The Municipality is proud to announce that Dr Debra Roberts, who heads up the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department, has been awarded the AfriCAN Climate Research Award by the AfriCAN Climate Consortium. This Award follows hot on the heels of her being named as a Climate Change Leader by the Mail and Guardian recently.
Dr Roberts is championing how cities in Africa adapt to the effects and impacts of climate change. She has played a lead role in international research, delivered papers at international conferences and written reports for the United Nations, and other world organisations.
She is renowned for spearheading projects which has made Durban a world leader in the field of climate change adaptation. This includes the development of the Durban Adaptation Charter for Local Governments which was signed by more than 100 cities around the world in 2011. This charter aimed to take local government forward in a partnership to deal with the many ecological, social and economic impacts that face cities around the world as a result of climate change.
Roberts has also led one of the largest ecosystem-based adaptation reforestation projects, the 600ha Buffelsdraai, 250ha Inanda Mountain and 200ha Paradise Valley community reforestation projects.
She peacefully practices and preaches that Durban is in many ways ‘leading the pack which has resulted in several local government in other parts of the world adopting more transformation –led initiatives around climate change.’
Mayor James Nxumalo said, “Dr Roberts is a world renowned and respected scientist, and the Municipality is extremely proud of her achievements. Through her hard and persistent work and that of her department, the Municipality is at the forefront of global climate change adaptation agenda.”
Roberts commented, “This award is further confirmation of the leadership role that eThekwini Municipality plays in the global debate regarding how urban areas – especially those in Africa – should respond to the challenges of climate change. EThekwini Municipality has gone from a passive consumer of climate change data to an effective co-producer of climate change adaptation knowledge. This new type of knowledge is critical as it is capable of driving innovative, local level action that improves the quality of lives of people, ensures the sustainability of ecosystems and increases the long-term resilience of the city.”
She added, “this is confirmation of my belief that cities around the world are now generating a new breed of local government official, officials that are capable of bridging the gap between science and grass roots action. This emerging cadre of scientifically-inclined practitioners should be encouraged and developed if cities want to remain globally competitive and reap the benefits of a more environmentally aware post 2015 development path.”
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