Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Institutionalizing Climate Change at the Local Government Level in Durban, South Africa 1

Durban is the largest port and city on the east coast of Africa with a total municipal area of 2300km² (see Figure 11.1). With a population of 3.5 million people and a budget of 23.4 billion South African rand, ² it is one of South Africa’s most important urban and economic centres. The local government structure responsible for managing the city is known as eThekwini Municipality and this municipality has become a leader in the field of local level environmental management. Figure 11.1 Location of the eThekwini municipal area https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781849770361/b1b1e622-5049-4ce2-bf89-3a7e73713a4f/content/fig11_1_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>