The rapid rate of urbanization, the accompanying rapid increase in human population and
of vehicles and the subsequent expansion of economic activities in major towns and cities
in Africa have led to increased demand for fossil fuels including gasoline and increased
emissions of carbon pollutants. This increased fuel consumption poses serious threat to
the environment.
Emission and pollution statistics for South Africa reflect the heavy dependence of the
population on road transport. Thus road transport can be considered as one of the most
serious polluters in South Africa. As indicated in Table 1, the country has a heavy
dependence on passenger cars, which makes any policy aimed at reducing carbon dioxide
emissions by road transport very difficult.