This World Environment Day 2021, Let’s ACT for a stronger Cape Town

05 June 2021

Since 1974, World Environment Day has been celebrated on 5 June, to engage governments, businesses and citizens in an effort to address pressing environmental issues. Addressing climate change and the need for ramped up action is increasingly being recognised globally. The City of Cape Town is highlighting its commitment to climate action this World Environment Day, 5 June 2021, and encourages all to join our climate action journey, make the pledge and ACT to make Cape Town Stronger.

In honour of World Environment Day 2021, the City of Cape Town urges residents, neighbourhoods, businesses, churches and communities to support global efforts to tackle climate change. Cape Town, along with cities in South Africa and worldwide have committed to achieving carbon neutrality and climate resilience by 2050.

It is the City’s vision to create an urban environment that is climate resilient, resource efficient and carbon neutral. The City’s new Climate Change Strategy and the development of the Climate Change Action Plan comes amid the urgent requirement for all of us to act to change our current emissions path, and to develop measures to adapt to the current and projected changes that climate change brings. A pro-active approach to climate change will also assist Cape Town’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic as the green economy offers new opportunities to enterprises and jobseekers.

‘World Environment Day encourages awareness and urgent action for the protection of our environment. It is important for residents to actively play their part in making a change. The City’s climate change response and resilience campaign, Let’s ACT. For a Stronger Cape Town, also aims to encourage residents, communities, businesses and organisations to take action. We call upon residents to pledge by taking climate action at home, in the workplace and in your community in celebration of World Environment Day.

‘Let’s celebrate this day by working together to tackle climate change and by taking simple actions that will have a huge impact in the long run. It is in our best interest to take bold actions now,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Phindile Maxiti.
You can pledge an action against climate change by visiting the My Clean Green Home exhibit at Green Point Urban Park and discover what life could be like to live in a net zero carbon home. The My Clean Green Home is open to the public until 5 June 2021, from 10:00 to16:00. You can also share your pledge on the following social media pages:

•       Facebook: futureenergycpt
•       Twitter: @CapeEnergy
•       Instagram: cpt_futureenergy

Actions residents can take in their homes/workplaces:

Start or support a neighbourhood food garden.
Reduce water usage in the home.
Change the light bulbs in the home to more energy efficient ones.
Switch off non-essential lights.
Buy energy efficient appliances.
Reduce, re-use and recycle, including organic waste through home composting.
Walk or cycle to the local shop.
Invest in a solar PV system or a solar water heater and also save on electricity bills.
Plant indigenous water-wise plants and trees in the garden.
Teach children about living more sustainably.
Investigate how their community, neighbourhood watch and church can get involved in climate and community action to make us all, and our city, more resilient.
Empower colleagues with knowledge about sustainability and practical solutions in the office such as reducing paper printing.
Buy sustainably produced and organic food where possible. Let their local shops know that they demand more sustainable products.

Decreasing levels of average annual rainfall and changing seasonality of rainfall, which affects the amount of water to which we have access.
An increase in the average annual temperature and increased maximum temperatures, which means an increase in hotter days, and more frequent and intense heat waves.
An increase in the average wind and maximum wind strength.
Rising sea levels and increased coastal erosion.

What we need to do to tackle climate change
In support of the growing global momentum to tackle climate change, Cape Town, along with cities in South Africa and worldwide, has committed to working to achieve carbon neutrality and climate resilience by 2050. Importantly, reducing global warming is key. These necessary targets can only be reached through significant transitions in urban form, energy sources, transportation and resource efficiency.

What is carbon neutrality?
Carbon neutrality means introducing new technologies to clean up the fuels and activities that cause greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, while enhancing our social, economic and environmental goals. Read more about the City’s Carbon Neutral 2050 commitment.

What is the City doing?
We have committed to achieving the goal of carbon neutrality and climate resilience by 2050. This commitment is embedded in our new Climate Change Strategy, that sets the pathway towards this goal.

The City has in place a range of programmes that support climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience, and is working towards significantly growing these.

Adaptation
In the adaptation and resilience work area, projects include:
•       developing our water resilience
•       conserving our biodiversity and protecting coastal areas
•       enabling appropriate nodal development through the adoption of a coastal urban edge

Mitigation
To reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, our mitigation efforts include:
•       driving energy efficiency in our own municipal operations
•       shaping regulatory and incentive mechanisms to support net zero carbon buildings
•       developing our own clean energy generation
•        procuring energy from Independent Power Producers (IPPs)
•       enabling small scale embedded generation (SSEG)
•       waste reduction
•       building an efficient transport network

Over the last 10 years, the City’s energy efficiency in the municipal operations programme has saved over 231 GWh of electricity. This is enough electricity to power 35 clinics over 10 years and translates into 229 035 tons of avoided carbon emissions.

Some highlights
•       60 City buildings retrofitted to make them more efficient
•       All traffic lights retrofitted with LED lights
•       563 kWp installed rooftop solar
•       34% of streetlights retrofitted

For more information, see these resources:
Let’s ACT. For a Stronger Cape Town
Future Energy Festival: www.capetownfutureenergyfestival.co.za
Save Electricity: www.savingelectricity.org.za
Smart Living Handbook: https://bit.ly/Smartliving2020

Find out exactly where to find the home in Green Point Urban Park, and where to park.

If you’re unable to visit in person, you can take a virtual tour through the My Clean Green Home.

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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office