21-01-2014: Joburg hosts follow-up business dialogue, discussing significant climate change initiatives
The City of Johannesburg - in association with the National Business Initiative (NBI) and the South African Cities Network (SACN) - presented a follow-up business dialogue held at Standard Bank in Simmonds Street city centre on Monday 21 January 2014.
The purpose of the dialogue was to share input from the business sector on climate change good practices, and discuss how public-private engagement could strengthen and further develop an effective response to climate change.
The event was part of the build-up to the 5th biennial C40 Cities Mayors Summit that will be held, for the first time in Africa, at the Sandton Convention Centre from 4 to 6 February 2014.
The Summit is delivered by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and brings together mayors from across the world for three days to advance urban solutions to climate concerns.
The Summit will be led by 108th Mayor of New York and C40 Board of Directors President, Michael R Bloomberg, and co-hosted by the Executive Mayor of City of Johannesburg Councillor Mpho Parks Tau, and the new C40 Chair and Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes.
To pre-inform the dialogue that was held yesterday, City council members, local businesses, NGOs, and PPPs grouped on 2 December 2013 in Illovo in an appeal to submit green project ideas around the themes of C40 and approaches for public-private engagement.
Mayor Tau delivered the business dialogue keynote, highlighting the need to forge new partnerships in driving meaningful, measurable and sustainable action on climate issues.
“We, as the City and local businesses, are no longer just recipients of ideas and solutions. We are co-authors, and in many respects, thought leaders on environmental concerns, leading the way in innovation and low carbon achievements.”
In his welcome address, chief executive officer of Standard Bank Group Mr Sim Tshabalala, emphasised Mayor Tau’s observation saying, “Businesses in the city has huge potential to make a positive change in mitigating impacts.”
At the previous C40 Summit it was noted mitigating global climate change at scale, would require developing and adopting new materials, technologies and processes by re-thinking product design and evolving new business models within cities and countries.
Green initiatives submitted by businesses at the dialogue highlighted various possible interventions including: addressing congestion with green city transport: reducing paper use by recycling and implementing electronic billing and tenders; and managing water by expanding rainwater harvesting, and reducing flood risks.
Some critical areas also discussed include a green economy that needs to be high on the agenda to enable localisation. “We can’t be importing components and material from overseas companies. We need to develop our own green technologies,” Mayor Tau said.
Derek Batte of Sanedi suggested waste-to-fuel technologies should be developed rather than waste-to-electricity, as it has less legislation processes with the potential to fuel up to 30% of the City’s vehicle fleet.
Consumer behaviour education, culture change and dealing with waste, were some of the challenges presented. Marilize Worst, financial director of Re-Return on Environment, a national environmental solutions, waste management and logistics company, gave brilliant insights into turning waste to profit.
Worst proffered innovative solutions to the various environmental and waste issues companies face such as reduce, re-use, recycle and recover product, in an effort to promote environmental sustainability.
Mayor Tau said while the responses to climate change in the developed world have a predominant element of mitigation, “We in Africa have no choice but to focus more on adaptation.”
“Differentiating the two forms of adaptation, namely acclimation and resilience, can assist with making the right investment decisions,” he said.
“Acclimation type adaptation addresses strategies to cope with the gradual changes, for example gradual warming. Resilience type adaptation, addresses potentially damaging effects of climate extremes such as sudden major floods worsened by poor drainage systems.”
The plenary discussion concluded on what businesses and the City need to bring to the table, what mutual interests would drive business cases, and appropriate next steps and approaches.
Project initiatives submitted by businesses will take the form of a glossy publication to be distributed and discussed at the 2014 C40 Cities Mayors Summit.
Mayor Tau added, “I’m also delighted to announce the City has worked with C40's Measurement and Planning Initiative in partnership with Siemens and the World Research Institute, to conduct a first-ever citywide GHG inventory and baseline. I hope to announce at the Summit what the City’s GHG inventory is.”
Johannesburg is also the first African C40 city to adopt the Global Protocol for Community-Scale (GPC) GHG Emissions, upon which this inventory is based.
The data and information obtained are used to identify which sectors are the biggest contributors to the City’s current emissions, and help shape future policy, targets and programmes to reduce these levels.
The theme of the upcoming 2014 C40 Cities Mayors Summit is ‘Towards resilient and liveable megacities – demonstrating action, impact and opportunity’.
In a series of roundtable discussions and working sessions, urban leaders, sustainability and technical experts across multiple sectors will exchange ideas, forge new partnerships and address cities’ unique problems and challenges, focusing on the themes of Adaptable and Resilient Cities; Building Liveable Cities; and Socio-Economic Development of emerging megacities.
The City is looking forward to work with all stakeholders and businesses in the effort to improve the quality of data upon which future decisions will be based, and welcomes C40 Cities, partners and key participants to the 2014 C40 Cities Mayors Summit.
Mayor Tau concluded his address by quoting Paul Simpson, one of the most recognised authorities on climate change and CEO of the Carbon Disclosure Project:
“As countries around the world seek economic growth, strong employment and safe environments, corporations have a unique responsibility to deliver that growth in a way that uses natural resources wisely. The opportunity is enormous and it is the only growth worth having.”
[End…]
Issued on behalf of City of Joburg
For enquiries, contact Vuma Reputation Management:
Jean Robertson
Jean@vumareputation.com
+27 82 9947744
Phumzile Ntola
Phumzile@vumareputation.com
+27 82 7752703
across all its regions.
