Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Mitigation
Services
Energy Office
The Climate Change Mitigation branch in eThekwini Municipality is dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing climate resilience across the city. The department's efforts are aligned with both national climate goals and global commitments, ensuring that Durban contributes to international climate goals while adapting to local climate impacts. The following sections outline the key programs and activities undertaken by the department:
Climate Change Mitigation Strategy and Action Plans The municipality has developed a comprehensive Durban Climate Change Strategy (DCCS) to guide its climate action. This strategy outlines a range of measures for reducing emissions, improving energy efficiency, and fostering sustainability across sectors, including transportation, waste management, energy, and agriculture. The DCCS focuses on the city’s long-term goals, aiming for a reduction in carbon emissions and improved climate resilience. This includes programs such as the Low-Carbon and Climate-Resilient Urban Development which focuses on sustainable urban planning to ensure that new developments adhere to climate-smart principles, reducing energy consumption and increasing green space as well as the Renewable Energy Integration that promotes the use of renewable energy, such as solar and wind, in both public and private sectors. Efforts have been directed toward supporting solar power systems in municipal buildings and local businesses.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management The department is actively involved in tracking and reducing the city's carbon footprint. eThekwini Municipality conducts regular greenhouse gas inventories, aiming to identify sources of emissions and target reduction efforts. Programs such as the Carbon Inventory and Reporting assist with the regular data collection and reporting on emissions sources across sectors such as transportation, industry, and energy use. Moreover, the city is implementing building codes and energy-efficient technologies in new and existing buildings, streetlighting, and water infrastructure to reduce energy consumption.
Public Transport and Sustainable Mobility To reduce transportation-related emissions, the Climate Change Mitigation branch has focused on transforming the city’s transport infrastructure. This involves enhancing public transport systems and promoting non-motorized transport (walking and cycling). The city has introduced the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to promote more sustainable and efficient public transportation options and also developed walking and cycling lanes, and improvement of pedestrian-friendly environments to reduce car dependency.
Waste Management and Circular Economy Waste management is another critical area of focus for the municipality in its climate mitigation efforts. The department is working towards reducing landfill waste and promoting recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy initiatives. This includes the implementation of recycling programs across communities and businesses to reduce waste generation and promote resource efficiency; encouraging organic waste separation at source and promoting composting practices at the community level and development of facilities to convert waste into energy, reducing the dependency on non-renewable energy sources and minimizing waste sent to landfills.
Public Awareness and Community Engagement Public participation and awareness are central to the municipality’s climate strategy. The department actively engages with local communities, businesses, and other stakeholders to build awareness of climate change impacts and promote sustainable behaviours. The department undertakes Public Education Campaigns through information dissemination through media, workshops, and community outreach programs aimed at educating the public about climate change and its effects also conducts workshops for local government officials, business owners, and communities to build capacity for addressing climate change in everyday activities and decision-making.
The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory (GHGEI) identifies the sources of the GHG emissions from both the government and public sector within the eThekwini Municipal Area (EMA). The inventory was compiled to help plan climate change mitigation strategies within the Municipality.
The GHGEI is divided into two sub-inventories, one for the broader eThekwini community and one for the Municipality or local government emissions. The local government "sub-inventory" includes GHG emissions from activities under the control of the eThekwini Municipality entity, whilst the community inventory includes GHG emissions from various sectors within the boundary of the EMA.
The eThekwini Municipality started reporting to the Carbon Disclosure Project in 2012 and now reports annually to the CDP. The CDP is "an international, not-for-profit organization providing the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information."
2022 Downloade Thekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2022 Summary Report here
Downloade Thekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2022 Technical Report here
2021
Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2021 Summary Report here
Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2021 Technical Report here
2020
Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2020 Summary Report here Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2020 Technical Report here
2019 Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2019 Summary Report here Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2019 Technical Report here
2018 Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2018 Summary Report here Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2018 Technical Report here
2017 Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2017 Summary Report here Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2017 Technical Report here
2016 Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2016 Summary Report here
Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2016 Technical Report here
2015 Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2015 Summary Report here Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2015 Technical Report here
2014 Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2014 Summary Report here Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2014 Technical Report here
2013 Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2013 Summary Report here Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2013 Technical Report here
2012
Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2012 Summary Report here
Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2012 Technical Report here
2011
Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2011 Summary Report here Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2011 Technical Report here
2010
Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2010 Summary Report here
Download eThekwini Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 2010 Technical Report here
The Energy Office manages a large number of projects. These projects, while falling under the banner of Climate Change Mitigation, can be classified into Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Climate Change, Transportation and Green & Knowledge Economy. Frequently other Municipal Units and Departments are partnered to implement projects. In addition, the Energy Office frequently participates in national and international projects.
An example of participation in an international initiative is the Global Protocol for Community Scale Emissions (GPC) (http://www.ghgprotocol.org/). “The GPC serves as the global standard for accounting and reporting city and community-scale GHG emissions that covers scope 1, scope 2, and some scope 3 emission sources” (http://www.ghgprotocol.org/city-accounting).
The eThekwini Municipality was one of the Pilot Cities for the standard and provided input for the final version which should be release towards the latter part of 2014.
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