In a positive move towards sustainable urban development, Cape Town has unveiled its latest initiative, the Water, Air, and Energy (WAE) Lab, aimed at addressing critical environmental challenges and improving access to essential resources for its residents.
Announced last week at Cape Town's Civic Centre, the WAE Lab is the result of a collaborative effort between the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) Africa at the University of Cape Town, the City of Cape Town, and Community Jameel.
The lab is poised to become a hub for generating evidence-based solutions to enhance access to clean air, water, and reliable energy for Capetonians.
According to a City of Cape Town press release, the event was attended by policymakers and researchers from around the world and featured notable speakers including Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Nobel Prize laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, co-founders of J-PAL.
Mayor Hill-Lewis underscored the significance of the initiative, expressing the city's commitment to leveraging innovative data systems and research collaborations to drive positive impacts for residents.
"The WAE Lab will play a pivotal role in addressing the current energy crisis and averting future water challenges by evaluating and scaling policy and technological innovations," Mayor Hill-Lewis stated.
Part of a global network of J-PAL's Air and Water Labs (AWLs), the WAE Lab is dedicated to partnering with government agencies to tackle air and water challenges through evidence-informed policies. Backed by Community Jameel, the AWLs aim to improve access to clean air and water for millions of people across various regions, including Cape Town, which serves nearly five million residents.
Acknowledging the urgency of addressing environmental issues, Kelsey Jack, WAE Lab Scientific Advisor, highlighted the critical role of evidence-informed policies in ensuring the well-being of communities.
Against the backdrop of urban population growth and climate change, the need for data-driven solutions becomes increasingly apparent, with vulnerable communities bearing the brunt of environmental degradation.
To bridge the gap between research and policy implementation, the WAE Lab will facilitate close collaboration between the City of Cape Town, J-PAL Africa, and researchers within the J-PAL network.
Through joint efforts, the lab aims to identify pressing challenges, expand access to quality data, design targeted solutions, and rigorously evaluate their effectiveness through pilots and randomised evaluations.
Uzma Sulaiman, associate director of Community Jameel, emphasised the importance of partnerships in driving impactful change, echoing the sentiment that policymakers and researchers hold the key to implementing sustainable solutions.
In particular, the lab will collaborate with C40 cities, a global network of mayors of the world's leading cities that are united in action to confront the climate crisis, to share policy-relevant evidence and identify opportunities for potential new connections and research opportunities across Africa.
“As climate impacts increasingly cut across all sectors and threaten to reverse decades of poverty alleviation, urgent action is needed. J-PAL Africa is eager to partner with decision-makers throughout the continent to inform the development and scaling of policies and programs with evidence,” concluded Vinayak Bhardwaj, executive director of J-PAL Africa.