Aquaculture Production in the Midst of GHG Emissions in South Africa

Abstract

The study ascertained the relationship between aquaculture production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in South Africa. The study used the Autoregressive Distributed Lag—Error Correction Model (ARDL-VECM) with time series data between 1990 and 2020. The results showed that the mean annual aquaculture production, GHG emissions, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the period were 5200 tonnes, 412 tonnes, and US$447 billion, respectively. There was a long-run relationship between GHG emissions and GDP. In the short run, GHG emissions had a positive relationship with GDP and a negative relationship with beef production. Furthermore, there was a bi-directional relationship between aquaculture production and GHG emissions. In addition, beef production and GDP had a bi-directional relationship. Beef production also had a positive relationship with aquaculture production. The study concludes that aquaculture production is affected and tends to affect GHG emissions. Aquaculture legislation should consider GHG emissions in South Africa and promote sustainable production techniques.