Increasing reports and scientific evidence of climate change and global warming are an indication that we all have a role to play in reducing our “carbon footprint” on the earth. One of the aims of the City of Cape Town is to establish an awareness of the physical limits of resource use (e.g. electricity) on future development and to consequently minimise the impacts of resource use on the environment and enhancing people’s quality of life. The City strives to be at the forefront of sustainable development in South African local government.

The City has developed an Energy and Climate Change Strategy [PDF 2.1 MB] to integrate sustainable energy approaches into its core functions, with a framework that provides a clear vision and direction for the City as a whole.

An adaptation framework has been produced in response to the potential short- to medium-term impacts of climate change in the Cape metropolitan area. The Framework for Adaptation to Climate Change in the City of Cape Town (FAC4T) [PDF 1.8MB] is an overarching framework for a city-wide consolidated and co-ordinated approach to reducing vulnerability to climate impacts. By following this framework, a City Adaptation Plan of Action (CAPA) for the City of Cape Town will be developed and the necessary resources mobilised for its implementation.

Various projects and programmes concerning energy and climate change are run by the Environmental Resource Management Department, including:

1)  The Kuyasa Energy Efficiency Project, which is a thermal efficiency upgrade project that aims to retrofit existing low-income houses in Kuyasa with solar water heaters and improved insulation measures

2)  The Solar Water Heater Advancement Programme, which aims to encourage and facilitate the adoption of solar water heater use in Cape Town

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