The City of Joburg has thrown its full support to theneighbouring Tshwane’s climate change action.
Speaking at the launch of the City of Tshwane’s launch of its Climate Action Plan at the University of Pretoria, Mayor Mpho Phalatse, who is also the Vice Chair of C40 Cities, a global network of mayors taking urgent action to confront the climate crisis, said that they are determined to fight the environmental disaster.
“We are going to combat the adverse effects of climate change that affects us all, whether directly or indirectly. Whether we are part of the developed or developing world we cannot escape the impact of decades of irresponsible activities and policy positions that have negatively impacted our environment and health,” said Phalatse.
Phalatse explained that premature deaths from outdoor air pollution in Africa are reported to have increased by 57% in less than three decades to over a quarter of a million in 2017, with GDP losses of over $215-billion annually.
She added that with 55% of global populations living in cities and rising, cities are critical to addressing this challenge.
The City of Johannesburg held a similar climate change event in June last year, following the Council’s adoption of their Climate Action Plan in March 2021.
“The Green Buildings Policy takes us on a path towards achieving low to net-zero carbon footprints for all new buildings in the City by 2030, while achieving a total net zero performance compliance standard by 2050,” said Phalatse.
In the City of Joburg, littering alone costs the City R74-million a year, while illegal dumping costs another R80-million.
She insisted that the city’s transition to net-zero emissions cannot come at the expense of jobs.
“Green jobs can provide a meaningful solution to the urgent issues of poverty and inequality by offering employment opportunities which are secure, pay a fair income and offer safe working conditions.
“Investing in this space could mean over 340 000 jobs created by 2030, with over 140,000 jobs solely from building more energy efficient homes, schools, and workplaces, in Johannesburg alone,” the mayor said during the launch.’
Last month Joburg was announced as the national winner of WWF’s One Planet City Challenge in recognition of the city’s strategy and mitigation targets that focus on the energy, building and transport sectors.
