- The global network of mayors, C40 Communities Climate Leadership Group, pushes South African cities to strengthen their economies by creating green jobs.
- Municipal governments are estimated to add 705,000 new long-term jobs.
According to the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ambitious urban climate action could create and support more than 1.8 million green employment in South Africa by 2030. The worldwide network of mayors claims in its recently released 2021 report that expanding the number of green jobs in South African cities will speed up sustainable development in the southern African country, where 66 per cent of the population lives in cities.
The study, which is being led by Eric Garcetti, the current head of the C40 and the mayor of Los Angeles, focuses on the sustainable building, energy, and transportation sectors, which have the potential to employ more than 1 million South Africans with demonstrated skills.
According to the report, boosting nature-based investments can help alleviate the effects of climate change, such as the risk of floods and droughts in some of Nelson Mandela’s cities, according to the C40 Municipal Alliance. In addition, municipal governments are estimated to add 705,000 new long-term jobs.
In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the mayor of Durban is banking on youths to build a sustainable, fair, and inclusive economy based on a vision of social justice for underprivileged communities, women, and youth.