Last Wednesday, the City, in collaboration with the University of Cape Town (UCT) and funded by the European Union, launched Climate Campaigners, a free mobile app that offers a variety of sustainability-based lifestyle changes that will enable citizens to contribute to the City’s commitments to climate resilience and carbon neutrality by 2050.
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The app is a global climate action tool that combines behavioural and social science research with grassroots activism.
It employs behavioural science to address people’s biases and humanity. The app, which is low-key and non-invasive, assists those committed to living responsibly and sustainably by proposing specific actions to achieve their goals.
Cape Town’s 2050 vision is for a climate-resilient, resource-efficient and carbon-neutral city that supports inclusive economic development and healthy, thriving communities and ecosystems.
Every citizen in Cape Town needs to contribute and partake in climate activism in order for the City to meet its climate goals. Small actions taken in concert can have a significant impact.
The Climate Campaigners app is a community-based platform that aims to inspire Capetonians to choose challenges that will benefit their communities while also lowering their carbon footprint.
Saving water and energy, improving mobility and engaging in environmentally friendly consumption are among the exciting challenges.
The app provides advice and inspiration while tracking and analysing users’ CO2 savings in real-time. It also provides a network for like-minded campaigners to network, share experiences and encourage one another.
“The project is grounded in science right from the outset,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy Councillor Beverley van Reenen. “It will provide important anonymized data and findings that can serve as a foundation for policy recommendations for climate action. Let’s act to break habits that waste energy and water.”
“Let’s act for a healthier, more resilient city, and have fun doing it. Join in and let’s act for a stronger Cape Town,” added Councillor van Reenen.
As part of the initial rollout of Climate Campaigners, Cape Town is joined by 13 other cities around the world, including Milan, Italy; Dublin, Ireland; and La Libertad, El Salvador, each with unique challenges tailored to each city’s needs. The project, which is set to run for two years, aims to increase the number of cities involved.
“Climate Campaigners hopes to help people follow through on their best climate intentions by providing an app to challenge themselves and see how they follow through on those climate actions,” said Senior Research Officer Grant Smith in the Energy Systems Research Group at UCT. “We also hope to introduce people to new, highly accessible behaviours that they may not have considered but that will help them achieve the climate impact they want to achieve in their daily lives.”
He added, “In the end, it is everyday people, like you and me, who can impact climate change by taking these small actions in our lives. Small changes add up over hundreds, thousands, and millions of people.”
The Climate Campaigners app can be downloaded for free on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
For additional information, visit the Cape Town Climate Campaigners website here.
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Picture: City of Cape Town / Facebook
