of tools to support low-carbon planning in South Africa was proposed, which has at its core the collaborative development of system dynamics models, undertaken through mediated modelling. The approach is framed by the concept of a carbon budget which talks to a finite carbon space in which we need to live, between now and 2050. These approaches and framings have been applied in a number of our later studies, including the project on low carbon transitions in the transport sector conducted for WWF.

For the summary publication which originated from this work, click here. Please email info@tgh.co.za to request a copy of the full project report.