Johannesburg - The City of Joburg is in full support of neighbouring Tshwane’s climate change action, Johannesburg Executive Mayor Mpho Phalatse said.
Speaking at the launch of the City of Tshwane’s launch of its Climate Action Plan at the University of Pretoria on Tuesday, 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.
“City-by-City, we are going to combat the adverse effects of climate change that affects us all, whether directly or indirectly,” Phalatse told the gathering at the launch, which was spearheaded by Tshwane Executive Mayor, Alderman Randall Williams.
The Joburg mayor added that the city could not afford to be a bystander when it comes to climate change and the degradation of the environment as a whole.
“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.”
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.
“Like the City of Tshwane is doing today, we committed ourselves to changing the world through deliberate measures, such as the passing of the Green Buildings Policy.”
Phalatse said that The Green Buildings Policy takes the city on a path towards achieving low to net-zero carbon footprints for all new buildings in Joburg by 2030 while achieving a total net zero performance compliance standard by 2050.
In addition, through the A Re Sebetseng (Let’s work together) Mayoral programme, Phalatse said they had adopted a community-led approach.
“This approach says it is not just the role of the government to tackle climate change, but it requires us all – government and people – to work together to achieve net-zero carbon performance by reducing, reusing, and recycling waste.”
She said that in Joburg, littering alone costs the City R74-million a year, while illegal dumping costs another R80-million.
“That’s R154-million (or over $10-million) that could be used to build houses, recruit more police, or install bulk infrastructure services to better the lives of residents and attract investment that creates jobs and job opportunities.”
But 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.
“I can only imagine what this means for other cities, including Tshwane.”
Phalatse added that The City of Johannesburg is taking ongoing and active steps through the energy space as well.
“Last month, we hosted the two-day Joburg Energy Indaba, where we mapped a path towards reliable, affordable, and clean energy that sustains economic activity.”
Meanwhile, 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.
“South Africa is certainly setting itself up as a leader in climate action,” Phalatse said.