@phdthesis{Chirambo2017, author = {Chirambo, Dumisani}, title = {Enhancing renewable energy deployment in Malawi through climate finance instruments: policy challenges and prospects}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:co1-opus4-43952}, school = {BTU Cottbus - Senftenberg}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Malawi is a Least Developed Country located in Southern Africa to the East of Zambia. Malawi has a low electrification rate of 9\%. Furthermore, unreliable and inadequate power supply are estimated to reduce Malawi's GDP by 7\%-9\%. These energy sector challenges diminish the country's prospects for sustained growth, poverty reduction, and improved delivery of health and education services. Various studies have been undertaken to determine how Malawi can improve it's energy sector through the deployment of renewable energy. However, these studies have not specifically examined how climate change related financing mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) could be utilised to mobilise financing and capacity development for renewable energy deployment in the country. This is despite the assertion that developed countries are committed to jointly mobilising US\$100 billion per year by 2020 to support climate change mitigation and adaptation activities such as renewable energy deployment in developing countries. Through the use of questionnaires, case study analyses, policy reviews, academic literature reviews and interviews, this research sought to determine Malawi's regulatory and institutional challenges and prospects for enhancing renewable energy deployment through climate finance instruments. Among some of the research findings was that Malawi has relied on external support in order to develop capacity in the field of climate finance, hence in the absence of external assistance there are limited opportunities to incentivise various stakeholders to implement projects and to enhance awareness about climate finance. The study also discovered that Malawi's climate finance determinants resemble a non-market seeking Foreign Direct Investment profile, hence the presence of opportunities for cheap and abundant emission reductions could improve climate finance investment patterns rather than the opportunities for emission reductions and co-products such as electricity through renewable energy technologies. The study therefore recommended that Malawi should create a renewable energy and climate finance promotion agency to assist with soliciting funding for renewable energy projects from concessional and non-concessional sources and drafting and implementing renewable energy policies. Another recommendation was that the country must create a Renewable Energy Fund to reduce the funding constraints that the media, project implementers and financiers have in undertaking various roles related to enhancing renewable energy deployment. Lastly, the study concluded that Malawi's prospects for accessing various forms of climate finance and deploying climate finance projects can be improved through improvements in Malawi's renewable energy and climate change institutional framework, and the modifications of climate finance instruments and methodologies to encourage flexibility and reduce institutional constraints.}, subject = {Africa; Clean Development Mechanism (CDM); Climate finance; Renewable energy; Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA); Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM); Afrika; Klimafinanzierung; Erneuerbare Energien; Freiwilliger Kohlenstoffmarkt (VCM); Afrika ; Klimaschutz; Erneuerbare Energien}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Goebelbecker2016, author = {Goebelbecker, Joel}, title = {Risk management of nanotechnologies within German legislation}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:co1-opus4-40795}, school = {BTU Cottbus - Senftenberg}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Nanotechnologies allow for the production of completely new materials in a wide range of industries and technical fields and are also recognised as one of the most important technological sectors for the future. The growing nanotechnological industry is rapidly generating new forms of materials; however, little is known about the behaviour of these substances, in particular their particle form and their impact on different ecological systems and the life within them. Concerns have been raised about the safety and regulation of nanomaterials, following a number of studies that indicated that some nanomaterials are able to cause adverse effects on living objects. This data, as well as increasing production volumes and commercialisation, the capability of crossing biological barriers and the increased physico-chemical activities of nanoparticles, when compared to their bulk counterparts, have triggered concern (Bar{\´o} et al., 2001; Kear et al., 2012) about their impacts on health and safety. In Germany, nanoparticles, nanotechnological products, their production processes and their disposal are generally subject to the prevailing law of the German legal system, especially with respect to the authorization of equipment, permissions regarding chemicals and other product groups, and the protection of employees and the environment. With regard to nanotechnologies, however, the question arises as to whether the present legal regulations are adequate, and/or whether regulative gaps occur because of specific new products, materials or process characteristics. Accordingly, based on the analysis of the relevant state-of-the-art technology and science, and an evaluation of existing, as well as projectable, future national legislation on this matter, this work aims to identify regulative gaps in the relevant standardisation procedures and to point out possible adjustments. Although nanomaterials are covered by the general scope of many of the existing legislative frameworks, it is often unclear if current regulation is actually applicable for specific questions of nanomaterials and their diverse applications. In particular, there is a lack of sufficient knowledge of the risks, which could lead to imbalanced legal protection against any threats that may arise. However, it is recognised that adjustments are needed, and legal amendments have been repeatedly proposed by expert committees, policymakers, industry members and non-governmental organisations (European Parliament, 2009). Nonetheless, very few revisions have been made to date, so the existing regulations are not considered adequate to deal with all kinds of nanomaterials in both the short and long term. Current legislation needs to be adapted immediately to reflect the challenges posed by current nanomaterials and their applications.}, subject = {Legal; Legislation; Nano; Nanotechnology; Risk; Recht; Rechtsordnung; Nano; Nanotechnologie; Risiko; Deutschland; Nanotechnologie; Risiko; Rechtssystem}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Odigie2024, author = {Odigie, Osamudiamen Godwin}, title = {Investigation of the accumulation effects of heavy metals in oil palm plantation soils fertilized with anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent in southern Nigeria}, doi = {10.26127/BTUOpen-6756}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:co1-opus4-67564}, school = {BTU Cottbus - Senftenberg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {The accumulation of heavy metal in oil palm plantation soils is a growing concern due to its potential environmental and health implications. This study aimed to investigate the accumulation of heavy metal on oil palm plantation soil fertilized with palm oil mill effluent POME. The research appraised the extent of contamination in oil palm plantation soil in Ikpoba Okha local government area of Edo state Nigeria. Soil sample were collected from different soil depth ranges 0-15cm, 15-30cm, 30-45cm, 45-60cm and 60-70cm of POME treated soil at five locations (2-6) and the control location 1 within oil palm plantations. The concentrations of the heavy metals (Cu, Mn, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cd, Cr, As, Hg) were analyzed using the atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The results show that the application of POME as fertilizer led to increased concentration of heavy metals. Significant difference at (p < 0.05) level in concentration was obtained across the different depths of the treated locations for the metals compared to the background location. However, As and Hg were not significantly different between the POME treated soil and control location. The impacts of POME treatment have greater effects on the concentration of the essential metal (Cu, Mn, Zn, Ni) compare to the non-essential metal (Pb, Cr, Cd, As, Hg). The concentration of the metals was below the permissible limits of regulatory standards. The increase concentration of the essential metal could have potential implications of soil contamination due to accumulation over time. The soil had contamination factor and pollution load index of low to moderate contamination and pollution. The control location 1 had the closest similarity with the location 6. The study proposed recommendation for POME usage as organic fertilizer in agricultural soil but with close monitory.}, subject = {POME; Schwermetallen; Heavy-metal; Contamination; Accumulation; Palm{\"o}lm{\"u}hlenabw{\"a}sser; Kontamination; Akkumulation; Boden; Benin City; {\"O}lpalmenanbau; Organisches D{\"u}ngemittel; Schwermetallbelastung}, language = {en} }