At the top of the list of crises is climate change, and it is no surprise. It has been around for decades. The need to respond to the changing climate is as urgent now as it was in 2015 when hundreds of UN nation states reached the global Paris Agreement on climate change.

With 12 December 2015 marking the five-year ‘anniversary’, we have an opportunity to pause and reflect. We must re-assess how to speed up climate actions to keep global temperature rise within safe limits.

The science tells us that we need to stay well below 1.5 degrees of warming. To do this we need to ensure ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050 or we will face widespread unlivable conditions. The impacts of wildfires, droughts and floods are already showing up far too frequently in our news feeds.

The Alliance for Climate Action South Africa is a network of committed organisations working together to collectively achieve a net zero-carbon economy for South Africa by 2050.

Both businesses and cities are creating climate action plans to prepare for the climate impacts and build climate resilience considering the reliance on ecosystem services and raw materials essential to the supply of goods and services. The longer South Africa’s economy remains powered by fossil fuels, the more exposed we are to the risk of trade barriers and shrinking markets for our goods such as coal and petrol and diesel vehicles from trade partners looking to reduce their carbon emissions.

The Alliance for Climate Action believes that a shift to a low-carbon economy is an opportunity for South Africa’s economy to flourish for us all.
 
Members of the Alliance for Climate Action South Africa declare, ‘‘We are acting now to create a future that is low-carbon and climate-resilient, positive for our economy, and inclusive for all who live in South Africa. We call on companies, cities and others to work together to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in South Africa by 2050.’’
 
How are South Africa’s cities and companies committed to a climate-safe future? Are we enabling a healthy planet that can provide fresh air, clean water and nutritious food for our families?

Join individuals, companies, cities and members of the Alliance for Climate Action South Africa for a Twitter chat on Thursday 10 December, 12-1pm: #AlliancesForClimateAction #ClimateCommit
Your co-hosts will be @NBISA @c40cities and @WWFSouthAfrica.

These are the questions we will be discussing:

1. What do you think is the role of businesses and municipalities in implementing climate-positive actions?

2. ​Tag or name a company or city that is committed to a climate-safe future – and tell us why?

3. ​Where and how can SA businesses or cities begin their journey to take climate action?​

4. Show and tell: What climate actions has your business taken to reduce its carbon emissions?

5. How can your city take climate action?

We look forward to a fruitful conversation with forward-planning municipalities and climate-smart companies – big and small – sharing their initiatives for climate action for 2021 and beyond.