Some of the country’s leading experts and institutions on climate change are based in Cape Town and are helping to get the voice of the global south heard in international arenas, such as COP17.
These people and organisations have contributed to UNFCCC reports, advised political leaders and are playing a critical role in helping to develop South Africa’s mitigation and adaptation plans.
Says the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic, Environmental and Spatial Planning, Alderman Belinda Walker: “Cape Town’s COP17 delegation is ensuring that its presence at the Climate Change Conference results in a lasting legacy in terms of sustainability for the city. It is sharing solutions and more importantly learning from others.
“A new climate-literate generation is being nurtured and trained as climate smart experts in urban design, engineering, service delivery and the sciences. Cape Town’s leading universities and research institutions conduct world-class research and are investing heavily in climate smart innovations and technologies,” Alderman Walker said.
“Having leading environmental NGOs, such as Sustainable Energy Africa (SEA), based in Cape Town, is a big advantage. On behalf of the City, SEA, together with the Energy Research Centre at the University of Cape Town, has undertaken detailed modelling of different futures for the city, and assessed impact and cost implications of these for both the city as a whole and City coffers. The result is an Optimum Energy Future for Cape Town, which includes an Action Plan to guide implementation. The work also includes the development of business plans for key projects to ensure that implementation proceeds effectively,” Alderman Walker added.
DANIDA, the British High Commission, and HIVOS have funded the work. SEA also conducted the research for a report, entitled, the State of Energy in SA Cities, 2011, launched on Wednesday at COP17. The report provides a concise assessment of the state of energy and related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in South African cities.
A discussion on the Optimum Energy Future for Cape Town and the launch of the City of Cape Town Moving Mountains publication was held at COP17 on the Climate Smart Cape Town Pavilion on Friday evening.
Says Alderman Walker: “We have called this publication Moving Mountains, not only because it is a catchy name that calls to mind our world-famous landmark, but also because it calls us to remember who we are. For some, to move a mountain is to attempt the impossible; there are surely those who think that reducing our carbon footprint and acting on climate change is impossible. But we in Cape Town are people who believe in positive change, who have the courage to make the difficult decisions that get us where we want to be and that is to be a city that is resilient and always acting for the common good, with social justice as our guiding principle. And we don’t believe that is impossible.”
Another panel discussion held on Thursday, 1 December at COP17 featured Hilton Trollip, Principal Engineer, Energy Climate Change Unit, City of Cape Town. The discussion was organised by the Kwazulu Natal Sustainable Energy Forum (KSEF) and involved financiers from Standard Bank, the IDC, Eskom and private equity investors.
The result was a commitment by these companies and organisations to finance climate change related projects such as small scale renewable electricity generation. The City is very well placed to put forward projects arising out of the Optimum Energy Future Plan that meet the criteria of these funders to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
To download these documents, click here
For more information, visit www.climatesmartcapetown.co.za
