Small, grant-dependent municipalities often lack the financial and technical capacity to implement effective climate change measures.

Listen to this article 5 min Listen to this article 5 min Climate change, temperate changes, weather changes - whatever terminology one might choose - are having a profound effect on South African towns and cities. Despite this, municipalities are struggling to deal with these changes, be it through mitigation, adaptation or response. The smaller or poorer the municipality, the more profound the effects tend to be.

At present, the municipal funding framework does not cater for climate change adaptation, mitigation or response. This is true for both grant funding and equitable share allocation.

While the national and provincial governments incorporate impressive rhetoric into their policies and speeches, local municipalities - particularly those reliant on grants - are left to clean up after severe weather events and manage the subsequent social and economic impacts.

It is time for national and provincial governments to seriously consider making funding available for meaningful climate change interventions and responses at the local government level. This could take the form of specific grants, changes to the equitable share formula, or both.

The disconnect between national policies and local realities is stark.

No actionable support

The national and provincial governments often set ambitious targets and articulate...