Windhoek Determined to Cut Carbon Emissions

The City of Windhoek is taking the lead in raising public awareness about reducing carbon emissions by promoting alternative, environmentally-friendly transportation options.

The city organised a Zero Emissions Week campaign, also known as ZeDay, from 16-21 September, aimed at promoting environmental consciousness and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative sought to encourage individuals, businesses, and government agencies to take a proactive role in combating climate change by minimising their carbon footprints and embracing sustainable practices.

This year, activities included an Electric Transport Exhibition, Cycle to Work and Car Free days.

During the electricity transport exhibition various suppliers of electric vehicles, including M&Z Mercedes, Electric Vehicles Namibia (E-Car Namibia), E-Car and E-bikes, showcased their products. The event highlighted the advantages of electric vehicles over conventional internal combustions engine vehicles.

There are currently just over a 100 electric vehicles (EVs) in Namibia, with government having set a goal to have 10 000 EVs on the country’s roads by 2030.

There has been growing interest in both the public and private sectors in using electric vehicles, with the United Nations in Windhoek and the University of Namibia being some of the pioneers.

The Mayor of Windhoek, Queen Omagano Kamati, said the exhibition was part of the municipality’s efforts to enhance the public transportation system and adopt innovations in addressing climate change.

Windhoek, a prominent urban centre in Namibia, is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. The city’s reliance on open dams and rainfall for its water supply makes it vulnerable to the projected drier future, exacerbated by increased evaporation and altered rainfall patterns.

Mayor Kamati said Namibia’s electric vehicle market is growing exponentially fuelled by customer interest and public-private cooperation.

“It is driven mainly by Namibia’s commitment to enhancing its net sink capacity of emission by 13% by 2030 as set in the country’s second Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs),” said the Mayor.

NDCs are at the heart of the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change and are non-binding climate-related national plans highlighting climate change mitigations measures, including targets for greenhouse emission reductions.

Namibia’s NDCs aim to reduce its greenhouse gas emission by 91% by 2030.

The Director for Transportation Policy and Regulations in the Ministry of Works and Transport, Cedric Limbo, said in addition to the ministry’s Transport Policy of 2018, efforts were also being made to shift perceptions and promote the use of clean technology.

“As we move to diversify the economy beyond its traditional reliance on fossil fuel, it is important to align policies and explore more innovative approaches to ensure our transport system is on par with global efforts to promote environmental sustainability,” said Limbo.

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