Browsing by Author "Dippenaar, Joshua Archibald"

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    An investigation into the urban energy-economy nexus
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-12) Dippenaar, Joshua Archibald; Brent, Alan C.; Musango, J. K.; De Kock, Imke; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Energy is arguably the most important resource for economic growth since most vital city infrastructures require energy. The majority of the world’s population now live in cities, which is also where the vast majority of the world’s energy is consumed. The pressures and potentials to reconcile economic growth and the sustainable use of resources are thus greatest in cities. This study investigates the city-level relationship between energy consumption and economic growth. Therefore, to answer the research questions posed in the study, the Spearman Correlation Test and the Granger Causality Test were employed to search for correlations and causalities between energy consumption and economic growth. The study performed analyses on three cities, namely: Cape Town (South Africa), Wellington (New Zealand) and Barcelona (Spain). These three cities share similar economic profiles yet have vastly different energy consumption patterns. Decoupling is a central concept of this study; it was defined as a term to describe the efforts to break the link between economic growth and the depletion of resources and the degradation of environments. It was found that when cities showed signs of decoupling, the correlation between energy consumption and economic growth was lost. Through investigating these three cities’ energyeconomy nexus, it was found that Wellington showed the most impressive decoupling. Therefore, Wellington’s policy interventions were studied to find a cause of this decoupling. It was found that the city employed a carbon tax, a strong environmental-awareness campaign, and an increased investment in public transport while reducing investment in road infrastructure. This combination brought about a modal shift where citizens adopted energy-efficiency technologies and public transport. This study therefore recommends this combination as a model for decoupling. Finally, this study has shown the importance of inter-city learning, and argues that cities should be open about policy interventions in order to speed up the transition to a green economy. This study recommends a systems analysis of the urban energy-economy nexus in order to fully understand the dynamics between energy consumption and economic performance.