Western Cape Government hosts first Climate Change Indaba
“The Climate Change Indaba hosted today is the first step in fostering a close working relationship with the private sector in tackling the challenges of climate change in our region,” Anton Bredell, Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning said.
Hosting the Climate Change Indaba was an important deliverable identified by Ministers Ivan Meyer, Agriculture, and Anton Bredell, co-leaders of climate change governance in the Western Cape.
Minister Bredell said the impact of extreme weather events is clear to see. “We suffered R3.5bn in flood damages in only two flooding events in 2023, our coastline was battered due to storm surges, and we are experiencing a wildfire season that is stretching our resources to the limits.”
The Western Cape Government has an over-arching climate change strategy, which sets out a vision to be a net-zero emissions and climate-resilient province by 2050. The province is also a member of the Under 2 Coalition, a global network of subregional governments, who have pledged to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 as guided by a 2050 Emissions Pathway plan that is under development.
These goals are woven into multiple Western Cape Government strategies, including: the Growth for Jobs Strategy; the Department of Health and Wellness’s participation in the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Programme; the OneHealth global commitment; and the SmartAgri Strategy.
Minister Meyer highlighted that the Western Cape Government recently approved a Climate Change Framework.
Minister Meyer: “The Western Cape Department of Agriculture has also concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Californian Department of Food and Agriculture to promote cooperation in agriculture. One of the aims is the exchange of information on climate change mitigation and best practices within the agricultural sector”.
“The MOU has been further bolstered by the establishment of the Mediterranean Climate Action Partnership (MCAP) at COP 28. T MCAP of which the Western Cape is a founding member brings together 14 mediterranean regions of the world with the common purpose of mitigating the impact of climate change” added Minister Meyer.
Minister Bredell said the Indaba was attended by a wide range of business and climate interest groups. “We must work together if we want to be successful in our attempts to better understand climate change and reach our goals.”
“Together we can give climate change a knockout punch”, concluded Minister Meyer.
Contact:
Wouter Kriel
Spokesperson for Minister Anton Bredell
Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
Cell: 079 694 3085
E-mail: Wouter.kriel@westerncape.gov.za
Daniel Johnson
Spokesperson to the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer
Ministry of Agriculture
Western Cape Government
M Floor, 7 Wale Street, Cape Town
Tel: 021 483 3261
Fax: 021 483 3892
Cell: : 079 990 4231
E-mail: daniel.johnson@westerncape.gov.za
Website: www.westerncape.gov.za
