The carbon footprint of government health department fleet vehicles in Johannesburg, South Africa – a case study

ABSTRACT The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that climate change is caused by human activities. This case study presents findings on the vehicle use by the Department of Health in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng province, South Africa. The objectives of this study are to estimate the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of government fleet vehicles and to identify mitigation measures to reduce the vehicle carbon emissions. Both the World Resource Institute Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) and the United Kingdom Department of Environmental Forestry and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) methodologies were used. The study revealed that the government fleet vehicles emitted 1362 t CO2e for a five year period (2010 − 2014), which is equivalent to $ 9 071 of the South African carbon tax. Various measures to reduce CO2e emissions were recommended, money saving from fuel and potential revenue generating opportunities were identified, including the use of hybrid vehicles.