Taking action on climate change: Long term mitigation scenarios for South Africa

Making a just transition to a low-carbon economy and society is one of the most difficult challenges globally. In South Africa, which needs to address poverty and inequality, reducing greenhouse gas emissions presents a daunting challenge. Nonetheless, the South African government initiated a process to develop long term mitigation scenarios. These were based on rigorous research, involving a group of strategic thinkers across a wide range of stakeholders. This book describes the technical work on potential mitigation actions that built enough confidence for the South African government to set an ambitious strategic direction in mitigating climate change. Without constraints, emissions will quadruple by mid-century, whereas science requires that they be reduced in absolute terms by then. Readers will find here an analysis of a wide range of detailed mitigation actions and proposals for four strategic options that South Africa can pursue.