In the lead-up to COP21 in Paris, 2015, all Parties to the UNFCCC were invited to communicate their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs), which could include information on how the Party considers its INDC is fair and ambitious (1/CP.20 …

This policy brief presents the concept of a nationally determined contribution (NDC) greenhouse gas (GHG) balance sheet. The concept was elaborated in a technical paper, which informed an official submission by South Africa. This brief should be read t …

Accounting for nationally determined contributions (NDCs) is an important component of the ‘rule-book’ required for effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. Robust mitigation accounting is needed for effective implementation and to strengthen t …

In this blog, the climate negotiation process and following agreements were briefly discussed. Ideas on key areas by all delegates/negotiators were put on the table – on mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, capacity‐building and transparency of …

The meetings in Lima, Peru took place from 1 to 12 December 2014 being the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP10). It was formally the 20th session of the Conference of the Part …

Countries have to choose a specific form with which to express their contribution in the context of adopting the new climate agreement under the UNFCCC in 2015. The form and the way it is communicated and visualized, is distinct from the scale of the m …

In this paper, the central methodological challenge addressed is that of linking detailed models of sectors with economy wide models. Combining the two approaches holds promise of addressing short and long term technological change as well as economy w …

“Transparency of mitigation actions is an important element of the climate change regime, as negotiated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The focus of this report is to provide a concise description of the outcom …

“Policy-­makers in developing countries are concerned with charting the development path of their economy and society. Providing information on the potential socio-economic benefits of a transition to a low-carbon society requires improved tools to del …

“The South African government announced its intention to make emissions data reporting mandatory for emitters of more than a 0.1Mt of greenhouse gases per year in the 2011 National Climate Change Response White Paper. The government intends to establis …

“In order to implement effective mitigation actions, one needs to have a common understanding of what they are, and how they can be supported by domestic and international policy. Hence a set of working definitions is helpful. To date there is no broad …

“The purpose of this brief is to highlight some of the issues arising in linking models for use in policy analysis and to share some of the approaches that have been explored by researchers in MAPS to address these challenges. It aims to provide other …

“The expert discussion in this Briefing has identified issues and questions for future research by considering the concepts and their interface from the domestic perspective of a developing country. MAPS will explore some of these further through a res …

“The paper reviews previous work at national and sectoral level. Previous work on mitigation potential included the LTMS, on consideration of which Cabinet outlined its vision and strategic direction for emissions to peak, plateau and decline. Previous …

“Climate change, energy security and achieving universal electricity access for all households are all pressing issues that South Africa must address. These objectives need not be trade-offs, however, and achieving electricity access for the poor does …

“South Africa is considering how best to contribute its fair share to the global effort to mitigate climate change. The domestic policy debate is characterized by a vibrant engagement involving government, business, labour and civil society. The policy …

“The international studies on energy externalities and the local studies in South Africa suggest that the high impact areas for power generation are impacts of climate change and health impacts of outdoor air pollution. Climate change impacts are by fa …

“This report is on developing South Africa’s renewable energy policy roadmaps. It is the final report for the second of two projects assigned to the Energy Research Centre by UNEP under its broader agenda of ‘enhancing information for renewable energy …

“The report assesses the progress made on renewable energy deployment for the solar and wind technologies over the last 12 years in South Africa. First the report assesses the potential contribution solar water heaters (SWHs), concentrating solar power …

“The papers in this proceedings address a variety of themes in this area: emissions trading, carbon taxes, fiscal and non-fiscal instruments, policy and institutional dimensions, and lessons from the Clean Development Mechanism. There has been extensiv …

“The South African economy derives much of its growth from production related to the energy intensive sectors of its economy. As a non-Annex-I country, South Africa has no binding commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions by a quantifiable …

“As part of Climate Strategies ‘International Support for Domestic Climate Policies’ project this paper assesses the large-scale rollout of CSP in South Africa. Described as a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA), the scale of CSP deployment …

“Why might South Africa consider a carbon tax? The purpose would be to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A carbon tax would achieve this through two broad effects – a demand effect, reducing energy demand due to higher prices, and a substitution e …

“Climate change is increasingly seen as not only an environmental issue, but a deeply economic one. ‘Climate change presents a unique challenge for economics: it is the greatest and widest ranging market failure ever seen’. Markets are failing to put a …

“Climate change mitigation poses significant challenges for South Africa and its energy development, historically highly energy intensive. At the same time, the country faces a host of daunting development challenges, exacerbated by the legacy of apart …