BY ERIN WALLS
Dr. Lee-Anne Terblanche, Stellenbosch University (SU) alumna, has come up with a decarbonisation framework which has the aim to tackle the large amounts of carbon emissions produced from road freight transport, the second largest contributor of carbon emissions after electricity in South Africa.
“This is the first and currently only decarbonisation framework in South Africa,” Terblanche said.
Terblanche, who obtained her doctorate in Transport and Logistics from Stellenbosch University (SU) in December said, she had to choose a topic close to her heart and for her that “was the environment”.
“The framework is based on one that is being written in the United Kingdom (UK). However, due to the fact that South Africa and the UK environments are so different, I had to ensure it was adaptable to South Africa.”
According to Terblanche she had to consider the flooding that had recently occurred in Durban as well as the high levels of crime, such as hijacking.
“The framework was made so that it is easily adaptable to South Africa and does not involve a lot of cost,” said Terblanche.
Terblanche identified four key decisions which a company can make, which is then further broken down into 9 carbon variables.
“Missed time slots, driving behaviour such as not abiding by traffic rules, theft and hijacking are among these variables. By improving on these, such as avoiding unnecessary trips and trucks driving around empty, carbon emissions could be cut by 27%.”
