Ekurhuleni pledges to take action in advance of UN’s Climate Conference in Paris

Ekurhuleni mayor Mondli Gungubele has committed to the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of city leaders dedicated to reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The mayor signed the Compact of Mayors which will help make Ekurhuleni communities more resilient to climate change and regularly report their progress publicly.

By participating in the Compact of Mayors, Gungubele will reinforce his commitment to climate action by taking stock of greenhouse emissions and the current effects of climate change in the city, creating an action plan including clear and ambitious reduction targets, and implementing a common system of measuring those  emissions and monitoring climate risks.

“The Compact of Mayors reinforces our city’s commitment to its people and its businesses,” said Gungubele.

“By committing to the Compact of Mayors, we are continuing in our work to make Ekurhuleni place where people want to live and where businesses want to invest. The actions we take at a local level will have a global impact; and by improving our city, we will be helping create a better world for today’s urban citizens and generations to come.”

For its part, Ekurhuleni will conduct an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in the city, develop emissions targets and draw up an action plan to mitigate climate change.

As one of the key initiatives launched at the UN Climate Summit in September of 2014 by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael R. Bloomberg, the Compact of Mayors is the world’s largest collective effort to date by cities to tackle climate change, proactively prepare for its impacts, and regularly track and report progress.

The Compact was activated under the leadership of the global city networks—C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)—and with support from UN-Habitat, the UN’s lead agency on urban issues.

“The Compact of Mayors reflects the commitment that cities are making to reduce carbon emissions and the crucial role they play in confronting climate change,” said Bloomberg.

“The more cities that take part in the Compact, the bigger impact it will have. I applaud all of the mayors who have joined, and look forward to welcoming more cities into our growing coalition.”

Recent research shows that if every local government  in the world took action in accordance with the Compact of Mayors—particularly by targeting their building energy, transportation, and waste sectors—they could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of cutting the world’s annual coal use by more than half.

Ekurhuleni’s commitment to the Compact builds on years of efforts to combat climate change through its membership in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

Also read: Protect your neighbourhood against climate change