Search Climate Insights Directory
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Green Economy Enterprise Development and Investment
The document details how District Watch Group, a Cape Town-based security company, integrated eight BMW i3 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) into its 60-vehicle fleet. The transition resulted in an overall cost reduction of approximately 80% over the vehicle's life, primarily driven by significantly lower maintenance and fuel costs, despite higher upfront capital, insurance, and tyre expenses. The case study highlights the role of green innovation in enhancing the resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) against acute shocks and chronic stresses.
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Document type: Case study
Demonstrating resilience through adapting skills training delivery during Covid-19 lockdown
The document details the adaptive measures taken by the City of Cape Town (CCT) and GreenCape to ensure green economy skills training continued during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. By shifting to virtual learning platforms, adjusting technical course protocols, and providing remote training, the partnership aimed to build economic resilience and empower youth in Atlantis to access opportunities within the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ). Key outcomes include the reach of over 115 learners through IkamvaYouth and 129 people trained via Lesedi Training Academy.
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Document type: Case study
Case Study
The document details a green economy initiative in two Cape Town informal settlements, Freedom Farm and Malawi Camp, where GreenCape and iSolar Ngoku are deploying solar home systems. The project aims to address a 30-year lack of formal electricity while fostering local employment through the training of community members as installers. The model uses a paid-service approach to ensure ownership and funds a community resource pool.
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Document type: Case study
Brick recovery: Building economic resilience through understanding waste streams in Cape Town, South Africa.
The document examines the potential for recovering construction materials from builders' rubble at Cape Town's drop-off sites to mitigate a regional landfill airspace crisis. It highlights a June 2019 survey showing that contractors at some sites recover an average of 920 bricks weekly, suggesting a business case for low-skilled job creation and support for low-income housing. However, the viability of this model is challenged by labour costs, the need for consistent volumes of quality material, and theft.
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Document type: Case study
Covid-19 local food security response: Mobilising partnerships to build community resilience during an acute shock
The document details how the Philippi Economic Development Initiative (PEDI), in partnership with UCook's Food Fund and Ladles of Love, addressed food insecurity in Cape Town during the Covid-19 pandemic. Key outcomes included the distribution of over 3,667 food parcels, the purchase of 7.3 tonnes of produce from small-scale farmers, and the provision of R190,000 in income to 29 farms. The study highlights the effectiveness of community-led distribution models and the role of urban farming in mitigating acute shocks. Additionally, it describes the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership's (EDP) role in coordinating food relief through a government-NGO forum and the Community Kitchens programme, which provided digital vouchers to 100 informal kitchens across Cape Town.
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Document type: Case study
Witsand Informal Settlement: Building resilient urban communities though innovation and partnership
The document details a resilience-building project in the Witsand informal settlement, where GreenCape, ThinkWifi, and community leaders co-designed solar street lights that provide both area lighting and internet connectivity. This initiative utilizes an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach to provide interim services in an area characterized by a lack of formal tenure and inadequate basic services. The project aims to improve safety, close the digital divide, and foster local economic empowerment, particularly in the context of South Africa's load shedding challenges.
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Document type: Case study
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL GREEN BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES – INTERACTIVE ONLINE DIRECTORY
This document is a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by GreenCape in May 2020 for the development of an interactive online directory of green business support services in South Africa, created in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF).
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Document type: Briefing
Integrated energy management
The document details Shoprite's strategy to mitigate the impacts of load-shedding and rising electricity tariffs through a three-pronged energy efficiency approach. Using the Shoprite Constantia store in Cape Town as a primary example, the report highlights the implementation of a 440kWp grid-tied solar system, LED lighting retrofits, and solar-powered refrigerated trailers. These interventions have led to significant reductions in utility costs, diesel consumption, and electricity usage. The broader program has expanded to 19 sites, with plans to reach 25, reflecting a long-term strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance adaptive capacity against economic and environmental shocks.
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Document type: Case study
Closing the Loop with HDPE: 50/Fifty Wheelie Bin
The City of Cape Town (CCT) implemented a circular procurement policy for its wheelie bins, requiring them to be made from 50% HDPE recyclate with a 10-year minimum lifespan. Since November 2014, this initiative has diverted approximately 1,132 to 1,156 tonnes of HDPE from landfills, saving between 1,053 and 1,121m3 of landfill airspace. The programme has generated cost savings of R9 to R10.1 million through lower unit prices and an additional R6.7 million via a bin-exchange scheme where the contractor provides one free bin for every 65kg of condemned material. The project has created 13 permanent and 18 part-time local jobs and reduced Scope 2 CO2 eq emissions by 1,708 tonnes. By sourcing materials locally and securing end-markets for recyclers, the CCT has reduced its vulnerability to global commodity price volatility and supply chain disruptions.
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Document type: Case study
Stuffing for Bears who Care
The document details how WISP connected Advanced Technical Sock Industries (ATSI) in the Western Cape with The Care Bear Project in Pietermaritzburg, allowing the latter to use ATSI's yarn fluff waste as stuffing for teddy bears. With free transport provided by The Courier Guy, the initiative diverted 0.18 tonnes of waste annually from landfills and saved The Care Bear Project R10,800 per year, enabling the employment of two additional staff members.
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Document type: Case study
Oranjezicht City Farm and Market
The Oranjezicht City Farm (OZCF) is a non-profit project in Cape Town that promotes urban agriculture and social cohesion. It operates a community farm, a farmers market, and the 'Bokashi Brigade' for decentralized food waste composting. The project contributes to the City of Cape Town's resilience goals by diverting 78-100 tonnes of organic waste from landfills annually and supporting local artisanal food producers.
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Document type: Case study
URBAN LOCKDOWN LESSONS FOR SOUTH AFRICA: NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR A GREEN AND EQUITABLE RECOVERY IN MUNICIPALITIES
The report advocates for the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) in South African municipalities to address the dual crises of COVID-19 economic devastation and climate vulnerability. It highlights that while national green recovery plans exist, they often require high skills and long lead times. In contrast, NBS—particularly urban tree planting and the removal of invasive alien plants—can provide immediate, low-skill employment for vulnerable populations while mitigating urban heat islands, managing flood risks, and improving public health. The document identifies significant barriers to implementation, including municipal funding shortages, difficulties in quantifying the economic value of natural assets, and rigid public procurement processes.
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Document type: Report
Rural Enterprise incentives through performance-based fiance for FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION AND LOW EMISSIONS DEVELOPEMNT
The proposed programme aims to mitigate 85.942 million tCO2eq by 2030 in three DRC provinces through a public-private partnership model. It focuses on transitioning smallholders from shifting agriculture to sustainable, market-oriented farming and forestry. The project utilizes a performance-based finance (PBF) mechanism where private sector partners provide capital for community enterprises conditional on meeting verified emission reduction targets, while GCF grants fund the necessary public sector capacity building and technical training.
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Document type: Report
Principles, priorities & pathways for inclusive green economies
The 'Principles, priorities & pathways for inclusive green economies' report, published by the Green Economy Coalition, presents a three-part framework designed to guide governments, businesses, and institutions toward a fast and fair economic transformation to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.
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Document type: Report
Ambitions for Greening Solid Waste Management: Perspectives from Urban(ising) Africa
African cities face a 'triple challenge' of rapid population growth, urban expansion, and poor waste management, which threatens urban sustainability and marine ecosystems. The report advocates for a transition from linear 'take–make–dispose' models to a circular economy that prioritises resource efficiency and waste removal. Key recommendations include integrating the informal waste sector, implementing municipal composting, and leveraging regional policy frameworks like Agenda 2063 to foster green entrepreneurialism.
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Document type: Report
A UK net-zero target must inspire global action
The Green Economy Coalition responds to the UK Committee on Climate Change's (CCC) recommendation for the UK to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. While welcoming the target as a roadmap for other economies, the Coalition argues that net-zero by 2050 is a minimum starting point and may be too cautious regarding technology and societal change. The document emphasizes that decarbonization alone is insufficient, calling for a transition to a green economy that addresses biodiversity loss, ensures a just transition through deliberative democracy, and implements Green New Deal policies to prevent corporate monopolies over new green infrastructure.
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Document type: Statement
Entry Points for Vertical Integration of Climate Action in Kazakhstan
The report examines how Kazakhstan can integrate climate adaptation into its governance structure, focusing on two primary entry points: high-level national strategic documents and sub-national development programs. It highlights a gap in methodological knowledge for conducting Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (RVAs) and suggests a model where national scientific bodies conduct RVAs while provincial departments prioritize and implement measures. The document recommends leveraging the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) process and the Green Economy Concept to mainstream climate resilience, while proposing specific adjustments to the Ministry of National Economy's Territorial Development Program to ensure investments are climate-proofed.
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Document type: Report
Отправные точки для вертикальной интеграции климатических действий в Казахстане
The document examines how Kazakhstan can vertically integrate climate action by linking national strategic documents and subnational development programs. It highlights the role of the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of National Economy in coordinating these efforts, while emphasizing the need for improved climate information, systematic risk and vulnerability assessments (RVA), and capacity building for local authorities. The report proposes specific mechanisms to embed climate risks into regional development planning and suggests a 'training of trainers' model to sustain methodological expertise.
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Document type: Report
GREEN ECONOMY COALITION: EVENT REPORT
The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) convened a global meeting in Cape Town from January 8-10, 2019, bringing together over 130 participants to address the question of how everyone can get a stake in the green economy. The event resulted in five core findings, a set of policy recommendations for the UN-PAGE Ministerial, and a framework for the GEC's next ten-year strategy. The report highlights a global trend toward green investment—noting over 9 trillion of private investment since 2007—while warning that biodiversity is in crisis and the global financial system is structurally unfit for the environmental crisis. It also provides status updates on green economy initiatives in several GEC hub countries, including South Africa, India, Mongolia, Peru, Senegal, and Uganda.
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Document type: Report
Final report to the NDC Partnership on the events delivered in Vietnam, Tanzania, Cambodia, Zambia, and Uganda in 2018
The report details a series of Swedish-led dialogue forums in five countries aimed at integrating climate policies (NDCs) with sustainable development goals (SDGs). Common findings across the forums include a critical need for capacity building at local levels, the challenge of translating national policies into regional implementation, and the necessity of securing both international and domestic financing. While stakeholders generally recognized the synergies between NDCs and SDGs, concerns persisted regarding trade-offs between rapid industrialization and environmental sustainability. Country-specific insights highlight Vietnam's focus on integrated water management, Tanzania's debate on the economic costs of environmental degradation, Zambia's emphasis on research and solar potential, Cambodia's focus on inter-ministerial policy coherence, and Uganda's concerns over institutional silos and external financing dependencies.
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Document type: Report