Durban Resilience InitiativesMaking Cities Resilience 2030 Programme
Sean O’Donoghue – Senior Manager: Climate Protection Branch
EThekwini Municipality1
• Largest port and city on the east coast of
Africa – planned and managed by eThekwini
Municipality
• Municipal extent: 2 556 km2
• Population: 3.9 million (Highest % of people
living in poverty amongst major metros).
• Global biodiversity hotspot
• High prevalence of HIV/Aids
• Housing backlog: 387 000 units
• Human Development Index = 0.67
• Unemployment (pre-Covid) = 18%
• Governance
Projected changes in Durban
• Annual temperature increases likely to be twice the global average
(3.0⁰C to 5.0⁰C by 2100).
• Increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, like
heat waves, droughts, rainfall events (flooding, lightning)
• Increased seasonal variability of rainfall
• Sea-level rise of +2.75 mm per year
EM – informal settlements vs 100 yr. flood line:
Durban Climate Action Plan (CAP)
● Approved by Council in 2019; high level
strategy
● Provides a pathway and timelines to
transition Durban towards climate resilience
and carbon neutrality by 2050.
● Outlines a range of actions and sub-actions to
achieve this pathway.
● Focuses more on implementation.
● Forms the core of the implementation
framework for the city’s climate agenda.
DCCS Dashboard Themes
Enabling ThemesLegislation, Policy and Planning
•Legislation & Policy
•Planning
Governance
•Stakeholder Structures
•Research, Communication & Capacity Building
Financing
•Climate Finance
Implementation Themes
Cross Cutting
•Economic Development
•Vulnerable Communities
Adaptation
•Biodiversity
•Food Security
•Health
•Sea level rise and coastal protection
•Water and Sanitation
Mitigation
•Energy
•Transport
•Waste
8
EM Climate Change Committee: political
oversight of DCCS implementation
DCCS Technical Task Team: dashboard review and coordination of implementation
of DCCS between line functions; reporting to EM CCC
DCCS Sub-Committee: implementation of DCCS through DCCS dashboard; reporting to DCCS TTT
M&E Framework and reporting tool: to be developed by mid 2019
DCCS Integrated Implementation Plan: to be developed by mid 2019
DCCS Implementation Framework
DCCS: to be reviewed by 2020
DCCS Secretariat: support for the TTT and sub-committee, management of M&E and Research,
liaison with political committee secretariat and feedback to DMAF
IMPLEMENTATIONGOVERNANCE
• To international platforms to advise IPCC global stock take• To national platform to fulfil nationally determined
contributions within UNFCCC• Into municipal platforms to inform SDBIP/ Scorecard
Research
Service provider: support for DCCS Secretariat and development of implementation plan
Project implementation: Municipal Adaptation Plans, C40
Deadline 2020, Sihlanzimvelo, Climate Resilience
Implementation Plan, METIS, GHG reporting etc.
A number of these projects have
their own steering committees.
STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT & RESEARCH
Strategic Management Forum: administrative
oversight of DCCS implementation
Chair: DCCS TTT
National Policy: NDP, Climate BillLocal Policy: IDP, SDF, city strategy
DMAF
Council/ EXCO/ standing political committees:
Durban’s three large-scale implementation programmes
Working for Ecosystems
Working on Fire
Community Reforestation
Community- Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (CEBA)
• More than 7000km of rivers draining 18 major catchments
• 16 estuaries, 98km coastline
• Rivers deliver ecosystem services vital for human wellbeing, a healthy economy & municipal service delivery
• Important for conserving biodiversity, including through connectivity / corridors
• Many of Durban’s rivers are already impacted, with ecosystem service delivery reduced by at least 42%. This will get worse with climate change.
Durban’s Rivers
The starting point: EThekwini Municipality’s Sihlanzimvelo Programme
• Addressing erosion and flooding issues linked to stormwater discharge• Improving environmental health (waste, vector-borne disease etc)• Monitoring of sewer blockages and other infrastructure issues• Improvement of biodiversity (removal of invasive alien plants)• Enhanced adaptation to climate change
Given these multiple benefits, how do we build the case for up-scaling?
Note: Procurement challenges are currently delaying the next phase of Sihlanzimvelo.
TRMP
Contribute to sustainable,
efficient municipal
service delivery
Limit climate risk & impacts
to society
Secure valuable financial, socio-
economic, human & ecological benefits
Build climate resilience
Business Case Purpose
Develop an evidence-based rationale for
upscaling investment in a Transformative Riverine
Management Programme (TRMP) across
approximately 7,000 km of rivers in the eThekwini
Municipal Area
The Case for Upscaling
Sihlanzimveloon Municipal
Land
1,168km of rivers on municipal land
R92 million annual
municipal cost
R59 million pa avoided damage to municipal culverts
R177 million societal
benefits each year
1,557 jobs created
through 234 co-operatives
Additional green
economy opportunities
R1 spent = R2.60 municipal & societal benefits (incl. coastal)
The Case for City-wide
Transformative Riverine
Management
R1 spent = R1.80 to R3.40 municipal & societal benefits (incl. coastal)
R7.5 billion public & private
investment over 20 years
R1.9 billion avoided
damage to municipal culverts
R12 to R24 billion in societal benefits
> 9000 jobs
Additional green
economy opportunities
Key messages from the business
case
A strong investment case exists for transformative river management, given the combination of municipal and societal benefits, including job creation
TRMP represents an effective climate change risk-reduction measure for the economy, citizens and business, through restoring benefits from degraded rivers.
Green/circular economy opportunities also bring benefits
An effective TRMP will require an appropriately governed, transversal, multi-actor, long-term process.
A phased approach to implementation is justified e.g. starting with upscaling Sihlanzimvelo and incorporating more ambitious transformative approaches over time.
Partnerships and co-investment of resources (including through stewardship) will be critical to success.
Other outputs
Other Outputs
• Two climate change courses were developed and piloted. This now has CPD registration and work is underway with EMA to expand
• Strengthening of funder networks• Learning exchanges with neighbouring
municipalities, some of whom have now secured their own support for similar work
• Learning exchanges with African cities: Mombasa TRMP is emerging from DAC peer to peer learning; Harare is planning a TRMP as part of the EPIC Africa Network
• Knowledge products• Numerous webinars on local and international
platforms
• Implemented through several research programmes
• 4 South African Research Chairs Initiative Chairs
• Leveraging the partnership to grow research
• Establishment of a centre of biodiversity and global
change - CoP• Urban Climate Change Research Network – Durban
Knowledge Hub
GEC – P1
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
GEC – P2
CRR – P1
CRR – P2IPCC
SROCC
SHEFS
20212018 20202019
GEC – P3
EPIC fullEPIC pilot
NRF - COP
WIOMSA Miji Bora project
BRICS Coastal Adaptation
Research programmes since 2012:.
Durban Research Action Partnership
GEC – Global Environmental Change; CRR – Community Reforestation Research; EPIC – Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities;
NRF – South African National Research Foundation; SHEFS – Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems; WIOMSA – Western Indian Ocean Marine
Science Association
What if we could connect
existing university courses to a
single city over an academic
year to work on challenges in
communities identified through
partnerships and implemented
at a scale that magnifies value
for all?
The EPIC Question
Typical USA EPIC partnership…
EPIC-Africa (Network)• EPIC-Africa network established during 2017 training events in Bonn and Cape
Town
• Network extended during February 2020 training in Durban
EPIC Africa projects examples:- Durban: Transformative River Management Programme- Lusaka: Urban Sustainability Program (LuSP)- Nairobi: pedestrianization of inner city precinct/ market- Mombasa: sanitizer solution for the ferry system and market- Bukavu, DRC: workshops on construction practices and food
production activities; technical programme for household waste management
- Jinja City, Uganda: fieldwork studies along shore of Lake Victoria, rapid urban appraisal of traffic and waste management around central market, parking etc.
- Others: developing MoUs etc.
Urban Climate Change Research Network – Durban Knowledge Hub
Hub and Compact: Regional Scale Implementation
Quelimane
Pemba (DAC)
Maputo (DAC)
Dar es Salaam East African
Hub
Compacts
Compacts
Compacts
Compacts
DURBAN (DAC)
Hibiscus Coast
Municipality
UMgungundlovu District
Municipality
UmdoniLocal
Municipality
IlembeDistrict
Municipality
Ugu District Municipality
KwaDukuzaLocal
Municipality
MsunduziLocal
Municipality
Expanding
African
network of
local adaptation
implementation,
UCCRN climate
knowledge
networks,
learning
exchanges, and
peer to peer
learning.
Durban Southern
African Hub
Compacts
Compacts
Compacts
Compacts
DEA
Each compact is
supported by:
• Partnership with
national govt (e.g.
CRF)• Transdisciplinary
research
partnership (DRAP)