CHAPTER 6: ASESSING ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY’S CLIMATE ADAPTATION WORK THROUGH THE
6.4 Gaps and missed opportunities in the climate adaptation work in Durban
In addition to the challenges outlined in Section 6.3 in terms of fully integrating the climate adaptation agenda across all municipal sectors, respondents also commented on a number of other specific gaps and missed opportunities that they perceived to be present in eThekwini Municipality’s climate change adaptation work that may have prevented this agenda from gaining more attention and having greater impact. Understanding these gaps is important in order to assess the extent to which the changes that have been implemented in eThekwini Municipality can be considered to be transformative adaptation. Table 6.3 summarises the storylines that emerged under this theme and also indicates the number of respondents who spoke about each of these during their interview. Table 6.4 provides an indication of the percentage of respondents in each respondent category who discussed each of the storylines. A short note on this quantitative analysis is provided in Box 1 below.
Quantitative analysis was not undertaken for the themes that were described in Sections 6.2 and 6.3, because these were descriptive in nature and quantitative analysis would not have added meaning to these.
Box 1: A note on the quantitative analysis of storylines and storyline components:
For some of the themes explored in this thesis, quantitative analysis has been undertaken to explore the number of respondents who discussed each of the storylines (and in some cases, also storyline components) during their interviews and to understand the distribution of these responses across the respondent categories. The intention is to understand the emphasis placed on storylines and storyline components and to assess whether there were differences in perspective across respondent categories. This is important given the diversity of respondents that were interviewed (twenty three respondents across five categories, described in Chapter 5) and their different views on climate adaptation. Distinguishing the responses across respondent categories creates more space for these perspectives to be seen. However, it is also acknowledged that this type of analysis can be misleading and that the less frequent responses are not necessarily less important. For this reason, the analysis is included but the commentary provided on this is limited to only high level observations that seem to align with the broader messaging emerging in this thesis.
When reviewing this analysis, it should be noted that:
Storylines and storyline components in the tables have been ordered in a way that ensures a logical sequencing of conceptual ideas, and are not necessarily ordered in terms of frequency of response.
Symbols have been used to summarise the frequency of responses for storylines and storyline components. A key is provided with each table for interpretation purposes.
In instances where a single respondent discussed more than one storyline component within a single storyline, this reflects in the storyline ‘count’ as a single response, in order to avoid undue weighting. However, each storyline component mentioned would be counted separately at the storyline component level of analysis.
The respondent category numbers align with those that are summarised in Table 5.1 in Chapter 5. These categories have been summarised in the key for each table, for ease of reference.
Table 6.3: Number of respondents that spoke about each of the storylines under the theme: Gaps and missed opportunities
THEME STORYLINE (S) Number of
respondents Gaps and
missed opportunities in the climate change adaptation work
Storyline 1: There has been insufficient communication, education and engagement with stakeholders around climate change
11 Storyline 2: A greater focus on community-level and household adaptation is needed
6 Storyline 3: Existing policy and legislative frameworks have not been used sufficiently to integrate climate change adaptation into municipal planning
3
Storyline 4: Greater focus on the international agenda has undermined local level implementation
2 Storyline 5: Insufficient data recording undermines the climate change work
1
Table 6.4: Percentage (%) of respondents in each respondent category that spoke about each of the storylines under the theme: Gaps and missed opportunities
THEME: Gaps and missed opportunities
Storyline % of respondents in each category
Respondent category 1 2 3 4 5
Storyline 1: There has been insufficient communication, education and engagement with stakeholders around climate change
ϘϘ Ϙ ϘϘ ϘϘ Ϙ
Storyline 2: A greater focus on community-level and
household adaptation is needed ϘϘ Ϙ Ϙ Ϙ
Storyline 3: Existing policy and legislative frameworks have not been used sufficiently to integrate climate change adaptation into municipal planning
Ϙ Ϙ Ϙ
Storyline 4: Greater focus on the international agenda
has undermined local level implementation Ϙ Ϙ
Storyline 5: Insufficient data recording undermines the
climate change work Ϙ
Storyline 1: There has been insufficient communication, education and engagement with stakeholders around climate change
It is interesting to note that much of the emphasis in this theme was placed on the lack of communication, education and engagement with stakeholders around climate change adaptation.
This perspective was particularly common in the respondent group comprising municipal officials who were not directly involved in the climate change adaptation work, suggesting that perhaps the work
Frequency of response Ϙ: 0-33%
ϘϘ: 34-67%:
ϘϘϘ: 68-100%:
KEY
Respondent categories
1. Climate adaptation leaders and coordinators 2. Climate adaptation implementers
3. Municipal officials not directly involved in climate adaptation work 4. Municipal officials involved in strategic planning
5. Stakeholders external to the Municipality
has been too focused on an internal “core” of people who have been more directly involved in implementation. This shortcoming was also acknowledged by the interview group of municipal officials who have been responsible for leading the climate adaptation work in eThekwini Municipality.
In general, respondents felt that communication and education around climate change adaptation is central to sensitising leadership, citizens and other stakeholders to the climate change challenge and building an enabling environment in which there is support for the work that is being done.
Respondents highlighted that communication is generally strongest when it is associated with “big events, like COP 17” (Convenor: IRC, 15/05/2015) but that more generally the city “fails terribly when it comes to communication and getting the message out there” (Specialist Ecologist: EPCPD, 09/03/2015). From a city leadership perspective, respondents felt that messaging around climate adaptation has been inconsistent and that this has resulted in a “lack of ownership” of this new agenda (Chief Strategy Officer: OCM, 23/04/2015). A possible reason for this lack of communication has been the shortage of human resources available to undertake this. Effective communication is resource intensive (especially given the small size of the climate adaptation team) and the early climate adaptation work in eThekwini Municipality prioritised other areas of focus in order to gain traction and support in the areas that were adjudicated to be the most strategic at the time. An additional challenge has been understanding how to communicate with critical target audiences in a meaningful way. One respondent commented, for example, that officials still struggle with how to transfer this knowledge to politicians (Former Deputy Head: EPCPD, 25/05/2015), emphasising some of the challenges related to communication.
Storyline 2: A greater focus on community-level and household adaptation is needed
A number of respondents felt that “we’re not involving people on the ground enough” (Senior Planner:SSPB, 22/04/2015) in the implementation of the climate adaptation work and that this is a major gap in terms of reducing the vulnerability of much of the city’s population. This was echoed by a second respondent, who commented that this is “a big hole in our work, being able to reach into communities and understand their needs and then work with them so that they can help themselves to reduce their risks” (Manager, Climate Protection Branch: EPCPD, 31/10/2014). This is problematic given that the impacts of climate change will be felt most intensely at the community and household level, particularly amongst the poorest and most marginalised of these, and that it is communities themselves that may provide important insights into the nature of the climate adaptation responses that may be most relevant in that context. Shi et al (2016) argue that climate adaptation planning at the municipal level does not focus sufficiently on the specific needs that exist at the community and household level, for example in terms of disaster evacuation processes, therefore re-emphasising the need for appropriate engagement with all stakeholders at this level.
Despite efforts within the Climate Protection Branch of EPCPD to better understand community needs directly, the lack of human resource capacity within the branch has often been a limiting factor, given the broad range of work that is required in this field. This raises questions regarding the role of the Municipality at this level and, if there is insufficient capacity within the Municipality to address this gap, what other mechanisms or partnerships (e.g. with community based organisations or non- governmental organisations) might be needed to help facilitate this work more effectively.
Storyline 3: Existing policy and legislative frameworks have not been used sufficiently to integrate climate change adaptation into municipal planning
In some cases it was also felt that existing policy and legislative frameworks, particularly in areas over which the Municipality has control, have not been sufficiently used to integrate adaptation into municipal planning and to facilitate implementation of appropriate action amongst all citizens. One example cited was the potential for the Spatial Planning and Landuse Management Act (2013) or
“SPLUMA” to provide the framework for instituting specific climate adaptation and mitigation requirements for all new building plans that are approved by the Municipality (Acting Deputy City Manager: Economic Development and Planning Cluster, 17/06/2015). In this regard, existing legislation and relevant changes in municipal by-laws were also seen as being fundamental to enforcing change. As one respondent commented:
“We should have moved more quickly to environmentally sensitive legislation, whether it’s restricting when you can water your garden; whether it’s limiting toilet flushing;
because you can legislate for many things. You know, no by-laws have been changed for 10 years, so a legislative underpinning is key to bringing about change” (Former Head:
EWS, 03/03/2015).
However, one of the key challenges inherent in the above is the polar nature of legislation and climate change: legislation is by nature precise while climate change is inherently unpredictable. Although the incorporation of general principles of “good practice” in municipal by laws would likely have positive impacts, in some instances the uncertain nature of climate change poses significant challenges in translating this into fixed legislation (Former Deputy Head, EPCPD, pers. comm., 19.04.2016).
Storyline 4: Greater focus on the international agenda has undermined local level implementation
A number of respondents suggested that the dominant international focus of eThekwini Municipality’s climate adaptation work has significantly undermined local level action and that this could ultimately discredit the gains made in the international space. As one respondent commented:
“You can get the CEO in this organisation saying “well we’ve got nothing to worry about because we’re one of the most famous in the world for what we’re doing” but in fact it’s masking the fact that back at home you’re doing nothing, so take away that, you know, and it can also discredit the stuff that’s happening on the world stage…” (Project Manager: EDU, 23/05/2015).
This perspective was also shared by those leading the climate adaptation work who acknowledged that, in new change arenas where resources are scarce, deliberate decisions have to be made regarding where these efforts will be focused. In the eThekwini Municipality case, the decision was to invest significantly in the international arena (for the reasons which will be outlined in Section 7.3).
The involvement of local actors in this global climate adaptation arena is seen to have been a significant factor in the evolution of eThekwini Municipality’s climate adaptation and mitigation programmes and in the growth of its institutional capacity around these issues (Taylor et al., 2014).
However, it has also come at a cost to the local, community-based, work. As one respondent explained:
“And so that for me is the big gap, the missed opportunity has been in the community based adaptation space…understanding the agency that we’ve got at community level, we haven’t got close to that, and it’s become almost impossible as we rally our resources around the international agenda…It’s taken the whole team to focus on that, to push it, and so we’ve made tough choices, we’ve chosen one literally over the other and that’s not sustainable…Because as the cracks start to appear in the local, that good news story that you’re using to lever will become problematic…how do we achieve the balance...”
(Former Deputy Head: EPCPD, 25/05/2015).
An important message emerging from this is that, in a resource-constrained context, trade-offs need to be made regarding where to invest resources. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to predict where these decisions will lead, and therefore trying to proactively understand the potential risks associated with a particular decision, might help to manage these more effectively.
Storyline 5: Insufficient data recording undermines the climate change work
One respondent also raised the issue of insufficient data collection as a key gap in the climate adaptation work and commented:
“To me it’s a lack of understanding of why you collect data and we get a small amount of budget annually for expanding our rain gauge network so we are constantly looking to expand it because it’s really about reassessing, being able to reassess where you are at...
and also to make decisions going forward.” (Senior Manager: CSCM, 11/09/2014).
The point made in this regard was that data recording is critical to understanding whether the climate predictions that have been made for Durban emerge as accurate. However, such needs are not seen as “core business” by decision-makers and therefore, as budget allocations for such initiatives are decreased, some of the foundational information that will help to build a more accurate picture of the likely impacts of climate change on Durban, is being lost. The lack of resourcing that is given to data collection related to climate adaptation reflects earlier comments relating to the fact that climate change (and related initiatives) are not seen as immediate priorities, in the face of other developmental challenges.
Analysis and interpretation
Much of the critique in this section (from those directly involved in leading the climate adaptation work and from those who have been more distant from it) has been on the insufficient attention that has been given to climate change communication and education and community-focused work. These perceived gaps seem to relate strongly to the greater emphasis that has been placed on promoting the climate adaptation agenda in the international arena, which had the intention of building a more enabling policy environment that could ultimately help to more effectively embed the agenda at the local level. However, a number of respondents highlighted that this may have come at the expense of the local work, which is seen for example in the gaps around communication and community level
adaptation. In the eThekwini Municipality case, this unequal implementation emphasis was the result of a conscious decision, given (a) the limited resources (both human and financial) of the small Climate Protection Branch; and (b) the potential for the international work to help promote the local work more effectively in the longer-term. Regardless of the rationale for the decisions made however, eThekwini Municipality is currently at a critical point in its work, where local awareness and political traction have not been what they should have, raising concerns around whether the local agenda has been compromised through the initial decisions taken around priority areas for intervention. The gap around community engagement is also significant, given that transformative adaptation is characterised by appropriate engagement of all stakeholders, particularly those who will be most affected by climate change. This raises important questions around initiating and sustaining transformative adaptation and finding ways to balance the need for action across multiple scales and levels, with the limited resources that are available in new areas of work. It also points to the need for appropriate implementation partnerships in areas such as community level engagement, where the Municipality may not have appropriate or sufficient skills and resources.