Young people in Tshwane must be mobilised to be at the forefront of the fight against the negative effects of climate change, in their communities.
This was the message at a recent workshop in Mamelodi to encourage the youth to be implementers of solutions to problems posed by climate change.
Under the theme “youth in climate change” the event was jointly hosted by the City of Tshwane and the JNF Walter Sisulu Environmental Centre in Mamelodi, a custom-designed environmental discovery science centre with activity-based learning programmes.
MMC for Environment and Agriculture Management, Ziyanda Zwane, who was a key speaker, said the event gave the City an opportunity to engage with eco-warriors who were young people leading initiatives to address the issue of climate change.
Organisers shared ideas with young people on how to mitigate the harsh realities of climate change.
Zwane explained that, “The objective of the workshop was to build capacity around the understanding of the effects of climate change and the City’s climate action plan and to promote the involvement of the youth in the plan. The workshop further encouraged young people to become part of the plan by initiating and leading climate change mitigation projects in their respective areas.”
At least 50 young people were enabled to initiate solutions in the form of projects to mitigate climate change through action.
“They also made a commitment to actively contribute and participate in City greening initiatives, namely Re Kaofela, A Re Jwaleng and the Tswelopele cleaning campaigns that were implemented to improve the state of the environment.”
Through the A Re Jwaleng tree-planting campaign, the City seeks to plant 300 000 trees in the coming three years.
The workshop also focused on tree planting and learning about energy factors impacting on climate change and the water sector.
Zwane said: “The Environment and Agriculture Management Department is committed to promoting and encouraging youth participation in climate change mitigation and adaptation actions through various programmes.”
Pretoria News