The City of Johannesburg’s Environment, Infrastructure and Services Department (EISD) hosted a Climate Action Implementation (CAI) workshop on Wednesday, 03 December 2025 in Illovo. Held under the theme “From Plan to Action: Celebrating Milestones and Charting the Future of Climate Action Implementation in Johannesburg (2022–2025)”, it brought together key stakeholders to reflect on progress made and outline steps in advancing the city’s climate ambitions.
The one-day session provided an in-depth overview of the CAI Programme’s implementation since 2022, highlighting high-impact projects, mainstreaming achievements, key achievements and learnings, and future priorities.
The CAI Africa Programme, funded by the UK Government has through C40 cities, supported cities in the Global South from January 2022 to December 2025 to fast-track the delivery of Climate Action Plans (CAPs). The programme emphasizes policies and initiatives that deliver the greatest emissions reductions and climate risk mitigation. C40 is a global network of more than 100 leading cities committed to taking bold climate action. Johannesburg is an active member of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
Johannesburg launched its Climate Action Plan in March 2021, mapping out a pathway towards a net-zero, climate-resilient city by 2050. Through the CAI Programme, the city has receiving integrated support to advance two high-priority climate actions while embedding the CAP into institutional processes and decision-making systems.
Key objectives of the workshop included:
- Showcasing progress and milestones achieved in the programme’s high-impact energy and waste projects, as well as climate finance mainstreaming efforts.
- Providing project teams with a platform to share technical and financial updates on implementation.
- Documenting lessons and challenges encountered between 2022 and 2025 to inform future climate action.
- Discussing the roadmap ahead, including funding strategies for scaling up, strengthening institutional capacity, and sustaining long-term climate action outcomes.
Participants included representatives from C40 Cities, City Power, Pikitup, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ), Human Settlements, EISD, and SALGA.
Zarina Moolla, C40 Cities Head of Climate Action Implementation (Africa), highlighted the critical role of cities in the global climate response. “Cities are increasingly central to tackling climate change, yet they are highly vulnerable, 98% are already feeling the impacts, and collectively generate over 70% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.
“African cities are expanding rapidly but continue to face challenges such as inequality, infrastructure gaps, and rising emissions. By 2050, ten of the world’s 50 largest cities will be in Africa.”
Lebo Molefe, Director for Air Quality and Climate Change in the City of Johannesburg, expressed gratitude to the UK Government for supporting the programme. “The city is celebrating significant progress in its climate response and the impactful projects implemented to mitigate climate change.”
Molefe emphasised that Johannesburg has played a leading role in advancing climate action, noting that the milestones achieved strengthen the city’s capacity to design and implement effective climate policies and interventions.
Written by Dudu Lushaba