Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
- How many municipalities who submitted their Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) for approval had climate change adoption plans included based on his department’s climate change framework and implementation plan guidance and support; (b) which municipalities (i) did include these climate change plans and (ii) which did not and (c) what are the relevant details per municipality?
The following municipalities have dedicated Climate Change response plans included as part of their reviewed IDPs:
- City of Cape Town (Energy & Climate Change Strategy)
- George Municipality (Sustainable Energy Plan)
- Mossel Bay Municipality (Sustainable Energy Plan, Adaptation Plan)
- Cape Agulhas Municipality (Sustainable Energy Plan)
- West Coast District Municipality (Integrated Climate Change Response)
- Bergrivier Municipality (Adaptation Plan)
- Saldanha Bay Municipality (Sustainable Energy Plan)
- Drakenstein Municipality (Adaptation Plan, Sustainable Energy Plan)
- Swartland Municipality
The following municipalities are in the process of drafting dedicated Climate Change Response plans as indicated in their reviewed IDPs:
- Central Karoo District Municipality (Integrated Climate Change Response)
- Knysna Municipality (started Adaptation Plan)
- Hessequa Municipality (started Energy Visioning)
The following municipalities have either partially or fully mainstreamed Climate Change adaptation/response strategies through various sector plans as part of the reviewed IDPs:
- City of Cape Town
- Eden District Municipality
- Knysna Municipality
- Bitou Municipality
- Kannaland Municipality
- Mossel Bay Municipality
- Hessequa Municipality
- Theewaterskloof Municipality
- Cape Agulhas Municipality
- Bergrivier Municipality
- Saldanha Bay Municipality
- Stellenbosch Municipality
- Drakenstein Municipality
The following municipalities did not have a dedicated climate change response strategy nor have they adequately mainstreamed climate change adaptation through sector plans:
- Beaufort West Municipality
- Oudtshoorn Municipality
- Laingsburg Municipality
- Prince Albert Municipality
- Swellendam Municipality
- Overberg District Municipality
- Cederberg Municipality
- Matzikama Municipality
- Cape Winelands District Municipality
- Breede Valley Municipality
- Langeberg Municipality
The Climate Change Municipal Support Programme (MSP) was initiated in the 2012/13 financial year. The Department’s Climate Change Directorate, through the MSP support local municipalities in the development of sustainable energy plans, climate change adaptation plans as well as inter-departmental implementation frameworks. While limited capacity constrains the extent to which the programme can be rolled out each year, the approach has been geared towards developing partnerships, for example, processes and tools while working with select municipalities that can be shared across municipalities in the province, effectively extending the reach of the programme over time.
As climate change cuts across all departments and all sectors, it is the provincial position that all WCG departments should be mainstreaming climate change into their own sectors and thus when reviewing sector plans and IDPs from their own sectoral perspective providing inputs on climate change and determining whether climate change is adequately included. Part of the role of the climate change team is to facilitate this discussion and to support other WCG departments in upskilling to mainstream climate change.
