Reducing the environmental impacts of energy use by automobiles: Selected future options for South Africa

Abstract

The transport sector is the major consumer of liquid petroleum fuels, and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. It had been estimated to contribute 11% of total national greenhouse gas emissions. It is thus a significant contributor to climate change and air pollution with the attendant negative impacts on climate and human health. This is worsened by South Africa’s relatively aged vehicle fleet, whose average age has been estimated at about 11 years (SAPIA, 2008). In view of this, the South African National Energy Research Institute (SANERI) supported a project, executed by the CSIR, to look at the impact of energy use in the transport sector on the environment, particularly air quality in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Two stakeholder workshops were held to discuss findings and formulate recommendations for policymakers. Key issues to emerge from the workshops include reducing the number of old vehicles from the national fleet, and this forms the basis of this paper.