Enablers and inhibitors of efforts to reduce Scope 3 emissions – The case of an ODeL university
Abstract
Background: The reconfiguration of the South African higher education landscape in 2003
and 2004 had a significant impact on the University of South Africa (UNISA) and Technikon
SA (both distance education institutions) which merged to form the ‘new’ UNISA.
Aim: The aim of this conceptual study is to explore the extent to which the policies of the
post-merger UNISA are enablers or inhibitors of efforts to reduce its Scope 3 carbon emissions.
Setting: Staff commuter patterns between the main campuses of UNISA and the policy
environment that has an impact on such travel.
Methods: The aim is achieved by means of a case study methodology that considers the
relevant policies of the university and applicable results of a 2018 UNISA staff travel demand
survey to determine whether the policies are incongruous with the institution’s attempts to
reduce its carbon footprint in general, and its Scope 3 carbon emissions in particular. The
impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on defining a ‘new normal’ for
the university’s operations, and the impact thereof on staff commuting, have been discussed.
Results: The study revealed that despite being an Open Distance E-Learning (ODeL)
institution, the university has not put a coherent policy framework in place that undeniably
supports its efforts to limit or reduce its Scope 3 carbon emissions. This was brought into stark
focus by the measures the university was forced to put in place as a result of the COVID-19
lockdown regulations in South Africa, to ensure the continuation of its business.
Conclusion: The conclusions will assist UNISA - and other universities which have had to
revisit their operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic - to define a true ‘new normal’.
Collections
- TD: 2022 Volume 18 [28]