Local Government Takes Action!!

By: Christine Burns ’14

The debate between the role local versus federal governments can and should play in climate change legislation is a factor once again in Debra Roberts’ article, “Thinking Globally, Acting locally-institutionalizing climate change at the local government level in Durban, South Africa.”  In this article Roberts discusses the importance of the local municipal government of Durban in initiating climate change mitigation and adaptation policies.  Generally speaking, Durban is more focused on local development needs than environmental planning.  This is for good reason; Durban has a 43 percent unemployment rate, a housing backlog of 190,000 units, and high levels of HIV/AIDs, yet environmental issues are becoming a more prominent problem for Durban as well.  Durban is a global biodiversity hotspot that is suffering due to urbanization, the manufacturing industry is causing environmental health problems to the local communities, and the riverine and coastal ecosystems are being negatively affected by rapid development.  For these reasons, Durban has been forced to consider integrating climate change policy in to the local government.

With the assistance of the USAID’s Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, Durban took their first greenhouse gas emissions inventory, which resulted in the realization that they could be saving money with a few low cost energy saving changes.  There were four institutional markers that marked the path to environmental consideration in Durban’s local municipal government.  The four institutional markers are the emergence of an identifiable political champion for climate change, the appearance of climate change as a significant issue in mainstream municipal plans, the allocation of resources to climate change issues, and the incorporation of climate change into political decision making.

Out of the four institutional makers, I felt that the first was the most important one, having a champion for climate change.  Without having someone who understands the relevance of climate change to the success of the city, climate change would not have been considered in long-term city planning and it would have been very difficult to get resources allocated towards climate change initiatives.  Durban has started on the path of dealing with climate change, although they are currently more focused on adaptation than mitigation, they are at least starting to make changes.  I am curious to see how they will continue to make changes in light of hosting COP 17.  During our Washington D.C. meeting with Ko Barrett, she expressed concern that they had not done all that was necessary. I guess we shall see in a few weeks.

Works Cited:

Roberts, D., 2008. “Thinking globally and acting locally – institutionalizing climate change at the local government level in Durban, South Africa,” Environment & Urbanization 20(2):521-537.