THE CONFERENCE CARBON TAX   If you have any comments on this or experience to share please email us at info@sustainable.org.za.   The energy consuming activities of the delegates en route to and at the conference in Cape Town will generate significant greenhouse gas emissions. To mitigate this and contribute to sustainable development, the conference hosts have included a carbon tax as part of the conference fee. This is intended to:   Make the conference carbon neutral or as close to carbon neutral as possible Create awareness on climate change amongst the delegates and promote “the polluter pays” principle Learn how to quantify emissions from conferences and how best to mitigate these Share this carbon mitigation experience with others   What is my footprint?   The energy that is used in attending a conference includes additional electricity used at hotels and the conference venue, jet fuel for air travel to the City of Cape Town (international and local), and energy used in paper production and waste generated. It should only include additional activities (ie. it should take into account your normal carbon producing activities if you were not at the conference).   To get an idea of what your footprint is – try out this calculator: http://www.natenergy.org.uk/convert.htm   How much is the carbon tax?   The conference organisers have estimated the average cost per person to be R 300.00. Everyone (speakers and delegates) is required to pay the carbon tax and all pay the same amount – this means that those who are lucky enough to live close to the conference venue subsidise those traveling a great distance – we think this works in a conference where all the international travelers have been invited to share their experience and expertise with South Africans. Everyone at the conference therfore takes equal collective responsibility for the carbon footprint of the conference.   The amount is admittedly a bit of a thumbsuck as the cost of the project implementation is not known at this point – at any rate the tax is low so the project will have to be inexpensive; as far as possible we would like the project to have a social development aspect.   Where will the money go?   The income received from the carbon tax will be placed in an interest bearing account administered by SEA under the auspices of the Conference Organising Team and advised where necessary by ‘carbon emissions gurus’ (at no cost). The role of this team will be to:   Identify appropriate carbon mitigation projects Select the project/s for implementation and put this/these forward to City of Cape Town for approval Receive report/s from the City of Cape Town staff on the project implementation and completion.   The projects under consideration will be those that lead to a reduction in the level of greenhouse gas emissions for the City of Cape Town.   Each delegate will receive an email report on the project implementation.   What is the City of Cape Town doing?   The City of Cape Town (CCT) is committed to recognising and minimising the impact of its activities on the global environment through understanding and monitoring its ecological footprint (Integrated Metropolitan Environmental Policy Principles, 2001). This commitment is demonstrated in the CCT's participation in a global local authority initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, its completion of a State of Energy Report and development of a City Energy Strategy. As part of this campaign the CCT has quantified not only its contribution to GHG emissions but that of the industrial, commercial and residential sectors. The CCT has begun implementing projects to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.   What is the City of Cape Town doing about climate change?   Please visit this site for more information on CCT projects to reduce GHG emissions: http://www.capetown.gov.za/enviro/emd/projects.asp     Further Links   South African Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign  www.iclei.org/africa/ccp/     SouthSouthNorth  www.southsouthnorth.org     City of Cape Town Projects  www.capetown.gov.za/enviro/emd     South African Climate Action Network Sustainable Energy & Climate Change Partnership www.earthlife.org.za/sacan/  www.earthlife.org.za/seccp/     Learn from experience       Johannesburg Climate Legacy www.climatelegacy.org Download: barometer0109.PDF (91KB)