What does Limpopo emit, and where does it come from?

The Limpopo Provincial Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory presents the province's emissions and removals for the 2020 - 2024 period. It covers direct emissions generated within Limpopo (Scope 1), indirect emissions from purchased electricity (Scope 2), electricity transmission and distribution losses (Scope 3), and emissions and removals from Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF).

The inventory was compiled in accordance with the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, supplemented by the 2019 Refinement where applicable. The Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC) was used to define the provincial inventory boundary and classify emissions by scope.

Relevant national methodologies and emission factors published by DFFE were applied where available. Emissions were converted to carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) using the 100-year global warming potentials adopted for the inventory (Table ES-1).

Table ES-1: IPCC Global Warming Potentials relative to CO₂

Limpopo's total GHG emissions, excl. LULUCF increased from 60,906 Gg CO₂e in 2020 to 63,319 Gg CO₂e in 2024. Emissions increased to 62,358 Gg CO₂e in 2021, declined to 60,759 Gg CO₂e in 2022 and subsequently increased in 2023 and 2024 (Table ES-2).

Table ES-2: Emissions by scope, 2020 - 2024

All values are expressed in Gg CO₂e.

Scope 1 emissions remained relatively stable, ranging from 37,002 Gg CO₂e to 37,706 Gg CO₂e annually. Energy was the largest direct emissions source throughout the inventory period. In 2024, Energy contributed 23.3 MtCO₂e, or 62% of Scope 1 emissions, and was dominated by Energy Industries. Agriculture contributed 7.7 MtCO₂e, IPPU contributed 3.4 MtCO₂e and Waste contributed 2.9 MtCO₂e (Figure ES-1).

Indirect emissions were dominated by purchased electricity. Scope 2 emissions fluctuated from 21.2 MtCO₂e in 2020 to 22.6 MtCO₂e in 2024. Scope 3 emissions ranged from 2.7 to 3.4 MtCO₂e and were entirely associated with electricity transmission and distribution losses (Figure ES-2).

LULUCF emissions and removals were estimated for 2020 only. The sector recorded net emissions of approximately 2.5 MtCO₂e. Emissions from Cropland, Grassland, Settlements and Other Land were largely offset by removals from Forest Land and Wetlands. LULUCF was excluded from the 2021–2024 totals because estimates were unavailable for these years.

The inventory was compiled using Limpopo's existing 2020 GHG inventory, DMRE fuel consumption data, national GHG inventory trends, DFFE methodologies and other provincial and national datasets. In the absence of SAGERS data for 2021–2024, relevant Energy and IPPU emissions were extrapolated using annual changes in the corresponding national sector emissions. Other data gaps were addressed through documented interpolation, extrapolation and assumptions. The results provide an evidence base for tracking emissions and prioritising mitigation measures in electricity generation and consumption, agriculture, industrial processes and waste management.

1.1 Background information on climate change

Climate change is one of the most significant environmental, social, and economic challenges facing the world today. The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, primarily driven by human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, industrial production, agriculture, and waste management, is driving changes in the global climate system. These changes have far-reaching implications, including rising temperatures, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, water insecurity, biodiversity loss, and adverse impacts on human health and economic development. Limpopo plays an important role in South Africa's transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient future by implementing renewable energy projects, promoting climate-smart agriculture, conserving natural ecosystems, and supporting green economic development.

South Africa has demonstrated its commitment to addressing climate change through both international and domestic policy frameworks. As one of the 196 Parties to the Paris Agreement, the country has committed to contributing to the global effort to limit the increase in average global temperatures by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening resilience to climate change. Under the Paris Agreement, Parties are required to prepare, communicate, and periodically update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which outline national climate mitigation and adaptation commitments.

South Africa's first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), submitted in 2015, committed the country to limiting national GHG emissions to a range of 398–614 MtCO₂e for both 2025 and 2030. In response to increasing scientific evidence and the global ambition to accelerate climate action, South Africa submitted an updated NDC in September 2021, strengthening its mitigation commitments. The revised targets reduced the emissions range for 2025 to 398–510 MtCO₂e and for 2030 to 350–420 MtCO₂e, representing a substantial increase in ambition compared to the original commitments. Achieving these targets requires coordinated action across all spheres of government and economic sectors, supported by GHG inventories that enable the monitoring of emissions trends and the identification of mitigation opportunities.

A significant milestone in South Africa's climate governance framework was the promulgation of the Climate Change Act, 2024 (Act No. 22 of 2024) in July 2024. The Act establishes a comprehensive legal framework to support an effective national climate change response and facilitate South Africa's transition towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy and society. Building upon the principles and provisions of the National Environmental Management Act, the Climate Change Act provides for integrated climate change governance across national, provincial, and municipal spheres of government. It also promotes GHG emissions reduction, climate risk assessment, and coordinated planning to ensure that climate considerations are incorporated into development planning and decision-making processes.

1.2 Background information on GHG Inventories

Within the Climate Change Act context, provincial GHG inventories have become increasingly important. They contribute to improving the quality of national GHG reporting by providing more detailed and accurate sub-national data. The primary objective of this inventory is to establish a transparent, consistent, and credible estimate of Limpopo's GHG emissions and removals for the 2020–2024 period. This GHG Inventory presents an assessment of GHG emissions and removals for Limpopo Province using activity data for the period 2020 to 2024. The inventory has been compiled using the 1996 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National GHG Inventories. The 1996 IPCC Good Practice Guidelines were adopted to ensure methodological consistency with previous provincial GHG inventories and to facilitate the comparison of emissions trends over time.

Limpopo province compiled and published the Limpopo GHG Emissions Inventory for 2020. The inventory accounts exclusively for Scope 1 (direct) GHG emissions and Scope 2 emissions associated with purchased electricity occurring within the provincial boundary. As such, it excludes FOLU (Forest and Other Land Use) and indirect emissions (Scope 3). The inventory therefore provides a baseline assessment of direct emissions generated by activities within Limpopo Province, forming the foundation for future emissions tracking, reporting, and climate change mitigation planning.

Building on this baseline, the current Limpopo provincial GHG Inventory covering the period 2020–2024 has been developed using the same methodological approach and IPCC Guidelines to ensure consistency and comparability with the previous inventory. However, the scope of the inventory has been significantly expanded to include FOLU, Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity and Electricity losses (Distribution and Transmission), as well as imported: Landfilled. The inclusion of indirect emissions provides a more comprehensive representation of Limpopo's GHG footprint by capturing emissions associated with energy consumption and other activities that occur outside the provincial boundary but are driven by economic activities within the province.

1.3 Institutional arrangements for Limpopo GHG Inventory preparations

The Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) is responsible for the coordination and management of the provincial GHG Inventory as part of the province's climate change mitigation planning, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation functions. The Department leads the compilation, quality assurance, and publication of the provincial GHG inventory, ensuring that the inventory is developed in accordance with nationally approved methodologies and international good practice.

Although the LEDET plays the lead role in compiling and reporting the provincial GHG inventory, the successful preparation of the inventory relies on collaboration with a range of provincial departments, municipalities, state-owned entities, and other relevant institutions. Moreover, the Department coordinates data collection, engaging with data providers and undertaking quality control. This collaborative institutional arrangement strengthens the transparency, consistency, completeness, and accuracy of the inventory.

1.4 Objective of the project

The primary objective of the project is to develop a Limpopo Provincial GHG Inventory. This includes compiling and analysing activity data to estimate provincial GHG emissions and removals, preparing a comprehensive and transparent inventory, and identifying data gaps and opportunities for improving future inventory development and reporting.

1.5 Purpose of the Report

The purpose of this report is to present a comprehensive assessment of GHG emissions and removals within Limpopo Province by quantifying emissions across the relevant IPCC sectors (Energy, IPPU, AFOLU and Waste sectors). The report provides the province's emissions profile using approved GHG inventory methodologies and activity data. It identifies the sources and sinks of emissions and highlights areas where data quality and reporting can be improved. The GHG inventory serves as an important evidence base for emissions reduction planning and the monitoring of mitigation interventions. Furthermore, it supports compliance with the requirements of the Climate Change Act, strengthens provincial GHG monitoring and reporting systems, and contributes to South Africa's national GHG inventory and climate change commitments.

2.1 Inventory Boundary

The GHG emissions inventory for the Limpopo province over the 2020 - 2024 period follows the 2006 IPCC Guidelines¹, and the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories: An accounting and Reporting Standard for Cities which was developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI 2014)².

The inventory provides an overview of the provincial GHG footprint by emission scope and sector. Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions are presented to illustrate the relative contribution of direct and indirect emission sources to the overall provincial GHG footprint. Scope 1 emissions are further disaggregated by IPCC sector and source category to identify the dominant contributors to direct GHG emissions within the province. A summary of the emission scopes and source categories included in the inventory is presented below:

Table 2-1: Emission scopes and sources included in the inventory

A detailed description of the methodologies, activity data, emission factors, assumptions and equations applied to estimate emissions for each source category is provided in Chapter 2: Methodology for Calculating GHG Emissions for the Limpopo Province.

The Limpopo GHG footprint consisted of direct (Scope 1), indirect electricity-related (Scope 2) and selected value chain (Scope 3) emissions. Total GHG emissions by scope over the 2020 - 2024 inventory period are presented in Table 2-2 and Figure 2-1.

Scope 1 emissions accounted for the largest share of Limpopo’s GHG emissions throughout the inventory period, contributing approximately 59% to 62% of total emissions, excl. LULUCF. These emissions include emissions from the energy, industrial processes and product use (IPPU), agriculture and waste sectors. Scope 2 emissions were the second largest contributor, accounting for approximately 34% to 36% of total emissions, which represent emissions from electricity purchased and consumed within the province but generated outside its boundary. Scope 3 emissions represented the smallest share ranging from 4% to 5% of total emissions, excl. LULUCF and were primarily associated with electricity transmission and distribution losses.

Table 2-2: Limpopo greenhouse gas emissions by scope, excl LULUCF (tCO₂e)

2.2.1 Emissions breakdown by sector

In 2024, Limpopo’s GHG emissions totalled 63.3 MtCO₂e, excl. LULUCF. Scope 1 emissions represented the largest share, accounting for 59% of total emissions. Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity contributed 36%, while Scope 3 emissions from electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) losses accounted for the remaining 5%.

Scope 1 emissions were primarily generated by stationary energy sources, which contributed 33% of total emissions. Agriculture was the second-largest Scope 1 source at 12%, followed by Waste and IPPU at 5% each and transport at 4%. Fugitive emissions contributed less than 1% of the total emissions (Figure 2-2). As shown in Table 2-3, the overall emissions profile remained broadly consistent throughout the 2020-2024 inventory period, with Scope 1 representing the largest share in each year.

Figure 2-2: Breakdown of total GHG emissions by scope and Scope 1 emission sources, 2024.

Table 2-3: Annual GHG emissions by scope and emission source, 2020–2024 (tCO₂e)

Scope 1 emissions are all direct emissions sources located within the geographical boundary of the Limpopo province. The direct sources of emissions include agriculture (excl. LULUCF), stationary and mobile fuel combustion (in-boundary transportation), industrial processes and product use, and waste generated and disposed inside Limpopo. The Scope 1 emissions presented in this section are reported in accordance with the IPCC sector codes and categories and represent only direct emissions occurring within the provincial boundary. Indirect emissions, including Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions, are presented in the subsequent sections of this chapter.

2.3.1 GHG Emissions and Trends by IPCC sector

Table 2-4 and Figure 2-3 present Limpopo's Scope 1 emissions by IPCC sector from 2020 to 2024, excl. LULUCF. Energy was the largest contributor throughout the period, followed by Agriculture. IPPU emissions increased overall, while Waste emissions remained relatively stable. Total Scope 1 emissions ranged from approximately 37.0 to 37.7 MtCO₂e annually.

2.3.1.1 Energy GHG Emissions (2024)

The Energy sector includes GHG emissions from stationary fuel combustion, mobile fuel combustion, fugitive emissions and other fuel combustion activities occurring within the provincial boundary. In 2024, the energy sector emitted 23.3 MtCO₂e, accounting for 62% of total Scope 1 emissions and 37% of Limpopo’s total GHG footprint. The contribution of each Energy source category is presented in Figure 2-4.

• Energy Industries were the largest source, contributing approximately 19.7 MtCO₂e, or 84% of Energy sector emissions. These emissions were almost entirely as a result of electricity generation.
• Transportation contributed 2.6 MtCO₂e (11% of energy sector emissions), with road transport representing the main source.
• Manufacturing Industries and Construction contributed approximately 4%, primarily from non-metallic minerals, iron and steel, and residual fuel oil use.

Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions associated with electricity purchased within the Limpopo province. Annual electricity consumption and the corresponding Scope 2 emissions for the 2020–2024 inventory period are presented in Table 2-5.

Scope 2 emissions were the second-largest contributor to Limpopo's GHG footprint throughout the inventory period. Emissions fluctuated from 21.2 MtCO₂e in 2020 to 21.6 MtCO₂e in 2021, before declining to 20.4 MtCO₂e in 2022. Emissions subsequently increased to 21.4 MtCO₂e in 2023 and reached their highest level of 22.6 MtCO₂e in 2024. Electricity consumption followed a broadly similar trend, increasing overall from 19,673 GWh in 2020 to 20,904 GWh in 2024.

Table 2-5: Limpopo Scope 2 Emissions, 2020 - 2024

The only source of Scope 3 GHG emissions included in the Limpopo inventory was electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) losses. These are indirect emissions associated with electricity lost during its transmission and distribution from the point of generation to end users within the province. Annual T&D losses and the corresponding Scope 3 emissions for the 2020 - 2024 inventory period are presented in Table 2-6.

Scope 3 emissions fluctuated over the inventory period, increasing from 2.7 MtCO₂e in 2020 to 3.1 MtCO₂e in 2021 before declining to 2.9 MtCO₂e in 2022. Emissions subsequently increased to 3.1 MtCO₂e in 2023 and reached their highest level of 3.4 MtCO₂e in 2024. T&D losses followed a broadly similar pattern, increasing overall from 2,461 GWh in 2020 to 3,117 GWh in 2024.

Table 2-6: T&D Losses and Scope 3 GHG Emissions, 2020 - 2024

The inventory was compiled using Limpopo’s existing 2020 GHG inventory, DMRE fuel consumption data, national GHG inventory trends, DFFE methodologies and other provincial and national datasets.

In the absence of SAGERS data for 2021–2024, relevant Energy and IPPU emissions were extrapolated using annual changes in the corresponding national sector emissions. Other data gaps were addressed through documented interpolation, extrapolation and assumptions.

1. [1]Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD). 2020–2024. Crop Estimates Committee annual area planted and final production estimate reports.
2. [2]Department of Agriculture. 2025. Livestock Numbers from 1996 to Current. Available at: click here (accessed June 2026).
3. [3]Department of Agriculture. 2025. Abstract of Agricultural Statistics 2025. Available at: click here (accessed June 2026).
4. [4]Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). 2026. National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report. Available at: click here (accessed June 2026).
5. [5]Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). South African Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting System (SAGERS), fuel properties and emission factors dataset.
6. [6]Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). SA Fuel Sales Volume Data: Quarterly Disaggregated Fuel Sales Volume Data (Magisterial District Level). Available at: click here (accessed June 2026).
7. [7]Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2006. 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volumes 1–5. Available at: click here (accessed June 2026).
8. [8]Tongwane, M., Mdlambuzi, T., Moeletsi, M., Tsubo, M., Mliswa, V. and Grootboom, L. 2016. Greenhouse gas emissions from different crop production and management practices in South Africa. Environmental Development, 19, 23–35. Available at: click here
9. [9]World Resources Institute (WRI), C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. 2014. Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories: An Accounting and Reporting Standard for Cities. Available at: click here (accessed June 2026).