KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Mr Sihle Zikalala has warned that if not addressed, the climate emergency may devastate economies in the same way Covid-19 has. The Premier said addressing challenges related to climate change requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders.

“The climate emergency demands that in all that we do, we must produce, trade, and conduct business and our lives in a manner that protects and nourishes the environment. Our generation has the historic task of building climate resilient communities, reducing the carbon footprint, deploying environmentally friendly green technologies, and ensuring a just transition to a low carbon and sustainable development trajectory. Part of the just transition means that the support of new, green industries must be accompanied by the development of new skills and the reskilling of the work force so that people can fully benefit from the new industries and businesses,” the Premier said.

Premier Zikalala was speaking at the inaugural sitting of the reconfigured KZN Climate Change and Sustainable Development Council, a structure responsible for coordinating responses to Climate Change in KwaZulu-Natal. The meeting was attended by MECs, district mayors, academics, business representatives, traditional leaders and representatives of civil society formations.

Giving the background on the council, Premier Zikalala said the inaugural sitting of the council is the realization of the resolutions taken at the KwaZulu-Natal Climate Change & Sustainable Development Summit held in Durban in August 2019. That summit emphasized the importance of a synchronized approach across multi-stakeholders in responding to the effects and impact of climate change.

Amongst other things the meeting discussed the implementation of the KwaZulu-Natal Climate Change Action Plan. The plan is specific to the province’s socio-economic and biophysical context.

MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Ravi Pillay said through the Climate Change Council, the province would escalate the issues of climate change in the same way it has escalated matters related to  HIV/AIDS through the provincial  provincial Aids Council.

“At the first quarterly meeting we should get reports per district like we do at the AIDS Council. Those reports should reflect whether plans have been adopted, whether funding has been received and how did it get leveraged. All this this will become part of the important work of this council,” MEC Pillay said.

 

Issued by KZN Provincial Government