STATEMENT – Eight African cities make groundbreaking zero emissions pledge. Now they need to get to work Johannesburg, South Africa – This week, eight African cities – from Accra to Dar es Salaam – pledged to reduce emissions to zero by 2050 to meet the Paris Climate Agreement targets.

Glen Tyler, South Africa Team Leader, 350.org Africa comments: “When local governments are taking such bold steps in the right direction, it shows how Africa, already hard hit by climate change, can play a crucial part in solving it. This requires strong political will, backed by civil society and the public to create the needed momentum for a just transition.

Commitments such as these are commendable, however, they require action to become more than just a symbolic gesture. In a similar move last year, the City of Cape Town pledged to divest from fossil fuels. However, we are yet to see proof of concrete action arising from this. With Cape Town and two other South African cities (Johannesburg and Durban) amongst those committing to reduce emissions to zero, we hope that these declarations of intent will be followed up by swift action.

These eight cities have a chance to usher in a new phase, in which African local governments, pushed and supported by their citizens, blaze a trail towards a just transition to renewable energy.

For this to happen, their commitments not only need to be quickly followed by concrete implementation plans; they need to be replicated and amplified rapidly throughout the continent.”

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Notes

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CONTACTS

Lerato Ngakane, 350.org Africa Communications Coordinator Lerato.ngakane@350.org  

+27 81 464 9726