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Harald Winkler

Professor and Director of the Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town
Prof Harald Winkler is Director of the Energy Research Centre (ERC) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The ERC focuses on energy, its relation to key challenges such as poverty, development and climate change, and energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy modeling as approaches to addressing such challenges. His personal research interests focus on energy and environment, in particular climate change and the economics of mitigation in the context of sustainable development.

His research has informed energy and climate policy at the national level and multi-lateral negotiations. Harald led the research work underpinning South Africa’s Long-Term Mitigation Scenarios (LTMS). In 2011, he started working with other developing countries to share the LTMS exprience in a programme called MAPS – Mitigation Action Plans and Scenarios. He has written on transparency, equity and comparative analysis of mitigation actions in developing countries.

He is a member of the editorial boards of three international journals Climate Policy, Climate and Development and Current Opinions in Environmental Sustainability. He has published two books and one edited book, 44 articles in peer-reviewed journals, as well as several chapters in peer-reviewed books.

Harald has been a member of the SA delegation to the negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. He is a lead author lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group III on mitigation, has served on the Methodologies Panel to the CDM Executive Board, and participates in advisory bodies to local and provincial government.

South Africa's nuclear sector has failed its test: the Koeberg nuclear plant life extension

Aug 21, 2022 17:23 pm UTC| Science Economy

South Africas only nuclear power plant, Koeberg, has frequently been in the news in 2022, all for the wrong reasons. Its operating licence expires in 2024, and its continued operation thereafter depends on critical...

Economy

Iran-Israel Missile Strikes Continue Amid Mixed Signals on U.S.-Iran Diplomacy

Tensions in the Middle East escalated sharply as Iran launched multiple waves of missiles targeting Israel, triggering air raid sirens across the country, including Tel Aviv. The Israeli military confirmed the attacks,...

Bank of Japan Eyes April Rate Hike Despite Inflation Dip, ING Says

Analysts at ING believe the Bank of Japan (BoJ) could move to raise interest rates as soon as April, even after Japans consumer price inflation cooled more than expected. Februarys headline inflation dropped to 1.3%...

Oil Prices Rebound as Iran Denies U.S. Talks Amid Gulf War Supply Fears

Oil prices surged Tuesday as markets reacted to fresh uncertainty in the Middle East, with Iran publicly denying it had held any negotiations with Washington directly contradicting statements from U.S. President Donald...

Asian Stocks Gain Amid Iran Conflict Uncertainty

Asian stock markets edged higher on Tuesday but struggled to hold their early gains as investors navigated mixed signals surrounding the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. Markets had initially rallied following comments...

Asian Currencies Weaken as Dollar Rebounds Amid Middle East Uncertainty and Japan Inflation Data

Most Asian currencies declined on Tuesday as mixed signals surrounding the Middle East conflict, a recovering U.S. dollar, and softer Japanese inflation data weighed on regional markets. Investors remained cautious as...

Politics

Israel Eyes Litani River as New Border Amid Escalating Lebanon Offensive

Israels Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich openly called for redrawing Israels northern border to extend to Lebanons Litani River, marking one of the most direct territorial claims made by a senior Israeli official since...

Trump Administration Opens Two New Investigations Into Harvard Over Discrimination and Antisemitism

The Trump administration has escalated its campaign against Harvard University by launching two fresh federal investigations, intensifying an already fierce standoff between the White House and one of Americas most...

Denmark Election 2026: Frederiksen Eyes Third Term Amid Trump-Greenland Tensions

Denmark heads to the polls Tuesday in a closely watched election that could secure Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen an unprecedented third consecutive term. The vote comes at a politically charged moment, as Frederiksens...

ICE Arrest of Guatemalan Woman at San Francisco Airport Sparks Outrage

A deeply distressing video of a woman being detained by federal immigration officers at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) went viral this week, igniting fierce backlash from California lawmakers and community...

U.S. and Costa Rica Reach Deportation Transfer Agreement

The United States and Costa Rica have officially signed a preliminary agreement allowing Costa Rica to receive third-country migrants deported by the U.S. government. The announcement was made by Costa Ricas presidency on...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

AWS Bahrain Region Disrupted by Drone Activity Amid Middle East Conflict

Amazon Web Services has confirmed that its cloud computing infrastructure in Bahrain is experiencing significant service disruptions linked to ongoing drone activity in the region, as tensions continue to escalate across...

Nintendo Switch 2 Production Cut as Holiday Sales Miss Targets

Nintendo has announced plans to scale back production of its Switch 2 console following disappointing holiday season sales, particularly in the United States. According to a Bloomberg report, the Japanese gaming giant will...

Elon Musk Announces Terafab: SpaceX and Tesla to Build Dual AI Chip Factories in Austin, Texas

Elon Musk revealed plans for a massive dual-chip manufacturing complex called Terafab in Austin, Texas, set to be jointly developed by SpaceX and Tesla. The announcement marks a significant step in Musks broader strategy...

NVIDIA's Feynman AI Chip May Face Redesign Amid TSMC Capacity Crunch

NVIDIA could be forced to redesign its next-generation Feynman artificial intelligence chip platform as contract manufacturing giant TSMC struggles to keep pace with surging global demand. According to a report from...

Elliott Investment Management Takes Multibillion-Dollar Stake in Synopsys

Activist hedge fund Elliott Investment Management has quietly built a multibillion-dollar position in Synopsys, the electronic design automation (EDA) giant, signaling a push for stronger financial performance from one of...