The role of local government in the regulation of climate change mitigation via energy sector reform in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa’s high levels of GHG emissions can be traced to Eskom’s fossil-fuel powered electricity provision that are localised within cities. Given this, one would have thought that cities (through local government) have a heightened role to play in the mitigation of climate change as well as the diversification of energy from its coal-centred base to, for example, renewable energy. Careful examination of the matter however soon shows that this is not the case, because Eskom holds the state monopoly over electricity generation. As such, Within their localised spaces, cities have to find ways to regulate climate-change mitigation by means of energy-sector reform. The present project study focuses on the City of Johannesburg and the City of Cape Town to draw attention to the manner in which cities are regulating this and how they are playing their role of reforming the energy sector only to a limited extent.