Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
With regard to the emission of greenhouse gases in the Western Cape:
1. (a) How many parts per million of greenhouse gases have been emitted in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011 and (b) what are the relevant details in this regard;
2. (a)(i) what are the 10 sectors that contribute the most to the emission of greenhouse gases in the province and (ii) what are the relevant details of each, (b) how many parts per million of greenhouse gases have been emitted by each of these sectors for the same period as in (1)(a), (c)(i) which sectors, if any, have demonstrated a sustained increase in greenhouse emissions and (ii) what are the relevant details and (d)(i) which sectors, if any, have demonstrated a sustained decrease in greenhouse emissions and (ii) what are the relevant details?
Reporting of GHG emissions have become an important tool in managing climate change and as such the Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions Database for the Western Cape was conducted. Unfortunately, the database does not cover the years in question so the response will reflect the work conducted in this regard.
The Western Cape Government has been reporting at a high-level on GHG emissions from energy-related activities for the past decade. The energy-related emissions have been prioritized for two reasons, firstly as these make up the bulk of GHG emissions generated in South Africa (approximately 80%) and a similar breakdown can be seen in the Western Cape and secondly, the data available for energy-related emissions compared to the other sectors. A full GHG emissions calculation is currently being undertaken for the Western Cape for the first time and will be completed in 2022 as part of a larger 2050 Emissions Pathways Exercise. This exercise will include emissions from the following sectors:
- Energy (including Transport)
- Waste (including Wastewater Treatment Works)
- Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU)
- Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) – this also calculates the sinks, land types that can absorb GHG emissions.
The information we have available for energy-related GHG emissions has been collected and reported on as follows: first database was undertaken in 2012 using 2009 data; the 2nd iteration was completed in 2015 using 2012/13 data; and current report was completed in 2018 using 2015/16 data. A full methodology on how the data is collected and analyzed, including any assumptions made, is available in the latest energy consumption and CO2e emissions database (2018) [https://www.westerncape.gov.za/eadp/files/atoms/files/Energy%20Consumption%20%26CO2e%20Emissions%20Database%20WC%20-%20Web.pdf].
The following table show a high-level summary of the data available in the three iterations of the energy consumption and CO2e emissions database that have been released to date.
Table - Key Sustainable Energy indicators – Western Cape Province
Key sustainable energy indicators | Unit of measure | Provincial value (2009) | Provincial value (2012/13) | Provincial value (2015/16) |
Total energy consumption | GJ | 292 420 231 | 276 594 683 | 299 401 470 |
Total energy related GHG emissions | tCO2e | 37 637 336 | 36 345 801 | 38 901 581 |
Energy consumption per capita | GJ/capita | 64 | 46 | 48
|
GHG emissions per capita | tCO2e/capita | 8 | 6 | 6
|
Energy per GDP (R’ mill) | GJ/GDP | 1 428 | 629 | 792 |
GHG emissions per GDP (R’ mill) | tCO2e/GDP | 178 | 82 | 103 |
Although the total energy related GHG emissions have increased, the per capita emissions have remained the same since 2012/13 and this figure of 6 tons CO2e is also lower than the national figure of approximately 9 tons CO2e. As the percentages of renewable energy as part of our energy mix increases, we should see some decreases in this figure over time.
For a more detailed breakdown of sectors, fuel types and districts, please refer to the full report.
A note on reporting on GHG emissions
For the purposes of regional GHG reporting (such as a province, or municipality), the values are reported in terms of tons or gigagrams (GG) of CO2e. CO2e or carbon dioxide equivalent is a term for describing different greenhouse gases in a common unit.
Parts per million (PPM) is used to describe the global atmospheric concentration and can therefore not accurately be estimated for a region such as the Western Cape.
Due to the high-level nature of the databases, it is not possible to provide a specific breakdown of the 10 largest emitters or emitting sectors in the Western Cape. The database is disaggregated into the following sectors – industrial, transport, commercial, residential, agricultural, and local government operations. However, as a high proportion of western cape GHG emissions are linked to energy consumption and use (due to the high emission nature of our fossil-fuel based electricity and liquid fuels), it is most commonly the largest users of electricity and other sources of energy such as coal for industrial purposes and liquid fuels for transport related activities that generate the most emissions.
The following sectors are most likely responsible for the majority of the emissions in the Western Cape, however, as mentioned above, this is based on high level studies and exercises.
- Industrial sub-sectors, including brick and clay, cement, chemicals production, iron and steel, petrochemical, and pulp and paper manufacturing
- Transport such sectors, including private personal transport, commercial and freight activities
- The built environment, including commercial buildings, such as shopping malls, office blocks and hospitals as well as the formal residential sector as a whole.
As much of our province’s emissions are linked to energy consumption, it is quite difficult to get a clear picture of trends on whether emissions are increasing or decreasing. As can be seen in the table above, the total emissions have increased to some extent, there will be shifts within the sectors as circumstances change. Factors such as load shedding, the economic downturn experiences a few years ago, the drought as well as opportunities in terms of energy efficiency and renewable energy, all impact on energy consumption and therefore emissions.
Many companies are now also required to report emissions to national government in terms of the National Greenhouse Gas Reporting Regulations as well as the requirements linked to The Carbon Tax Act. This information is stored in a national database, and access to this data is not easily available at this stage.
There are, however, a number of initiatives underway to improve resource efficiency and reduce emissions in WCG. Some of the programmes are:
- The Municipal Energy Resilience Programme (facilitated by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism), which is supporting municipalities in the Western Cape to improve the uptake of renewable energy as well as energy efficiency in their operations [https://www.westerncape.gov.za/110green/energy/municipal-energy-resilience-initiative].
- The work being done by the Department of Transport and Public Works, together with Departments of Health and Education, on improving the resource efficiency in our public buildings, hospitals and schools as well as installing solar panels on suitable buildings within the Province.
- The Western Cape Air Quality Management Plan also looks at reducing emissions related to NEMA listed activities.
For more information on this work refer to the most recent climate change M&E report: [https://www.westerncape.gov.za/eadp/files/atoms/files/Biennial%20Climate%20Change%20ME%20Report%202020_final.docx.pdf]
as well as the DTPW Property Efficiency Report: [https://www.westerncape.gov.za/sites/www.westerncape.gov.za/files/wcg_property_efficiency_report_2019-2020.pdf].
