The Local Government Climate Change Support Programme in South Africa
Yachika Reddy, Simisha Pather-Elias, Lisa Keusen, Paola Adriázola, Peta Wolpe, Mikateko Sithole, Faith Nkohla, Mapula Tshangela and Canecia Thobela 2021
South Africa’s cities and towns are crucial to changing the country’s emissions profile and building a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. The national government has pioneered a large-scale capacity-building programme that helps provinces and municipalities across the country better respond to climate change. Led by the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and implemented by a multi-stakeholder coalition, the Local Government Climate Change Support Programme (LGCCSP) is a hands-on demonstration of multi-level climate collaboration and has co-produced knowledge that continues to shape South Africa’s climate policy framework. This study gives insight into how the LGCCSP works in practice.
The Regional Climate Change Nodes in Colombia: Real Practice in Collaborative Climate Action
Rodríguez Granados, Rocio; Paola Adriázola, Tucker Landesman, Pablo Devis Posada and Gloria Calderón Peña 2020
Colombia’s Regional Climate Change Nodes are the country’s flagship regional governance mechanisms to deliver climate change policy that integrates different levels of government. Currently, each of the nine Nodes is at a unique stage of development. While the Nodes have great potential to deliver on the promise to advance concerted climate solutions by different government levels and actors, they are currently not achieving a transformative impact due to a number of barriers.
Local Climate Action Planning in the Philippines. The Case of Ormoc City: Real Practice in Collaborative Climate Action
Uy Epistola, Rea;Tucker Landesman and Paola Adriázola 2020
Local governments in the Philippines use their local climate action plans—and the planning and coordination processes behind them—as a collaborative tool to drive transformative actions on the ground. Despite the existence of an elaborate local planning scheme that municipalities are required to follow, a siloed approach continues to be the norm in several areas of the country, which represents a major challenge to effective and collaborative climate action planning at the local level. Ormoc City has turned things around. The city uses its climate planning process as a means for achieving improved governance, honed technical capacity, and participatory citizen engagement. This study gives insight into how exactly Ormoc is doing it.
The County Climate Change Funds in Kenya: Real Practice in Collaborative Climate Action
Orindi, Victor; Hausner Kitali Wendo, Tucker Landesman, Paola Adriázola and Lisa Strauch 2020
The Kenyan County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) consists of climate legislation enacted by county governments and a county-controlled fund that finances climate projects identified and prioritised by local communities. Originally designed by a multi-stakeholder coalition with the aims to increase capacity for local development planning and channelling climate finance to some of Kenya’s most vulnerable regions, the CCCF evolved to encompass mitigation measures and effectively influenced national climate policy. The CCCFs are now a key component in a comprehensive national planning and financing framework that strengthens capacity and channels finance to community-driven climate action priorities. This study presents the very practical elements that can make this strategy successful.
State of Energy in South African Cities 2020 Report
Sustainable Energy Africa 2020
The 4th edition of the report features 20 of South Africa’s most energy intensive cities and towns and tracks energy use in cities since 2007, presenting emerging trends in energy efficiency and renewable energy uptake, and examines the governance of transition. The report comes at a momentous and tumultuous time, as South Africa emerges from lockdown due to COVID-19. SEA believes that out of this crisis can emerge the opportunity, to transform society and the economy, provided that economic recovery is accompanied by a commitment to sustainability. The Report provides insight into the sustainable urban energy transition to date, and is a good basis for policy-makers and planners to develop sustainable economic recovery plans in cities.
Entry Points to Support Collaborative Climate Action
Strauch, Lisa; Tucker Landesman and Marcus Andreas 2019
Strengthening collaboration between multiple levels of government is necessary to improve coherence of climate policy and implementation. Collaborative climate action is fundamental to the transformative shifts needed to achieve the Paris Agreement’s ambition to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The V-LED project presents entry points to support the collaborative design and implementation of ambitious climate actions.
Multi-level climate governance in South Africa: Catalysing finance for local climate action
Petrie, Belynda; Peta Wolpe, Yachika Reddy, Paola Adriázola, Michael Gerhard, Tucker Landesman, Lisa Strauch, and Anais Marie 2019
South Africa is both vulnerable to climate change impacts and a major greenhouse gas emitter. In its transition towards a low-emission society, national, provincial and local governments will need to strike a delicate balance between the country’s mitigation commitments, adaptation needs and ambitions to create an inclusive economy. How can sub-national governments finance and implement climate action?
Multi-level climate governance in Vietnam: Bridging national planning and local climate action
Strauch, Lisa; Yann Robiou du Pont and Julia Balanowski 2018
Vietnam is particularly vulnerable to climate change and faces new challenges as it continues its development journey. The rapid growth of the country’s economy, population and cities is resource intensive and leading to increased GHG emissions. To respond to climate change and steer the country towards green growth, the government has designed a comprehensive set of policies. How can Vietnam’s climate policy framework enable transformative climate action?
Find the Vietnamese translation of the study here: QUẢN TRỊ KHÍ HẬU ĐA CẤP ĐỘ TẠI VIỆT NAM - Kết nối lập kế hoạch quốc gia và hành động khí hậu ở địa phương
Multi-level climate governance in the Philippines: Shaping connections for climate action
Andreas, Marcus; Rea Uy Epistola, Maria Adelaida Cea, Lisa Strauch and Tucker Landesman 2018
The Philippines is a global leader in responding to climate change with a complex governance system to coordinate cross-sector and multi-level action. As communities across the archipelago experience the effects of climate change, local and regional governments are grappling with how to translate national polices into local action. How can the Philippines coordinate ambitious climate action across sectors and governing levels? How can local governments respond to risks while simultaneously investing in low-emission development?
Multi-level climate governance in Kenya: Activating mechanisms for climate action
Bellali, Johara; Lisa Strauch, Francis Oremo and Benson Ochieng 2018
Kenya has the potential to be a frontrunner in climate resilient development: It has a strong policy framework and system of institutions aimed at advancing the country’s climate change response. In parallel, based on the constitutional precept that “all sovereign power belongs to the people”, the country has embarked on a devolution process which could provide the structures for localising the climate agenda. How can Kenya achieve policy coherence and coordination that foster transformative action? How can policy and practice for local climate action be bridged?
City-Wide Mitigation Potential for South Africa
Sustainable Energy Africa 2018
This report provides an update on a 2016 modelling exercise that was undertaken to provide an overview of the energy consumption and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions of urban centres in South Africa, and to determine the extent to which these cities can reduce their emissions into the future, based on various energy efficiency and renewable energy interventions. The report was published by Sustainable Energy Africa.
Water and the city: Where adaptation and mitigation converges
Bellali, Johara; Meaghan Parker and Yann Robiou du Pont 2018
One of the most essential elements of human life, water, is also one of the resources most impacted by climate change. The management of our water resources brings to light the limitations of the dominant, short-termist approach to resource extraction and utilisation. Managing water with a higher degree of respect for natural systems and human rights, would demonstrate the transformative shift that is needed to address the increasing development pressures of population, urbanisation, inequality and climate change. A shift in resource management practices would also ensure that water is able to enhance adaptation and mitigation outcomes, thus indicative of a shift in values and world views needed to face the climate crisis. This brief uses the South African example to illustrate a global issue. It will provide an overview of the links between water, adaptation and mitigation; and present an alternative approach to water planning at multiple levels.
Local climate action toolkit
Maina, Alex; Valentine Opanga, Benson Ochieng, Johara Bellali, Karimi Gitonga, JC Niala and Lisa Strauch 2018
This Training manual helps users build climate-resilient projects and plans with sustainable impacts. The Training manual also includes simple checklists to ensure that development activities don’t increase people’s vulnerability to climate change. It provides guidance and recommended tools for all stages of the project cycle, as well as tools, resources and practical examples from projects around the world. This interactive Training manual is designed to be flexible. Users can tailor the process to meet their needs, priorities and available resources.
Devolving Climate Change Governance in Kwale County
Ngaruiya, Grace W.; Francis Oremo, Benson Ochieng 2018
This climate governance guide for Kwale County clarifies the role of county governments in managing climate change at the local level. It seeks to simplify climate change terminology as well as give practical methods for enhancing knowledge transfer between different stakeholders. The guide is intended to serve as a reference for sustainable resource planning and a basis for the training of relevant stakeholders on local climate change issues.
Adopted Good Practice: How Imus City in Cavite is curbing its plastic waste problem
V-LED Good Practice Paper, 2018, Manila.
Working-Paper: How to Facilitate Dialogue Processes
V-LED Working Paper, March 2016, Berlin, Germany
Dahmen, A. & Strauch, L. 2017. Climate Action Starts with Dialogue.
Paper presented at the Interconnections Conference 2017, 12-13 May 2017.
Andreas, M. & Bellali, J. 2017. Common but differentiated learning.
Paper presented at the Berlin Conference on Global Environmental Change 2016, 23-24 May 2016.
Sustainable Energy Solutions for Local Government - A Practical Guide
This is the third iteration of a practical how-to handbook for local municipalities on the roll-out of sustainable energy measures. The first section focuses on municipal sustainable energy initiatives (e.g. solar water heating, efficient buildings, sustainable transport, etc.); the second on macro developments (e.g. smart grids, concentrated solar, ocean energy, etc.) and the third on governance and legislation (e.g. mandates, green procurement, institutionalising of sustainable energy concerns, etc.). The guide was produced by Sustainable Energy Africa.
Sustainable Energy Africa. 2016. Energy Scenarios for Urban South Africa
South African cities hold substantial power and opportunity to transform the energy profile of the country. Sustainable Energy Africa has undertaken an extensive comparative study, assessing the energy consumption and carbon emissions of key sectors in 27 major South African cities. The report concludes that urban sectors bare a huge potential for mitigation if the country invests in energy efficiency and implements local electricity generation from renewable energy sources.
Read the summary and technical report.
Lessons Learnt - How can Municipalities Diversify their Energy Mix?
SALGA, GIZ and SEA have developed a series of case studies on municipal renewable energy projects. These case studies identify the processes followed focusing on regulatory processes, and the success factors of each project.
Let's Respond Toolkit and Guide
The Let's Respond Toolkit and Guide support municipalities in taking appropriate account of the effects of climate change and the need to limit greenhouse gas emissions in their planning processes. The toolkit was developed in 2012 by Sustainable Energy Africa and the Palmer Development Group for the Department of Environmental Affairs, the Department of Cooperative Governance and SALGA. The V-LED project will build on and expand the Let’s Respond Toolkit and organise trainings for municipalities.
Wolpe, P. & Reddy, Y. 2015: The contribution of low-carbon cities to South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.
South Africa is currently 65% urbanised and growing. If the country is to move towards a low-carbon trajectory, cities have to be at the heart of that change process. In this briefing paper, Peta Wolpe and Yachika Reddy from Sustainable Energy Africa, explore how South African cities can decouple their economic growth from energy consumption and contribute to national GHG reduction goals.
