Decarbonizing South Africa’s Shipping and Trucking Sectors

This white paper presents the findings and recommendations from a First Movers Coalition workshop held in South Africa in March 2024, which focused on decarbonizing the country’s shipping and trucking sectors and developing its potential to produce green hydrogen.

South Africa’s strategic location astride some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, coupled with its abundant renewable energy resources, positions it as a potential leader in the production of green hydrogen and its derivatives, such as e-ammonia and e-methanol, to decarbonize maritime shipping and heavy industry.

Meanwhile, to decarbonize trucking – currently responsible for 63% of South Africa’s transport emissions – requires major investment to replace the grid’s 80% reliance on coal with solar, wind and hydro alternatives, as well as the provision of charging infrastructure and more supportive regulation.

Transitioning to an economy based on renewables and green hydrogen could boost GDP by nearly 6% and create 2 million new jobs, addressing the critical issues of joblessness, poverty, and inequality.

The First Movers Coalition, launched at COP26 as a partnership between the World Economic Forum and the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, aims to help decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors by driving private sector demand for decarbonization technology.