PCC WELCOMES RELEASE OF 9TH GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INVENTORY & SECTORAL EMISSION TARGETS
03 May 2024
Press Statements
MEDIA STATEMENT – NO EMBARGO
03 May 2024
CLIMATE COMMISSION WELCOMES RELEASE OF 9TH GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INVENTORY AND SECTORAL EMISSION TARGETS – 3 MAY 2024
It has been an important week for the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) as, ahead of the ratification of the Climate Bill, as the department released for public comments two critical parts the country’s mitigation system.
On Friday the 26th of April, the DFFE published the Sectoral Emissions Targets (SETs) for public consultation (comments due within 60 days of publication) and on Thursday the 2nd May published the 9th Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory, also for public comment (comments due within 30 days of publication), covering up to the end of 2022. The GHG Inventory gives a sense of where we are in our GHG emissions reduction journey, and the SETs provide the target framework for where we are going.
The GHG Inventory provides a huge amount of detail on emissions and emissions trends across different sectors and for the economy as a whole. It is a critical document that provides the basis for significant policy setting and research.
The 9th GHG Inventory shows that country wide emissions are down off a peak of 529 Mt CO2-e in 2008 to 436 Mt CO2-e in 2022 (rounded). The 2022 emissions of 436 Mt CO2-e are comfortably within the NDC target range of 398 to 510 Mt CO2-e by 2025. However, it does leave us with some work to do prior to 2030 to be between the NDC targeted range of 350 and 420. This is where the SETs come in.
The SETs “are greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, either qualitative or quantitative, applicable to sectors or sub-sectors over a period” and implemented at the level of national government. SETs are allocated for agriculture, industry, energy, mining, human settlements, transport, and environment. The SETs will be issued to “align with NDC 5-year periods, as well as longer-term SETs to 2050 that will guide the country towards the goal of net-zero emissions as communicated in the Low Emission Development Strategy 2050”. The SETs are therefore a critical component in aligning sectoral level targets with the national commitment of the NDC.
The information in the GHG Inventory and the SETs are critical as the South African government are, early in 2025, required under the Paris Agreement to submit an update of the NDC covering the period 2030 to 2035. The SETs must therefore set the basis for achieving our NDC target for 2030, while setting the basis for going on to 2035 (for which new SETs will be issued).
For example, the proposed SET allocation for electricity is 124.7 MtCO2-eq by 2030 (aligned with the IRP2023) with a reduction of 47.9 MtCO2-e from Demand Side Management and Energy Efficiency). This target will take us to the upper bound of the NDC. Getting to the bottom end of the NDC will need further measures and enhancement of existing policy. A suite of policies and measures need to be contemplated across all sectors to match South Africa’s activities with our targets.
Given the importance of the Mitigation System, the PCC encourages stakeholders to read these documents carefully and provide comments to the DFFE.
The 9th GHG and the SET public notice and gazette can be accessed by clicking on the public notices link
Issued by Presidential Climate Commission
For all post media interviews please contact: Blessing Manale, Head of Communications and Outreach
blessing@climatecomission.org.za +27 73 036 5381.