East London - The Eastern Cape government will be unveiling its strategy to combat climate change at COP17 in Durban.
In addition to unveiling the Eastern Cape Climate Change Response Strategy (ECCCRS), the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) will also showcase a number of projects that are already contributing to the fight against climate change.
"The strategy which has been developed is a pro-active rather than reactive approach. COP17 will also provide DEDEAT and related entities the opportunity to profile some of the planned interventions," said department MEC Mcebisi Jonas.
He said the strategy that will be presented consists of four categories: monitoring, mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
Mitigation activities include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and green energy production. Adaption activities include food security and rain water harvesting, while resilience looks at increasing the capacity of people and ecosystems to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.
Projects on display at the conference include those driven by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), Coega and East London's industrial development zones (IDZs), and the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency.
Coega will be showcasing its wind energy generation projects, a solar energy farm and a biofuels project, while East London IDZ will display its Joule prototype electric car and flat-plate solar thermal collectors.
The Eastern Cape Development Corporation will display services offered by Integrated Waste Management Services (IWARS). The Emonti Green Hub, which recovers resources from waste water, sewerage sludge and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, will also be showcased.
The Chris Hani Sustainable Villages project, which involves providing schools with renewable energy, water harvesting and waste water treatment technology, will also be on display.
