Cities showed leadership at climate conference {writer: Fanie Heyns}

The leadership of local governments, on display in Durban at the 17 Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 17), takes on a new level of importance, said Michael Schmitz, interim executive director of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in the United States.

Gino van Begin, deputy secretary-general of ICLEI, said that as nations finally reached a deal at the climate summit, cities feared the Durban Outcomes were insufficient to slow down the pace of global warming, nor did they foresee adequate resources for adaptation actions at local level.

“The Durban Outcomes are a significant step forward to bring the deniers of the Kyoto Protocol back around the table and free countries of their hostage held by oil and coal lobbies. This is important to save our today, but too little and possibly too late to save our tomorrow. There is indeed a dangerous gap between now and 2020, which is the most critical period to ensure a global transition to low-emission, climate-resilient development.

“It is now urgent and more than ever necessary to mobilise and support the ambitious climate actions of local governments that have been zooming past nations,” he added. (Source: www.iclei.org, 15 December 2011)

Durban Adaptation Charter

While nations have rallied to agree on a deal at the climate talks, cities have been ahead with their strength and commitment to climate action by adopting the Durban Adaptation Charter and by increasing the number of city signatories to the “Mexico City Pact” as well as through the release of the carbonn® Cities Climate Registry 2011 Annual Report in Durban.

“The Durban Adaptation Charter is a clear indication that the impacts of climate change can only be addressed through development that promotes human welfare, ensures ecosystem integrity and promotes a new greener economy. It is especially true at the local level, since one out of two people in the world now lives in cities,” said James Nxumalo, the mayor of eThekwini, at the Durban Local Government Convention.

The convention gathered more than 700 local government leaders and resulted in the historic Durban Adaptation Charter, adopted by 114 mayors representing 950 local governments worldwide.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, welcomed the Durban Adaptation Charter, as “it is encouraging to see city mayors and local governments forging ahead and agreeing to mainstream adaptation in local government development planning, regardless of the COP 17 outcome.”

She added that “local government is where the rubber hits the road when it comes to responding to the human impacts of climate change.

“We fully support funding for cities, towns and municipalities for their registered adaptation actions.”

Wahlström said the Charter is “one of the few practical and positive things that comes out of this entire COP, and this meeting should have been in the centre of the COP.” (Source: www.majorsandcities.com; www.iclei.org, December 2011)

In the Durban Adaptation Charter, the leaders committed themselves to mainstream adaptation as a key factor in local government planning process, and to ensure adaptation strategies are aligned with mitigation strategies.

Mexico City Pact

Durban further saw the release of the First Annual Progress Report of the Global Cities Covenant on Climate – the Mexico City Pact, which is signed by 207 cities and local governments worldwide.

Marcelo Ebrard, mayor of Mexico City and chairperson of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change, said the Mexico City Pact report shows not only the serious commitments of cities to combat climate change, but he highlighted the strategic importance of cities to national governments when it comes to carrying out global-impact actions and decisions.

carbonn® Cities Climate Registry

Aside from demonstrating political commitment, cities have also presented tangible outcomes of their actions.

The carbonn® Cities Climate Registry 2011 Annual Report released in Durban compiles 107 energy and climate commitments, 90 greenhouse-gas inventories that amount to annual community greenhouse gas emissions of 447 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year; and 555 Actions from 51 cities in 19 countries.

Schmitz said that while 51 cities is a small sample, the report underscores their importance in fighting climate change. These cities alone represent 83 million inhabitants.

The 447 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per year are more than the individual annual greenhouse gas emissions of 167 countries. Seventy-five percent of the cities’ commitments aim for greenhouse gas reductions of more than 1.0% per year. This exceeds the reduction commitments of most national governments under the Kyoto Protocol, as well as scientific recommendations.

“ICLEI has long promoted the maxim, ‘you cannot manage what you cannot measure,’ and now we can do that; we cannot count what we do not report,” Schmitz said.

Rio+20

Van Begin said it is urgent and more necessary than ever to mobilise and support the ambitious climate actions of local governments that have been accelerating action quicker than nations.

In the follow-up to COP 17 in Durban, the critical step will be Rio+20. This is the UN conference on enhancing the institutional governance for sustainable development, and will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 20 to 22 June 2012.

“We will continue to advocate that cities and local governments need to be appropriately represented, engaged and resourced so that climate change and sustainable development challenges can be won in cities,” said Van Begin.

Cities are gaining more and more recognition in Rio+20 preparations, with ICLEI being a leading organisation in bringing local governments to Rio+20. For example, prominently featured in the latest edition of Rio+20: Making it Happen (the UN’s biweekly Rio+20 newsletter) is the subject of cities, and the importance of having them as an integral part of global sustainability efforts.

The UN has a separate, comprehensive section about cities on its Rio+20: The Future We Want website. These are indicators of the ever stronger recognition in UN circles that urban areas and concerns need to be at the forefront of sustainable development.

Moving mountains

The award-winning Climate Smart Cape Town Pavilion at COP 17 in Durban was the venue for the launch of “Moving Mountains: Cape Town’s Action Plan for Energy and Climate Change”.

The plan has 11 objectives, with targets and detailed implementation plans involving over 40 programmes and more than 120 projects. It is managed and co-ordinated by the City’s Environmental Resource Management Department.

Chairperson of the City of Cape Town’s Economic, Environmental and Spatial Planning Portfolio Committee Garreth Bloor stated that the City’s response to climate change must be a collective partnership between the government, business and civil society.

The plan documents Cape Town’s energy supply, consumption and greenhouse gas emissions; and notes that the City’s profile differs significantly from the rest of South Africa.

Industry and mining account for 55% of energy consumption nationally, while in Cape Town industry accounts for only 14%.

Nationally, residential and commercial demand accounts for only 13%, while in Cape Town these sectors account for 34%.

“This very different profile, combined with the tight supply situation, a large services sector and tourism industry, its desired-for reputation as a green city and its distance from coal mines and generation, presents Cape Town with a different set of strategic challenges such as the need to shrink the city’s carbon footprint and to localise energy supply,” said Bloor.

Cape Town’s tonnes of CO2 emissions per capita (7.8) are very high in comparison to cities with significantly larger populations and economies, such as London (9.6), New York (10.5) and Tokyo (4.9). It is higher than any city in South Africa.

If one looks at how 23% of households use 43% of the energy, there clearly is a need for a practical plan that engages citizens to take action.

The objectives of the Energy and Climate Change Action Plan include a 10% reduction in electricity consumption by 2012, off a ‘business-as-usual’ baseline.

The City of Cape Town is gearing itself toward a 10% renewable and cleaner energy supply by 2020.

It further wants to focus on developing a more sustainable transport system.

“We believe that a city that pays attention to the source of its power, its energy, food and livelihoods; a connected, integrated city of neighbourhoods and communities, is the kind of city of which we all dream,” said Bloor. (Source: www.capetown.gov.za/environmentalreports, December 2011)

Public transport in Johannesburg

Nkhensani Makhobela, spokesperson for the mayor of the City of Johannesburg, said it has committed itself to planting more trees, developing more parks and promoting the use of public transport, thereby reducing carbon gas emissions.

The City has been playing its part through its bus rapid transit system, Rea Vaya, which has been lauded internationally and is the single largest climate change initiative ever undertaken by the City of Joburg.

It helps to cut congestion on roads, as well as air pollution and greenhouse gases.

According to the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Transport Rehana Moosajee, Rea Vaya offers not only a convenient alternative form of public transport, but it is also environmentally friendly, safe and affordable. It operates a fleet of low-sulphur diesel buses that emit less greenhouse gases.

Before setup, the bus system was researched and tested to determine its potential effects on the environment.

It is estimated that the system would save 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions by 2020 if a mere 15% of private vehicle users who live near the city centre switched to it.

Encounter with trees

Another City of Joburg project to fight climate change is “Greening Soweto” initiative, which started in September 2006 under the leadership of Amos Masondo, the mayor at the time.

Through the project, 200 000 trees were planted in the township and green open spaces were developed. This beautified the once dusty region, and is a legacy of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup.

Tree number 200 000 was planted at the opening of the multi-facility Dhlamini Eco-Park in Soweto in April 2010.

Although Greening Soweto has ended, City Parks – the municipal-owned entity responsible for managing parks, cemeteries and open spaces – is still planting trees and building parks across Johannesburg, particularly in the historically sidelined areas and poor communities such as Orange Farm, Diepsloot and Alexandra.

Catalyst for Durban’s renewal

The Green Hub, which is one of three “Durban Green Festival” entertainment nodes, is hoping to have a lasting effect upon the city, long after the completion of the climate change conference.

The organisers of the Green Hub – the portal to the Durban Green Corridor – are hoping to further entrench it as the city’s iconic green heart.

It is envisaged as a place where people can experience the combination of the beach, estuary and river in a setting that protects and preserves the crucial biodiversity of the area.

The Green Hub is situated at Blue Lagoon, and is a focal point of the recently revamped southern bank of the uMngeni Estuary, also featuring ample safe parking and free-flowing traffic.

Gary Cullen of the eThekwini Municipality’s Economic Development Unit said the Green Hub, itself an award-winning solar-powered building, is envisaged as a catalyst for Durban’s renewal, driving sustainable practices, and drawing investment and tourism to the city.

According to him, “as a developing nation we have the chance to make a huge difference by implementing small changes in our daily lives that can have big results for our environment.

“Principles that guide all we do at the Green Hub and within the Durban Green Corridor include environmental integrity, responsibility and sustainability, as well as technological innovation and inspiration.

“With this modern approach to environmentalism, we hope to set an example in sustainable energy choices, biodiversity protection, environmental practices and other related initiatives”, Cullen added. (Source: www.durban.gov.za, December 2011)