Climate Change and African Cities

Overview Impacts on African Cities Adaptation Options Mitigation Options Opportunities for African Mayors Key messages

Major African Cities at risk due to sea level rise Casablanca Algiers Alexandria Mombasa Dar es Salaam Maputo Durban Port Elizabeth Cape Town Luanda Douala Lagos Accra Cotonou Lome Abidjan Monrovia Conakry Dakar

The Impacts of Climate Change on African Cities Extreme weather events damage buildings and urban infrastructure Coastal cities affected by sea level rise Water resources stress: floods and droughts Human Health – malaria; waterborne diseases; polluted water Food Security – Livelihoods – Tourism Climate refugees move to urban slums

< Sea Level Rise Landslides > v Tropical cyclones Flooding v

Adaptation & Mitigation Adaptation = To manage the un-avoidable Mitigation = To avoid the un-manageable Adaptation and Mitigation are interconnected and mutually supportive

Adaptation Options for African Mayors Climate proofing of urban infrastructure, e.g. seawalls and storm surge barriers Investing in storm water drainage Early warning systems Enhance community resilience Relocation of vulnerable settlements and infrastructure Access financing mechanisms such as the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund Insurance schemes

Mitigation Options for African Mayors Energy efficiency in local government facilities, e.g. street lighting and water pumps Foresighted transport and infrastructure planning Compact and dense urban patterns to reduce travel distances and infrastructure networks Promote energy efficient building materials Landfill methane recovery Protect forests and watersheds Finance: Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

Urban planning – Sustainable building Urban transport modes – Renewable energy generation

Examples by African Cities Solid waste management technologies: Durban, Antananarivo Housing energy efficiency improvement: Cape Town Rehabilitation and greening of public spaces: Malindi, Bujumbura City-wide planning and management: Maputo, Kampala

Policies and Strategies for African Mayors Raise public awareness on challenges and opportunities Join networks to pool resources and share know-how and best practices Improving climate change governance: linking local initiatives with national plans (e.g. NAPAs) Appropriate by-laws for urban planning, traffic, infrastructure and building Enhance environmental law enforcement capacity Strengthening adaptive capacity of cities and communities Involvement of key stakeholders (e.g youth, private sector)

Opportunities for African Mayors Local Authorities to be part of national delegations in UNFCCC process Report on city achievements as part of UNFCCC reports: sub-national policies and measures Support programmes for cities towards a post-Kyoto protocol: UN-HABITAT, UNEP, UNDP, UNITAR, World Bank, ICLEI African Climate Change Centre in Addis Ababa (UNEP GC25) Direct involvement of large cities – sustainable development packages (post Kyoto)

2009 Calendar for African Mayors Raising the voice of cities in the global Climate Change debate: 17 March – Launch of Cities and Climate Change Initiative, Oslo 1 April – GC22 Dialogue on impacts of climate change on housing and urban finance, Nairobi 16 June - ICLEI World Congress Edmonton 28 June - World Bank Urban Research Seminar on Cities and Climate Change, Marseille 10 December - Mayors Summit at COP15 Copenhagen

Key Conclusions for African Mayors Urbanization affects climate change, resulting in severe impacts to African cities and livelihoods. The severest burden is born by urban poor in African slums. Climate change actions by African Cities need to be expanded and capacities strengthened. City initiatives need to be integrated in national action plans and global reporting. The voice of African Mayors in climate change policy debates has to be raised urgently.

Thank you!