Developing the GHG inventory for South Africa

Abstract

South Africa is a signatory to the UNFCCC and therefore required to share information on, among other things, the sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (GHGs). DEAT is the national focal point for climate change activities, and is responsible for co-ordinating South Africa’s obligations under the UNFCCC, including the GHG inventory. The IPCC Methodologies have been the most commonly used in reporting to the UNFCCC. In 2006, a new set of guidelines was published, IPCC (2006). The new guidelines provide more comprehensive and holistic methodologies for quantifying GHG emissions. ERC and CSIR are currently engaged in the development of the new GHG emissions inventory, using year 2000 as the baseline and using the IPCC (2006) where appropriate. The inventory will be used for the Second National Communication to the UNFCCC. Furthermore, the GHG inventory will be a critical source of information for air quality management and climate change mitigation in South Africa