Cape Town
Climate Week
23-28 September 2024
A week-long annual event dedicated to raising awareness about the need for system change as a pathway to address climate change and its related social and political injustices.
OUR AIMS
Cape Town Climate Week 2024 was the third annual event of its kind seeking to further build on the work done and provides a platform for various stakeholders to engage in dialogue, collaboration and dynamic action towards building a sustainable and just future for all.
The aims of Cape Town Climate Week 2024 were:
To raise awareness about the urgency and severity of the climate crisis and its intersections with socio-political injustices, and how system change can be used as a solution to it.
To foster dialogue, collaboration and dynamic action and fun among all involved across Cape Town.
To showcase innovative solutions and best practices in key thematic areas related to climate change and its socio-political intersections.
To collaborate and strengthen relationships within civil society groups and organisations in Cape Town.
The six thematic areas of Cape Town Climate Week 2024 reflected the complex and multifaceted nature of the climate crisis in South Africa and the need for innovative solutions that take into account the country's unique socio-economic and cultural context.
Furthermore, the week called for global solidarity; for our collective support and cooperation to address common challenges and stand together in times of crisis to achieve socio-environmental justice.
2024 THEMES
2024’s themes continued on from our annual March for System Change:
ENERGY JUSTICE | WATER JUSTICE | FOOD JUSTICE | SPATIAL JUSTICE | GENDER JUSTICE | GLOBAL SOLIDARITY
By exploring the 6 thematic areas, Cape Town Climate Week 2024 aimed to promote dialogue, collaboration and, fun, and dynamic action towards building a sustainable and just future in South Africa. This was done through workshops, panel discussions, food gardening, activations, and artivism.
Click on the buttons below to learn more about each of our themes:
2024 PROGRAMME
MONDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER
BUILDING RESILIENCE AND RESISTANCE FOR ENERGY JUSTICE
In this exhibition curated by Project 90 by 2030, we explored a broad range of practical energy saving solutions to apply in your own life, while learning about how to get involved in advocacy for a more just energy future in South Africa.
‘TEMPERATURE RISING’ DOCUMENTARY SCREENING & PANEL
Temperature Rising is a documentary that follows the lives of three climate activists as they tackle the climate crisis in Southern Africa, exposing the politics, barriers, and struggles activists face. We hosted an exclusive screening, followed by a discussion about how to take action for our just future.
TUESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER
RIPPLES OF CHANGE: EXPLORING HISTORY, HERITAGE AND WATER JUSTICE AT PRINCESS VLEI
On Heritage Day, we walked and talked along the water body of Princess Vlei - a treasured wetland on the Cape Flats named after a Khoe princess - as we explored the role indigenous knowledge, history, and heritage play in safeguarding our city’s water sources and calling for water justice.
WEDNESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER
SOWING SEEDS FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGE
We got our hands in the soil and sowed seeds for system change by planting a food garden at a primary school in Langa. We also discussed what it will take to rethink food security in Cape Town and create resilient food systems in the face of the climate crisis.
THURSDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER
CYCLE FOR SYSTEM CHANGE
We started the day off with a group awareness-raising cycle, from Bertha House to Lange Bicycle Hub, followed by a discussion on how we navigate through a segregated city and how accessible public transport can transform our city.
TRAIN OF THOUGHT: #FIXOURTRAINS
We then journeyed from Langa to Cape Town City Centre for an on-the-go train ride explainer of why we need working trains to address spatial inequality in the city, the need for low-impact transportation options in a climate crisis, and how we can all get involved in the call to #FixOurTrains.
HOMECOMING: UNDOING SPATIAL APARTHEID THROUGH SOCIAL HOUSING
Finally on Thursday we followed in footsteps of Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim The City as they walked us through the old Tafelberg school site in Seapoint and shared about the work they are doing to ensure low-impact, social housing in the city. This reimagining walk aimed to help us understand how land and housing justice is central to our fight for a more just and resilient city.
FRIDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER
TOUR AND TASTE OF THE PHILIPPI HORTICULTURAL AREA
On Friday, we journeyed through the Philippi Horticultural Area, with farmer Nazeer Sonday, and ended with a lunch on his farm to learn more about the history and heritage of food justice in Cape Town – and why fighting corporate development is key to Cape Town’s resilience.
THE GENDER AGENDA
We then had a panel discussion with GRIT, Triangle Project, and Rainbow UCT about tools for advocating for gender justice in South Africa and how we can extend this to the climate justice movement.
SATURDAY, 2 NOVEMBER
SOLIDARITY PICNIC
As a continuation of Cape Town Climate Week, we gathered to share food, stories, spoken word, and ideas for intersectional justice across the world. Through storytelling and shared commitment to ending all oppressive systems, we showed how our struggle for climate justice in Cape Town is connected to all those battling against oppressive regimes across the continent and the world.
