Dates: 4-6 September 2024

Keynotes

Peter Lukey

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment

Peter Lukey is a Civil Engineering Technologist who, after nine years as a contractor, left to pursue his environmental interests at Wits University where he completed his ecology BSc Degree and co-founded the activist organisation Earthlife Africa. In 1995, Peter took up a position with the Danish development assistance agency and after five years of environmental project support in the region, he left to join the Department of Environmental Affairs to head its Environmental Protection Support Unit. Since then, Peter has held the posts of: Chief Director: Regulatory Services where he was involved in conceiving and establishing the “Green Scorpions” and leading the development of new air quality legislation; Chief Director: Air Quality Management and Climate Change where, in addition to being the National Air Quality Officer, he led the development of the National Climate Change Response Policy; and Chief Policy Advisor on Strategic Environmental Intelligence – a post that has now become the Chief Director: Environmental Knowledge and Information.

Wednesday, 4th Sept, Morning Session 

The Birth of the NEM: AQA – A patchy tale of the transition to objectives-based air quality governance in South Africa

This presentation is based on the presenter’s personal (and sometimes patchy) recollection of events and tells the story of how South Africa transitioned from the ‘end-of-pipe’ approach to air quality management exemplified by the outdated 1965 Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act (APPA) to the objective-based approach codified in the 2004 National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEM: AQA) and the impact of this transition on air quality and the air quality management sector. The story starts with how APPA, and particularly how its implementation by the Apartheid state, failed to protect everyone’s right to air that is not harmful to health and wellbeing. It then describes how a new approach was workshopped, discussed and robustly debated. The story includes various anecdotes related to the early stages of the implementation of the new approach to air quality like why the early NEM: AQA Notices were often published on the 11th of September. The story broadly touches on how a small, effectively moribund sector was reinvigorated to grow into a vibrant and progressive community of practice. It also talks about how South Africa’s electricity supply crises, poor waste services, and our continued reliance and commitment to fossil fuels is bedevilling attempts to improve South Africa’s air quality. The case study unpacks the limitations of legislation, the importance of policy clarity and political will, and the significant air quality and related respiratory health improvements likely to result from the transition to a low-carbon economy and society.

Dr Patience Gwaze

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment

Wednesday, 4th Sept, Afternoon Session 

The Future Direction or Air Quality Management in South Africa

Dr Hanlie Liebenberg-Enslin

Airshed Planning Professionals

After earning her master's degree in science from the University of Johannesburg (formerly RAU) in Geography and Environmental Management. Hanlie Liebenberg-Enslin began her professional career in air quality management in 2000 when she joined Environmental Management Services (EMS). The same department at the University of Johannesburg awarded her a PhD in June 2014 with a focus on aeolian dust transport. She is one of the founding members of Airshed Planning Professionals and served as a director of the organization until May 2013, when she assumed the role of managing director.

She has worked across Africa and has considerable experience in the many aspects of air quality management, including impact- and health risk screening assessments, dispersion modelling simulations, and emissions quantification for a variety of source types. Hanlie has been involved in a few United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) projects and served as the project manager on numerous innovative air quality management plan (AQMP) developments. She also participates actively in the National Association for Clean Air (NACA) and the International Union of Air Pollution Prevention and Environmental Protection Associations (IUAPPA). She served as an external examiner for various MSc and PhD dissertations and lectured at air quality management courses.

Thursday, 5th Sept, Morning Session 

Air Quality Evolution in South Africa over the past 20 years: 

A Consultants’ Journey

Over the past 20 years, South Africa has made significant progress in implementing frameworks and strategies for the purpose of enhancing air quality through evolving regulations, though challenges persist. As consultants, we have been at the forefront of navigating and implementing these new regulations, often with some practical difficulties which were not necessarily foreseen. We have been working closely with regulatory bodies to ensure compliance and help industries understand and meet the new regulations. The introduction of stricter regulations demanded innovative solutions, and our role has been crucial in assisting both government and private sectors in fulfilling their obligations. This period has been both challenging and rewarding for Air Quality Consulting.

This narrative chronicles a path marked by scientific dedication, regulatory hurdles, and a relentless pursuit of cleaner air for South Africa's communities. It will explore the comprehensive process of air quality impact assessments and the development of air quality management plans, covering approaches and methodologies, tools and techniques, the effectiveness of evaluation tools, data requirements and availability, progress and developments, as well as the legal and regulatory framework guiding these processes.

Join me as I share observations, insights, both humorous and poignant moments, along with a look at the past, present and future of air quality consulting in South Africa.

Mr Siyabonga Mkhize

Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys

Siya is an admitted attorney and a partner at Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys. He specialises in environmental, health and safety, clean energy, town planning, local government and administrative law. He provides legal advice to both private and public-sector clients including clients in South Africa, North America and Europe. He is a lead auditor for environmental, health and safety legal compliance audits conducted for various multi-national companies across South Africa, and in Namibia, Zambia, Lesotho & Botswana. He has litigated up to the Constitutional Court on environmental and administrative law matters. Siya has chaired an international panel discussion with intercontinental experts on the impacts of health and safety on mining companies and communities. He has been invited as the only speaker from Africa among 75 global speakers to present at the Global Enviro Summit in the USA on environmental challenges facing South Africa. He has also presented as a guest speaker and lecture at local and international universities. Siya has actively worked with the South African Heritage Institutions to help the Sibudu Caves in KZN to be declared a World Heritage Site. He is also the Vice President of the National Association of Clean Air.

Thursday, 5th Sept, Afternoon Session 

Intersection between Climate Change and Air Quality – A look at the Climate Change Act 22 of 2024 and how it interconnects with existing Air Quality Legislation

Similar to the global community, South Africa is not immune to the frequency and intensity of extreme weather patterns we refer to as climate change. It has been widely accepted by the scientific community that one of the causes of climate change is the impact of anthropogenic activities, which result in the significant release of greenhouse gas emissions to the earth’s atmosphere, which cause air pollution. The impacts of air pollution are regulated by several pieces of air quality legislation that is aimed at improving the ambient air quality standards in South Africa which includes inter alia the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act 39 of 2004, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, and the National Greenhouse Gas Emission Reporting Regulations.

To address the long-term effects of climate change in South Africa, the legislature has promulgated the Climate Change Act 22 of 2024, which seeks to provide for the effective management of inevitable climate change impacts by reducing vulnerability to climate change, with a view to building social, economic and environmental resilience, and making a fair contribution to the global effort to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at levels which avert the dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.

This talk looks at the interconnection between the Climate Change Act of 2024 and the existing air quality legislation in South Africa in addressing the significant impacts of air pollution and the severe impacts of climate change.

Prof. Jesse Van Griensven Thé

Lakes Environmental Software

Prof. Jesse Van Griensven Thé, PhD., P.Eng., from the University of Waterloo, Canada, is the President of Lakes Environmental Software and a leading expert in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Artificial Intelligence, and Quantum Computing, with over 30 years of experience.  As the principal author of widely-used environmental modeling software, including AERMOD View, CALPUFF View, and AQMIS, Dr. Thé has consulted for regulatory agencies across Canada, the USA, and internationally on complex air modeling projects.  He is an Executive Editor of the Elsevier Journal of ENERGY, the Editor-in-Chief of ENN.Com, the largest environmental news network on the internet, and a co-author of several technical environmental books.  A seasoned public speaker, Prof. Thé is highly regarded for his engaging presentations and has received outstanding reviews from course attendees.

Thursday, 5th Sept, Afternoon Session 

Artificial Intelligence in Atmospheric Science: Transforming Environmental Modelling and Forecasting

Prof. Jesse Van Griensven Thé will present on the cutting-edge applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Atmospheric Science, drawing from his extensive experience and numerous publications in the field.  This session will explore how AI techniques, including Time Series analysis, Remote Sensing automated analysis, Image Segmentation, Object Detection, air quality forecast, and the application of AI in solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) for predicting pollutant concentrations, wind fields, and temperature.  AI is revolutionizing the way we understand and predict atmospheric phenomena.  From enhancing weather forecasts to monitoring environmental changes through satellite imagery, AI is proving to be an indispensable tool in addressing the challenges of air pollution and climate change.  Learn about the latest advancements, real-world applications, and future directions for AI in environmental science, and discover how this technology is shaping the future of atmospheric research and policy-making.

Join the discussion: 

Deidre Herbst

Eskom PTY (Ltd)

A professionally qualified and experienced Environmental Manager in the Electricity Industry with extensive skills in global, regional and local environmental issues, 

Deidre is currently the Environmental Manager for Eskom Generation. In this capacity, she has been responsible for, amongst others, providing strategic direction for environmental management to one of the largest utilities in the world.  This role includes integrating environmental management into the business with a specific focus on integrating environment and climate change considerations into energy planning, business and biodiversity, air quality, water and waste management practices. 

Deidre is driven by a passion for adding value through innovative and executable solutions.

Friday, 6th Sept, Morning Session 

The Nexus of Air Quality and Electricity in South Africa