Energy,environment and the rural poor in South Africa

The lack of adequate energy services imposes heavy social and environmental costs on poor rural households. The rural energy‐environment interface, however, is prone to oversimplistic analyses, especially in the case of the ‘fuelwood problem’, and to a lack of research. International experience suggests that deforestation is not necessarily an ‘energy problem’ resulting from the cutting of trees for fuelwood ‐ and therefore that it may not have an energy solution, like planting more trees for firewood. Instead, wood scarcity must be understood under multiple use of wood resources, and policies need to be multifaceted if they are to succeed. South African studies show that wood is becoming increasingly scarce in many areas; here fuelwood collection may contribute to deforestation more than suggested by international experience. In addition to the environmental effects of increasing wood scarcity and its social costs, borne largely by women, another serious problem arises from indoor air pollution caused by wood fires with social and health costs largely unaccounted for to date.     

Energy consumption patterns and supply problems in underdeveloped areas in South Africa

Energy usage provides one striking example of processes and conditions of development and underdevelopment in South Africa and the concomitant inequalities in fulfilment of basic needs. Access to affordable and convenient fuels increases as households shift from underdeveloped rural and peri‐urban areas to the developed metropolitan centres. The form and quantity of fuels used by households is constrained by levels of urbanization, the availability and cost of fuels, and household income.

The energy supply problems in developing areas centre on two critical and immediate issues. Firstly, in rural areas the demand for fuelwood is exceeding supply with quite devastating social, economic and environmental consequences. A fuelwood supply and demand model has been developed which indicates the urgency for implementing afforestation programmes, although lack of sufficient suitable land implies that other energy supply strategies will also have to be considered. The second major problem is that the standard, most convenient and affordable domestic energy supply option, electricity, has still not been made available to many black townships and most peri‐urban areas. With increases in population and urbanization, the problem of adequate household energy supply is shifting to peri‐urban areas, which experience major social and economic costs as a result of dependence on costly and inconvenient fossil fuels and batteries. Electricity has been shown to be the most economical and preferred option.     

俄罗斯与欧盟的能源合作--兼论对中俄能源合作的启示

俄罗斯与欧盟的能源[1]合作是当代国际能源合作中最成功的范例。尽管俄欧能源合作起步较晚,在1994年双方签订“伙伴关系与合作协定”之前,俄欧之间既缺乏在能源领域的定期磋商途径与机制,也缺乏规范化的能源合作协定,然而仅仅数年之后,俄欧之间不仅确立了“能源战略伙伴关系”,建立了稳定的能源对话机制,而且在实际运作中,俄欧能源合作也已经从勘探、研究、开发、管道铺设等方面全面展开。目前,俄罗斯石油出口的87%以上面向欧洲,其中近70%出口到欧盟(含新入盟的中东欧国家),天然气出口中有65%出口到欧盟,将来随着五条横跨欧洲大陆的油气管线…     

Underemployment in South Africa

With the introduction of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey since 2008, a newly derived variable, namely underemployed, has become available. It is derived according to the ‘time-related’ approach (i.e. those who are employed, but would like to work longer hours and are available to work longer hours in the near future). However, underemployment could also be derived according to the ‘inadequate employment situations’ approach (e.g. under-utilisation of skills, over-qualification). Because underemployment is a seriously under-researched topic in South Africa, this article investigates the extent of underemployment according to these two definitions, before examining whether the characteristics of the two groups of underemployed are significantly different.     

在南非的日子

“我一直是一个心存幻想的女人,不肯一辈子走别人为我安排的道路。前方的路清清楚楚,仿佛可以看到坟墓,日复一日地重复着没有任何新鲜感的日子,我只想逃离……”     

走进南非

南非是一片多彩迷人、神奇的土地,也是我向往已久的国家。2014年年底至2015年年初,我有机会在南非度过了20天的假期,所到之处的美景趣事和风土人情给我留下了深刻的印象。从克鲁格国家野生动物园与那狮群的“亲密接触”,到世界七大奇观--桌山上在流转白云间的畅游;从开普敦豪特湾别墅的品茶,到以葡萄园和野花而闻名的弗朗斯胡克庄园的品酒;从好望角灯塔上亲眼见证两大洋的交汇,到克尼斯纳世外桃源般逍遥岛上的漫步;从莫赛尔贝湾欣赏冲浪爱好者的竞技,到伊丽莎白港别墅庭院内的小憩畅谈……无论是白种人的彬彬有礼,还是黑种人的热情好客,都令人难以忘怀。20天的时间里,享受了自然,享受了休闲,享受了生活,享受了海水和阳光,我用一张张照片记录下了“走进南非”的美好瞬间。“走进南非”共分为上、下两篇,本期就跟着我的视角领略这个充满着阳光和热情的“彩虹之国”。     

断裂的全球化与南亚区域合作

全球化是一个复杂的自相矛盾的进程,断裂的全球化是区域化的成因。以断裂的全球化思维模式对南亚区域合作进行的分析发现,南亚合作对实现经济和福利的跨越式增长存在很大机会,而建立冲突解决机制、实行公平贸易、开展能源合作、整合劳动力市场等措施有助于南亚推动迈向合作的进程。