IMPACT OF ECONOMIC GROWTH, ENERGY USE, AND INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY ON CARBON EMISSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA USING WAVELET-BASED TIME-FREQUENCY ANALYSIS

This study investigates the dynamic relationship between carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, economic growth, energy consumption, and industrial output in South Africa from 1990 to 2022. Employing a combined approach of Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) modeling and wavelet coherence analysis, the research captures both long-run elasticities and localized time-frequency dependencies among the variables. The findings reveal that economic growth, energy consumption, and industrial activity significantly drive CO₂ emissions, highlighting the environmental challenges accompanying South Africa’s development path. Policy implications emphasize the need for integrated strategies focusing on energy efficiency, renewable energy adoption, and green industrialization to achieve sustainable growth. The study contributes to the literature by providing nuanced insights into the temporal and spectral dimensions of emissions dynamics, offering valuable guidance for policymakers pursuing climate change mitigation in emerging economies.