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)