Abstract:
An energy-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory for South Africa for
various years is presented, but most notably an estimate for 2008, in terms of
industrial sectors using the energy balances of South Africa is given. This figure is
estimated to be between 470 000 and 550 000Gg of CO2-equiv. with the higher
number probably being a more realistic reflection. This information is compared to
six other inventories to i) assess the robustness of the results presented, and ii) to
comment on the stability of the inventories available.
From this comparative analysis it is evident that major discrepancies exist among
the inventories both in terms of scope (i.e. sectors and gas composites included) as
well as method of estimation used. These differences hamper the efficacy of,
among others, any economic modelling exercise related to carbon emissions, such
as estimating the impact of carbon taxes on the country. It is therefore argued that
a consistent, robust and replicable framework for estimating GHG emissions that
would also render timeous results, should be adopted.
