Morero reaffirms Joburg’s commitment to climate action through urban forestry

By Levy Masiteng 

In a bold effort to tackle climate change, the City of Joburg, in collaboration with key departmental stakeholders, has launched an ambitious Urban Forestry initiative to plant 200,000 trees across the city as part of a broader climate action plan.

Speaking at the opening of the four-day 2nd African Forum on Urban Forests (AFUF) summit in Bryanston, Joburg mayor Dada Morero said that the plan will focus on townships including Soweto, Alexandra, Ivory Park, and Diepsloot.

The forum, themed “Green Horizons: Shaping the Future Resilience of African Cities through Urban Forests,” underlines the importance of integrating nature into urban planning.

The discussion focused on how urban forests, which are increasingly seen as critical in combating the effects of climate change, can contribute to creating more resilient, liveable, and sustainable cities.

“The reality is that the heat levels in those areas are quite different from what you would