Seymore, ReynoInglesi-Lotz, RoulaBlignaut, James Nelson2015-08-312015-08-312014-06Seymore, R, Inglesi-Lotz, R & Blignaut, JN 2014, 'A greenhouse gas emissions inventory for South Africa : a comparative analysis', Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 34, pp. 371-379.1364-0321 (print)1879-0690 (online)10.1016/j.rser.2014.03.028http://hdl.handle.net/2263/49656An 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.en© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Notice : this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 34, pp. 371-379, 2014. doi : 10.1016/j.rser.2014.03.028.Energy balancesCarbon emissions inventoryEmissions factorsEnergy-based greenhouse gas (GHG)Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)South Africa (SA)Postprint Article