http://www.iol.co.za/mercury/plan-to-offset-cop17-emissions-1.1171488
WITH the huge UN COP17 climate change summit just 24 days away, the eThekwini municipality has revealed a ground-breaking project as part of its greening programme to offset the carbon footprint of Durban's hosting of the event.
Debra Roberts, eThekwini's deputy head of environmental planning and climate protection, briefed the media this week on the initiative dubbed Ceba (Community Ecosystem Based Adaptation). She said the Wildlands Conservation Trust was a partner in the initiative.
"The Durban Ceba Initiative is one of the most exciting elements of the city's broader COP17 greening programme. It has been adopted as the official voluntary offset mechanism for COP17. Delegates, corporates and residents of Durban will be able to contribute towards the project by buying 'Ceba credits' to play their part in helping offset the environmental impact associated with hosting COP17," she said.
"Each Ceba credit will cost about $10 (R80) and the money raised will be used for the official Ceba greening site along the Umbilo River catchment area. Unemployed people from the neighbouring communities will then be employed as 'green collar' workers to first remove alien plants and trees.
"Part of the money will be used to plant indigenous trees along the Umbilo River, with the pilot reforestation site located at Paradise Valley, near Pinetown. The project is a community-centred climate adaptation model based on generating African solutions to climate change.
"We want this project to not only benefit the ecological sustainability of the river, but the social sustainability of poor communities along it," Roberts explained.
She said initial funding for the project would come from the city, corporates and through the Wildlands Conservation Trust.
"The removal of alien plants and trees alone would cost at least a couple of million rand. The funds raised through Ceba credits would see COP17 delegates, businesses and even ordinary Durbanites being able to actively contribute to this pioneering climate change adaptation initiative," said Roberts.
She said the project would result in offsetting about 16 000 tons of carbon, which would more than cover the conference's local carbon footprint.
l The website www .durbanceba.org goes live on November 10 and the initiative will be officially launched during the conference.
