Photo: Tshwane-becomes-C40’s-seventieth-member-city
Tshwane becomes C40’s seventieth member city
08 November 2014
by Richard Forster
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) has announced Tshwane, South Africa as its newest member city, bringing the membership total to 70 global cities. Tshwane joins as the first C40 Innovator City from the African continent, a category reserved for cities with smaller populations that have shown clear leadership in environmental and climate change work.
“As mayor of a city from the Global South committed to sustainable economic development, I am pleased to see the increasingly diverse global membership of our network, which provides more opportunities for cities to share similar challenges and collaborate on solutions,” said Eduardo Paes, C40 Chair and Mayor of Rio de Janeiro. “The addition of Tshwane to C40 will enrich the value of the C40 network for all cities.”
Located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, the City of Tshwane’s metropolitan area has a total population of more than 2.9 million people and spans 6,368 square kilometres, divided into seven regions. As a Capital City of South Africa, Tshwane houses national government and a large number of international organisations and diplomatic missions. As a leader in climate action in the region, the city has established a number of initiatives aimed at making Tshwane a low-carbon, climate resilient and resource-efficient city.
Specifically, the city is focused on a carbon intensity target of 50 percent by 2018 from the current intensity factor per inhabitant of 4.51tCO2e/year, which it will achieve through several avenues. These include a Green Campus that brings together the private sector with academic and research institutions to develop emissions reduction solutions; a bus rapid transit system and push for electric vehicle fleets; and the “Government Boulevard,” a green street programme within the city.
“Being accepted as an Innovator City in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group provides the City of Tshwane with a great opportunity to contribute to global efforts towards reducing the impacts of climate change through the exploration of new and innovative approaches,” said Kgosientso Ramokgopa, Executive Mayor of Tshwane. “I am humbled and excited to be part of the C40 and look forward to tapping into this rich knowledge base while also adding the unique elements that are entrenched in the City of Tshwane as a Capital City of Excellence.”
As the eighth African city to join, Tshwane brings C40’s membership total to 70 global cities.
