Day Zero: one city and a record-breaking drought
From 2015-2018 Cape Town experienced its worst drought in record-keeping history. It was a frenzied time for residents and city managers alike, as people scrambled to use less, save more, and plan for ‘Day Zero’ - the day when the taps would run dry.
This week saw the launch of a new book by science writer Leonie Joubert and geographer and climate adaptation specialist Gina Ziervogel called Day zero: one city's lessons from a record breaking drought. The book is the culmination of 18 months of interviews and investigations. It focuses on the city level, rather than the local level of citizens’ experience. In the book, the varied perspectives and experiences of local government actors, politicians and researchers during the worst drought in Cape Town's recorded history are explored.
The stories documented will not only help to ensure that Cape Town can better prepare itself for future droughts, but that other cities around the world can learn from this experience.
Key resources
Day Zero: one city’s response to a record-breaking drought (2019 book)
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Website for the book
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PDF version of the book by Leonie Joubert and Gina Ziervogel - Day Zero: one city's response to a record-breaking drought
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Video - Day Zero: one city's response to a record-breaking drought
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Article by Leonie Joubert and Gina Ziervogel in the Daily Maverick - Cities in the Global South can learn from how Cape Town survived the drought
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Leonie Joubert and Gina Ziervogel speak to Pippa Hudson on Cape Talk
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Article by Ambre Nicolson, University of Cape Town - Lessons from a record-breaking drought
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Article by Gina Ziervogel and Leonie Joubert in the Mail and Guardian - Day Zero: Lessons for cities in the Global South
Research on the lesson’s learned from the drought: 2018
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Report by Gina Ziervogel - Unpacking the Cape Town drought: Lessons learned
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Briefing note by Gina Ziervogel - What the Cape Town drought taught us: 4 focus areas for local governments
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Article by Gina Ziervogel in The Conversation: What Cape Town’s drought can teach other cities about climate adaptation (republished on News24)
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Gina Ziervogel speaks to John Maytham on Cape Talk
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Gina Ziervogel speaks to Refilwe Moloto on Cape Talk