Namibia's capital launches Zero Emissions Week

Windhoek, Sep 16 (IANS) Namibia's capital city, Windhoek, has officially launched Zero Emissions Week 2025 to raise awareness about climate change, sustainable mobility, and the benefits of reducing emissions.

The weeklong event features various activities, including an electric vehicle exhibition, an environmental video awareness competition, cycling gear giveaways, a corporate trivia challenge, and a city-wide Car-Free Day.

With these initiatives, Windhoek is seeking to lead by example, making sustainable mobility and clean energy a reality for its residents.

In his welcoming remarks, Pierre van Rensburg, strategic executive for urban and transport planning at the City of Windhoek, emphasised that Zero Emissions Week is not about following international trends but about addressing practical challenges facing the city, including transport-related emissions, congestion, and urban air quality.

Transport contributes a significant 25 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions, with vehicles accounting for 70 per cent, according to van Rensburg, Xinhua news agency reported. He encouraged residents to envision a future with sustainable transport and adopt greener alternatives like public transport, cycling, and walking.

As part of the initiative, the municipality also inaugurated its first electric vehicle charging station, which would help normalize electric mobility and expand EV infrastructure across the city.

Ndeshihafela Larandja, Mayor of Windhoek, said this milestone reflects the city's commitment to climate-resilient development, sustainable mobility, and reducing its carbon footprint.

Last week, Namibia announced plans to mobilise about 1.7 billion US dollars for green hydrogen projects, as the Global African Hydrogen Summit wrapped up Thursday in the capital, Windhoek, after drawing more than 1,500 participants from over 75 countries.

"We are trying to mobilise Namibia's share of about 1.7 billion dollars that we now want to bring home and start deploying into our projects," Namibia's Green Hydrogen Commissioner James Mnyupe told delegates. "Namibia has now gone beyond the realms of dreaming, and it's now beginning to construct, beginning to produce, and beginning to implement."

The three-day summit, held under the theme 'Ambition in Action: Fuelling Africa's Green Industrial Revolution', gathered over 25 ministers, 125 experts, financiers, project developers, and youth representatives to discuss financing, infrastructure, community benefits, and over 50 bankable hydrogen projects across Africa.

--IANS

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