Unpacking Integrated MRV in South Africa

In order to unpack the opportunities and challenges the different spheres of government are faced with during the process of developing a greenhouse gas inventory, ICLEI Africa together with Sustainable Energy Africa (SEA), under the Urban-LEDS II project, held an Integrated Measuring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) workshop on 11 June 2019 in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, South Africa. The workshop hosted participants from Mpumalanga Provincial Government, Nkangala District Municipality and Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, who were already in the process of completing a greenhouse inventory.

The one-day workshop introduced the concept of Integrated MRV, followed by a discussion on the key considerations for an Integrated MRV system in South Africa, thus initiating conversations between the participants. Important considerations for an Integrated MRV in South Africa identified included data sources, reporting and measurement tools; defining authority for reporting timelines; and using a single reporting platform.

Following this, the bulk of the session was spent with each participating sphere of government mapping out the similarities and differences in purpose, scope, and reporting methodologies for the greenhouse gas inventories. This activity emphasized that provincial and local departments experience similar challenges, such as limited data availability, staff and financial capacity for data collection. It also highlighting the need for alignment from all spheres of government to eliminate the gaps arising from a top-down, national approach when reporting.

The workshop built capacity and knowledge of the attendees on issues of reporting and presented opportunities of alignment. This is particularly important to eliminate the issue of double counting for greenhouse gas emissions in the country. Furthermore, delegates welcome another opportunity to continue with the discussions on integrated MRV.