Climate Change Act to benefit municipalities

In a webinar hosted by the South African Local Government Association (Salga) on Thursday to unpack the Climate Change Act and its implications on municipalities, the senior researcher in the Climate Service group for The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr Oscar Mokotedi said the Act will benefit the municipalities.

“We do hope that the act will unleash resources to make sure that municipalities are in a position to address some of the challenges that they may have around capacity and capability,” he said.

The Climate Act 22 of 2024 was signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July this year. According to the act, municipalities must assess climate change risks and develop a response plan. It recognises that municipalities may need assistance in enhancing their technical expertise.

The act also says that the environment minister must allocate a carbon budget to large greenhouse emitters – it has yet to come into effect.

Dr Musiwalo Moses Khangale, the manager of stakeholder programmes at Santam, said insurance companies also have a role to play to support the implementation of the act.

Khangele said that Santam partnered with CSIR, NDMC (National Disaster Management Centre) and DFFE (Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) to launch the Green Book.

“The Green Book is a multi-disciplinary, open access planning support system that provides evidence to South African municipalities to adapt their cities and towns to current and future climate change impacts based on their risk assessment.”

The Green Book project aims to investigate the factors leading to heightened risks, intending to provide scientific evidence and data to governments and stakeholders.

This information aims to improve understanding of local risks and vulnerabilities, facilitating more effective responses to these challenges through climate change adaptation initiatives.

Empowered by the evidence and planning assistance offered by the Green Book, local municipalities will be equipped to address their present requirements effectively. Additionally, they can prioritise interventions to adapt their settlements and make informed decisions for future planning.

“Insurance companies could partner with relevant agencies and sectors in supporting adaptive building, adaptive capacity and the broader adaptation programme. They could also contribute to resilience building and innovation to mitigation,” said Khangele.

Faith Nkohla, of the DFFE, said that they are in stages of developing a Climate Change resilience fund.

The webinar also stressed the importance of collaboration between both private and public sectors.

The Mercury