Durban Industry Climate Change Partnership Project (DICCPP) is a project aimed at facilitating industry response to climate change in the eThekwini Municipality (Durban), South Africa[1]. The project is being implemented through a partnership between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Durban Investment Promotion Agency (DIPA), the eThekwini Municipality and the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI).
Contents
The purpose of the project is to sensitise industry in Durban to the risks and opportunities associated with climate change by creating a platform through which learning and communication between industry and government can take place. The project aims to establish a sustained partnership between the various industries organisations in Durban and the eThekwini Municipality. The partnership is seen as fundamental to responding to climate change and effectively contributing towards climate change mitigation and adaptation within the Durban metropolitan area.
Core areas
The partnership covers three core areas. These are: industry specific interventions; institutional support and; outreach. Specific actions within these core areas assist the partnership in fulfilling its assigned purpose.
Industry specific interventions
As part of the first core area, industry specific interventions, engagement with three main existing structures within Durban's industries is seen as critical to the success of the project. These existing industry structures or groupings are: the Durban Automotive Cluster; the Durban Chemical Cluster (DCC) and; the eThekwini Maritime and Logistics Cluster (EMLC).
These industries are brought together and a process of learning, through the conducting of a number of forums by the DICCPP is realised. These forums designed specifically for the local industry cover issues such as greenhouse gas (GHG) assessments (which include carbon footprint calculations, life cycle and supply chain analysis and emission target development); financial implications or opportunities (which include information on carbon taxes, the carbon market, funding streams and investment opportunities); new technologies in renewable energy; waste management and finally; climate change response strategies.,
Institutional support
The second core area of the DICCPP is providing an institutional support mechanism for actively driving and monitoring industry climate change response activities in Durban. In this regard, the DICCPP is working closely with the eThekwini Energy Office to develop a climate change mitigation competency in the municipal structure.
Outreach
The third core area of the DICCPP is called outreach and this is seen as an important part of the project in that it seeks to creates an awareness about climate change issues. A 'carbon footprint video' is being developed within the eThekwini communications department and serves to assist industry to quantify their carbon footprint. The DICCPP is also working with the Imagine Durban team running an Electricity Saving Competition within business in the city.
Strategy
The project's ultimate strategy is to establish a forum for industry to meet regularly to discuss climate change mitigation and adaptation activities. In doing so, this will facilitate investment and technology transfer between Durban and a similar project in China (also implemented by UNIDO). Once this has been established, it is envisaged that regular meetings with the government and other stakeholders will take place.