The City of Cape Town has been selected as the national winner of WWF’s One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) 2024.
As a national winner, Cape Town is now in the running to become one of One Planet City Challenge’s global winners which will be announced in November this year.
Since its inception in 2011, the OPCC initiative has encouraged cities worldwide to set ambitious climate targets aligned with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C. This is the second time that Cape Town has been named a national winner in this long running and largest climate challenge for local governments around the world.In 2014, Cape Town went on to become the global winner when it impressed the international jury by demonstrating that the pursuit of a low carbon future and climate mitigation was possible in a city with so many development priorities.
The other national finalists this year were the City of Tshwane and eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.
Working together, WWF South Africa and ICLEI Africa, attracted participation from over 30 cities in Africa which form part of the over 350 cities across nearly 50 countries in this year’s OPCC, making it one of the world’s largest and most enduring climate challenges for cities. Participating cities submit their climate action plans or projects through the CDP-ICLEI Track, an accessible reporting platform for cities globally.
The jury commended Cape Town for its emphasis on impactful actions, such as compact
urbanisation and the electrification of the transport sector. It said the city had achieved a
striking balance between adaptation and mitigation efforts which has been integrated with the
UN’s Strategic Development Goals across all departments.
Cape Town’s actions during South Africa’s energy crisis were also considered noteworthy,
and a clear demonstration of the city’s commitment to transition toward a renewable energy
system.
Each year, OPCC winners and finalists become bolder in their climate action. Consistent reporting is key to this progression, as it provides feedback that highlights strengths and identifies gaps, helping cities improve and develop better climate strategies. Reporting to the CDP-ICLEI Track also ensures that city’s climate data feeds directly into regional and global high-level discussions.
Innocentia Modau from WWF South Africa said: “We commend Cape Town and all the other participating cities in South Africa for their efforts and encourage more strong action to contribute to the urgent global climate agenda.
Dr Meggan Spires, Director: Climate Change, Energy & Resilience at ICLEI Africa, said: “The City of Cape Town is one of ICLEI’s longest standing member cities, having joined our global network in 1994. The City of Cape Town has been a global trail blazer for climate change action for decades. ICLEI Africa congratulates the City of Cape Town on being named the South African national winner of WWF’s One Planet City Challenge. It is a significant and well deserved accolade”.
Daniel Sullivan, Director: Risk and Resilience Department in the City of Cape Town”, said: “Cape Town is proud to be the national winner of the One Planet City Challenge which acknowledges our commitment to ambitious and transparent climate action. Climate change threats present an opportunity for all of us to work together to adapt and thrive, building programmes of collective action and sharing best practice. Initiatives like OPCC are important platforms for cities to signal and drive this collaborative approach.”