SA still the G20's worst carbon emitter

South Africa&#039;s energy sector is still the most carbon-intensive among G20 countries, a recent report has found.The Climate Transparency Report 2022 provides a country-specific analysis of the emissions and efforts to address climate change. The research draws on the expertise and assessments from 16 partner organisations across the G20 countries. It is based on data up until 2021.The report shows that South Africa&#039;s per capita emissions, the average emissions for a person are 1.2 times greater than the G20 average of 7.5. This down only slightly from 9.1 recorded last year.Most of South Africa&#039;s carbon emissions (47%) are attributed to the power or electricity generation sector – this is also true for the G20.Globally in 2021, about 40% of energy-related carbon emissions globally could be attributed to the power sector. Energy-related emissions dropped slightly during 2020 – the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. But there was a rebound in energy emissions in 2021 as economies and industries reopened.South Africa&#039;s energy sector is dominated by fossil fuels, which account for 92% of the energy mix.Similar to last year&#039;s findings, South Africa&#039;s carbon intensity – a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of energy that is supplied – is the highest in the G20. "For each kWh of electricity, 866.5g of CO2 is emitted in South Africa," the report read.This is largely linked to the high share of coal in the country&#039;s energy mix, the report read. About 87% of South Africa&#039;s electricity was produced from coal in 2021 – which is why the country was the G20&#039;s most emissions-intensive power sector.RenewableBut the emissions intensity is declining as renewable generation capacity in the energy mix increases. The share of renewables in the energy mix ticked up slightly from 7.6% to 9.2% in 2021. Nevertheless, renewables still play a small role in the energy mix.The report also noted that the climate crisis and extreme weather events, such as heatwaves in Europe, and floods in Pakistan, were eclipsed by the energy crisis resulting from Russia&#039;s invasion of Ukraine. The energy supply crisis has spiked prices for oil and gas and has had ripple effects on the prices of food and fertilisers."Many governments are now confronted with a cost-of-living crisis that shifts public attention away from the climate crisis."At the virtual launch of the report, Mariana Gutierrez, a coordinator of the Climate Transparency secretariat, shared that the response of some G20 nations to the energy crisis has negative implications. The short-term solutions to guarantee supply, which involves the continued use of fossil fuels like coal – risks a significant dependence on fossil fuels going forward.Earlier this year, Germany and other European countries reverted to using coal-fired power stations, given Russia&#039;s decision to constrain gas supplies. Britain meanwhile lifted a ban on fracking for shale gas. Fracking has harmful environmental, safety and health impacts.-Fin24

SA still the G20's worst carbon emitter

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-11-07

Please login to leave a comment

SA still the G20's worst carbon emitter

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-11-07

Please login to leave a comment

Subscription Required to Access Content ×

Login

Subscription Required to Access Content