Brace yourself Durban the COP17 roadshow is on its way

Climate trains and eco buses will disgorge rock stars and Hollywood royalty

Brace yourself Durban. Top politicians and scientists will be arguing about the future and well-being of the planet, there will be massive street protests, 30 000 visitors, including rock stars and Hollywood royalty, will flood the city and surrounding areas, special climate trains and eco buses.

The latest COP (Convention of the parties for climate change) is set to take place in Durban this December – does the city know what it’s in for?

The world’s air is polluted, water scarcity is becoming a major problem and renewable forms of energy need to be heavily invested in; developed countries such as the US need to commit to reducing their carbon emissions.

City officials and activists are concerned that Durbanites should be leading the green campaign and be ready to show off how environmentally friendly the city and its citizens are as eThekwini prepares itself for what everyone who is anyone is describing as “the biggest conference the country has hosted”.

Don’t be mistaken, the climate talks are not just the domain of sombre-suited types zipping around the exclusive ICC zone dragging along trolley suitcases packed with lengthy documents of how many bad things they think can be let into the atmosphere.

Celebrities, activist and officials will be trailing around Durban on the lookout for what’s green and what’s not.

As city manager Michael Sutcliffe says, the environmentally aware delegates will be choosing carefully which hotels to stay at, and where to eat.

“People are conscious of where the green places are, and what the local food is,” said Sutcliffe.
Sutcliffe said people will look for locally grown food that arrives fresh at the restaurant, giving the international set a taste of Durban.

“There are important decisions to be dealt with in our city,” said Sutcliffe, and, more important, it was a chance for Durban to show why it was one of the leading cities in Africa.

Sue Bannister, from the city’s strategic projects unit, said the city would benefit from the huge international exposure. In addition, accommodation, food, entertainment, curios and craft sectors would also do well. Service industries such as printing would also benefit.

By her calculations, 405 000 meals will be eaten, 50 000 curios will be sold, a million cups of tea and coffee will be consumed, and there will be 50 000 metered-taxi trips taken.

Sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies from South Africa will also be on display.
There will be a climate law conference, investment dinners, a day of prayer, educational activities, and even a climate train that will journey across South Africa showing artwork and holding events about the COP17 negotiations – the city has been inundated with requests for activities.

Bryan Ashe, of environmental organisation GeaSphere, who is in part co-ordinating the international NGO efforts in Durban for COP17, said discussions, workshops and even a Global Day of Action will be co-ordinated by the team.

“The Global Day of Action would not be just to toyi-toyi, but give a red card if civil society is not convinced that governments will reach an agreement on negotiations,” he said at a briefing.

The activists are expected to be housed in a “climate refugee camp” which would consist of tents erected near the Curries Fountain area. Craft markets, message walls, childcare facilities, food markets and marquee spaces would also be created to showcase the efforts of civil society in climate-friendly work..

No doubt Durban would come under close scrutiny but, as Deputy Mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala said, there was a lot in Durban to showcase such as Blue Lagoon’s Green Hub and the Mariannhill landfill site gas-to-electricity project, the first in Africa.

Hotels and restaurants will be booming during this period, and the Federated Hospitality Industry of Southern Africa (Fedhasa) said they would be going all out to “wow” the delegates.

“There is no question that the hotels will be full, and not only in Durban, but on the south and north coasts and even into Pietermaritzburg,” said Gerhard Patzer, KwaZulu-Natal regional chairman of Fedhasa.

And if a binding agreement was reached in Durban, Patzer said the city’s name would be put on the map, and the marketing impact of that should not be underestimated.
Greenpeace executive director Kumi Naidoo, said he wanted all Durban residents to be involved in the COP17 event.
 “There will be a range of informative events, exhibitions and peaceful protests and I strongly encourage everyone to come and educate themselves if they don’t know what the talks are all about,” said Naidoo.

He also urged Durban to showcase not only the culture and history to the international visitors, but also the efforts being made in renewable energy projects.

“In Cancun last year there was an explosion in these types of projects in the three months before the talks began, and such big projects just ahead of the talks don’t do any harm,” said Naidoo.
Sources include: the Independent on Sunday

Valere Tjolle
Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2011 Special Offers HERE