Subnational governments have a critical role to play in climate change mitigation and adaption, having already demonstrated extraordinary ambition, said Under2 Coalition director Nehmat Kaur.

While the twenty-ninth Conference of the Parties (COP29), held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November, may not have delivered the transformative outcomes hoped for, it did underscore that the future of climate action lay with subnational governments and entities, she told delegates at the yearly Climate Change Indaba 2024, hosted by the Gauteng provincial government (GPG) on Wednesday.

“In the aftermath of one of the most critical and contentious climate negotiations in recent memory, COP29 was supposed to be [what] was dubbed as the finance COP, but its outcomes fell well short of the transformational change that science and, most importantly, our communities demand,” she said.

However, cities, states and regions are emerging as a giant force behind climate change mitigation and adaptation, accounting for 70% of climate mitigation policies and 90% of public investment in planned action globally, and COP29 has made their role even more vital.

She said that it was clear that the spotlight was increasingly falling on subnational actors, such as Gauteng, and, despite the setbacks of COP29, subnational governments had proven that they could lead where national governments fell short.

Regions4 climate action and resilience programme manager Héloïse Chicou added that with 90% of adaptation measures happening locally, local and regional governments were leading the way.

“What we are seeing, and what was very clear at this COP29, was that where national governments might lag behind or struggle to implement their national commitments, there is a growing leadership of local and regional governments, and we feel that we need to build on that when we look towards the future and towards staying ambitious on climate.”

COP29 reaffirmed the need to triple renewables capacity by 2030, and subnational governments were uniquely positioned to lead this charge, given their jurisdictions over the energy and power sectors, Kaur commented.

“As we push for renewables, we must advocate for access to climate finance as well, which supports decentralised energy projects, ensuring that there is energy access, equity and inclusion in the energy transition.”

There is also opportunity in carbon pricing and market and innovation in financing; however, the inadequacy of the climate finance commitments from COP29 means that subnational governments need to innovate.

“The future is the local. We are the architects of the transition. We hold the keys to the renewable revolution, the mechanisms for carbon pricing and innovations on finance.

“The question now is, how do we, as subnational entities, rise to the challenge amid these global dynamics which do not seem to be supporting the subnational leadership.”

There is a need for a stronger voice in international negotiations, particularly as subnational governments manage over half of the global public investment and oversee critical sectors such as energy, transport and banking.

“Contributions from subnational governments are often overlooked. Therefore subnational governments must demand formal recognition and direct participation in frameworks like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as G20. Our expertise and actions are vital to the success of global climate goals.”

Deeper collaboration across regions was also required, she continued, citing coalitions such as Under2.

South African Local Government Association (Salga) Gauteng chairperson Councilor Jongizizwe Dlabathi commented that municipalities – the closest sphere of government to communities – were particularly vulnerable to climate risk and extreme weather patterns.

The impact of climate risk is devastating, threatening basic services, damaging physical infrastructure and placing an immense strain on municipal budgets.

“If not addressed accordingly and within our means, climate-related risk will jeopardise economic growth and financial stability, with a disproportionate impact on the poor and the vulnerable groups, many of whom are women, children, elderly and people with disabilities,” he said.

Salga has engaged extensively with the Department of Forestry, Fishery and the Environment to ensure that the interests of municipalities are effectively considered in the implementation of the Climate Change Act, which was signed into law in July.

He believes the Act is a game-changer in South Africa's quest towards sustainability and introduces new responsibilities and opportunities, with metropolitan and municipal districts now mandated to review, amend and publish climate change needs and response assessments every five years.

This requirement underscores the critical role of municipalities in mitigating climate change and driving sustainable development at local level.

In addition to engaging municipalities across Gauteng to unpack the implementation of the Climate Change Act for local government, Salga is actively supporting municipalities in developing climate action plans and integrating climate change considerations into various policies and plans to comply with the Act. It is also working towards mainstreaming climate adaptation and mitigating strategies into the core services that are provided by municipalities.

In line with this, Salga appointed the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to develop tools and framework for municipalities to review their climate change strategies and approach.

“This initiative involves piloting, hands-on training and the development of first-generation climate action plans for nine district municipalities in our province and their local municipalities, including, for instance, Sedibeng district municipality.”

This is a significant step towards integrating climate consideration into local governance, with the pilot phase serving as a foundation to scale up the initiative and extend coverage to many other district municipalities across the country.

“Through this process, Salga aims to capacitate municipalities to respond to climate risk, to build resilience and to align local actions in line with the objectives of the Climate Change Act.”

Meanwhile, on a provincial scale, the Gauteng Department of Environment (GDE) continues to facilitate the implementation of the Gauteng City Region’s overarching Climate Change Response Strategy and Action Plan, which was approved in 2020, with the GPG, sector departments and municipalities playing their respective roles in implementing the climate change response programmes outlined in the strategy.

Gauteng Environment MEC Shyla Peters said that some of the programmes included the roll-out of renewable energy on public holdings and the development of Gauteng’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventory and Net Zero guidelines to profile GHG emissions and set GHG targets for the province.

It also includes the implementation of nature-based solutions, including building water catchments and Gauteng’s one-million tree programmes, as well as the development of green procurement guidelines to ensure climate-smart budgeting and transitioning the province into a low carbon economy.

Further, the GDE has partnered with the National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa in the Gauteng Industrial Symbiosis Programme, a free facilitation programme that promotes and facilitates the implementation of identified waste synergy opportunities to achieve resource efficiency and diversion of waste from landfill.

“This programme is very effective in applying resource efficiency principles and reducing GHG emissions. In 2023, over 425 companies with more than 2 660 resources and over 4 299 potential synergies between companies were identified. Through this programme, over 125 000 t of waste have been diverted from landfills,” she said.

Further, the province’s partnership with the University of Johannesburg resulted in cutting-edge research in the fields of climate change, waste management and environmental management, as well as led to the training of township-based small, medium-sized and microenterprises in solar PV installations, Peters commented.

GPG’s partnership with international partners Under2 Coalition and Regions4 has also provided an opportunity to access climate finance and further international networks, as well as enabled the exchange of information, peer-to-peer learning with like-minded regions and fostered discussions on climate change mitigation and adaptation policies.

The GDE has further extended the scope of its Climate Change School Awareness Programme, which seeks to improve understanding of the basic science of climate change, adaptation and mitigation opportunities, and supports informed decision-making by individuals transitioning from low carbon footpath and adapting to changing climate and its association efforts.

“Let us make climate change everybody's business, and not just the Department of Environment and all the different municipalities. It is up to each and every individual within Gauteng and in the country to do their part when it comes to climate change,” Peters concluded.