Fossil fuel addiction may derail greenhouse pledge

SOUTH Africa has committed to reducing emissions through the Paris Agreement, but the government's addiction to fossil fuels threatens to derail this promise, environmentalists have said.

Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy this week released South Africa's 7th National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Report 2000 to 2017, which showed that emissions have increased by 10.4% over the 17-year period.

The report covers sources of greenhouse gas emissions under four sectors: Energy, Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU), Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) and Waste.

The report showed an increasing trend in emissions in the energy, IPPU and waste sectors.

Energy emissions were highest in 2009, after which there was a 3.1% decline to 2011.

In 2012 there was a 3.6% increase in emissions, followed by an average annual decline of 0.8% to 2016.

A 1.5% increase was seen in the 2017 emissions from the energy sector.

IPPU emissions reached a maximum in 2007, followed by an annual average decline of 5.8% to 2010.

There was an 11.5% increase in 2011, after which emissions stabilised to 2016 with a 0.3% annual average rate of increase.

The waste sector has shown a steady increase in emissions since 2000, with an average annual increase of 2.7%.

Greenpeace Africa Climate and Energy campaigner Thandile Chinyavanhu said they were hopeful the next decade would not present a rise in emissions.

“South Africa has committed to reducing emissions. Unfortunately, the government's addiction to fossil fuels threatens to derail this.

“The Gas Amendment Bill and the Upstream Petroleum Resource Development Bill are misaligned to our emission reduction targets and the climate bill, and if passed will lock South Africa into a high emissions trajectory. South Africa's commitment remains highly insufficient,” Chinyavanhu said.

“Despite having a robust policy framework, South Africa lacks the political will to implement the change we so desperately need, because our leaders have erroneously tethered our economic prosperity to polluting businesses like Sasol and Eskom.”

Economic researcher with The Green Connection Gillian Hamilton said emissions should be decreasing, in line with the country's commitment to the Paris Agreement.

“To reduce the impact of global warming and climate change, we need to drastically reduce the emissions from the energy sector. The big focus is changing our energy system, and that can only be done with political will,” Hamilton said.

Creecy said the inventory was vital in supporting implementation of South Africa's Nationally Determined Contribution, to be tabled ahead of the international climate talks in November.