According to a recent study by the South African Government, by 2050, the increase in emissions from the transport sector is projected to be almost 300%. What needs to be done?
At the GIZ Transport Refrigeration Project Steering committee meeting in February, stakeholders discussed the Department of Trade and Industry’s current view of the policy environment in which the refrigerated transport industry operates and the appropriate regulatory options available in the event that thermal efficiency requirements become mandatory in South Africa. Check out the presentation.
According to this study, under the leadership of the Department of Environmental Affairs, the overall, emissions from the transport sector in South Africa have been rising since 2000. By 2025, emissions are forecast to be 100% higher than in 2000 under the ‘Without Measures’ reference scenario. By 2050, the increase in emissions is projected to be almost 300%.
The road transport sector accounts for around 94% of transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in South Africa in 2000. The reference projections indicate that there will be little change in this share over the period to 2050, with that figure never dropping below 84%. Cars (27%) and light commercial vehicles (around 23%) make up the majority share of road transport emissions in 2000 and this is the case throughout the time series.
Transport, therefore provides policy makers an excellent opportunity for modelling options and trade-offs, and advancing South Africa to a greener economic path.
