Nelson Mandela Bay has a unique opportunity to embark on a green development pathway which focuses not only on the metro mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change, but seeks the opportunity in the adversity.
There are economic and social advantages to be found if we can reframe our thinking and collaborate on the change that is already here with more to come.
Our metro is uniquely positioned at a convergence of environmental and economic risks and opportunities, where taking the right steps now, together, can potentially build our path out of crisis to recover stronger.
Part of the way through the crisis is to develop a comprehensive climate action plan for Nelson Mandela Bay that envisages a proactive, collaborative response to climate change — transforming current economic and environmental adversity into green economic opportunity and enabling climate resilience along with a socially just transition to a low-carbon future.
Imagine a Nelson Mandela Bay in 2050 that has a thriving green economy, with equitable access to the metro’s resources, that is a lifestyle place of choice in which to live, work, invest, visit and play; a place with clean air, green spaces and clean beaches, spaces for outdoor leisure and eco-tourism?
This may sound like a pipe dream — and it certainly is ambitious — but we believe that the strength of the opportunities presented by the Bay’s land and ocean biodiversity, coupled with its people, using recent developments in green technology, and the history of multi-stakeholder collaboration already established in the metro, can get us there.
As part of finding a pathway and developing partnerships to deal with our challenges, is to engaging with the likes of the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC), established by President Cyril Ramaphosa as an independent, statutory, multi-stakeholder body to oversee a just and equitable transition to a low-emissions and climate-resilient economy for SA.
Earlier this year, the PCC participated in a meeting hosted by the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and Civil Society representatives, in an engagement with the mayoral executive committee.
The purpose was to consider how to forge a climate resilience and development strategy to move the metro forward sustainably, through collaborative efforts by the private sector, government, academia, labour, civil society and communities.
The PCC is very positive about working with stakeholders within Nelson Mandela Bay, based on the already established multi-stakeholder Nelson Mandela Bay Climate Change Coalition initiated by the business chamber, and chaired by the CEO of the Wilderness Foundation, Dr Andrew Muir.
As with the response to Covid-19, metro stakeholders across business, civil society and local government are already demonstrating success in working across various divides to effect positive change on some of our infrastructural challenges.
For instance, the business chamber’s initiatives such as Adopt-a-Leak, Adopt-a-School and Adopt-a-Substation, and various local community and NGO initiatives around recycling waste and conserving our protected areas, are some good examples of the patchwork of efforts already under way.
The PCC’s support for development of the Bay’s climate action strategy is a strong positive for us, because it unlocks national support and resources for what we are trying to do as role players who believe in the potential and future of Nelson Mandela Bay.
The next step in drafting a Climate Resilience and Development Plan for the metro is that early next month, the PCC is hosting a multi-stakeholder workshop in the Bay to present some initial thinking, consult stakeholders to gather broader input and mobilise further action on climate resilient development and a green pathway to the future.
It is envisaged that implementation of the plan will be facilitated by the PCC and driven by a joint climate office overseen by a stakeholder body, and co-hosted by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and the business chamber together with civil society.
What could such a plan entail?
Potentially there could be four pillars to such a plan, which could build on existing work already under way in these areas:
- Green Economy, centred on manufacturing of green ammonia and hydrogen, anchored by the R100bn Hive Hydrogen investment in the Coega SEZ. Together with this, the metro will need to pursue opportunities in battery manufacturing and renewables, along with green geo-engineering of infrastructure to withstand extreme weather.
The automotive industry is at the heart of this, as the transition to electric vehicle manufacturing, our local just transition challenge, is imperative and urgently needs certainty on national policy to move forward. As the centre of manufacturing in NMB, we need to ensure the transition protects industrial activity and jobs, and the PCC will play a key role in facilitating the next steps.
- Blue Lung, focusing on integrating our somewhat unique ocean resources into the metro’s economy and sustaining livelihoods, resolving conflicting user interests, effective marine spatial planning, extending new marine areas to protect our sea life, and driving the proclamation of Algoa Bay as a mixed-use UN World Heritage Site.
- Green Lung, maximising and connecting the potential of the metro’s nine nature reserves and three key watercourses, the Baakens, Van der Kemp’s Kloof/Upper Chatty and the Swartkops Estuary into larger protected areas that will seek to mitigate anticipated flooding through green engineering. At the same time, there are economic opportunities and environmental benefits in alien vegetation clearing, along with creating a corridor of green public recreation spaces.
- Golden Beaches, taking advantage of some of the world’s best beaches and developing plans specific to the focus and needs of the four key zones — the Wildside, Southern, North End/Brighton and Northern beaches — to best harness their tourism, recreation and sporting potential, upgrading amenities and access, and protecting the environment.
What if Nelson Mandela Bay could be the lifestyle place of choice, to live, work, invest and play, by 2050?
If we believe it, we can do it — together.
* Interested parties can register for the workshop here.
Dr Gary Koekemoer is climate change lead for the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and the branch chair of Wessa Algoa Bay