Background
Cities Environmental Report on the Internet (CEROI) is an international project conducted within the framework of Local Agenda 21. In June 1992, the United Nations' Earth Summit established Agenda 21, the global plan of action to ensure environmentally, socially and economically sustainable development. Recognizing the key role that Local Authorities will have in implementing Agenda 21, this plan includes a special mandate to local governments to work together with local stakeholders in preparing long-term strategic plans to achieve sustainable development i.e. 'Local Agenda 21s'.

The CEROI project contributes to the Local Agenda 21 process by facilitating access to environmental information and promoting sound decision making, as well as contributing to general awareness raising around sustainable development issues. The project is supported financially by UNEP, the Norwegian Ministry of Environment and the Norwegian Industrial and Regional Development Fund, and technically through a public research development contract with the Norwegian software company: Ugland Publikit and GRID-Arendal.

South Africa is in the fortunate position that four cities were selected to take part in the CEROI initiative. The Durban Metropolitan Council, Cape Metropolitan Council, Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council and Greater Pretoria Council were all selected on the basis of their existing Local Agenda 21 initiatives and past experience with State of the Environment reporting.

Durban's Involvement
Durban's Local Agenda 21 (LA21) programme was initiated with the appointment of the city's first Environmental Manager in 1994. An Environmental Branch, within the Urban Development Department of the Physical Environment Service Unit, was subsequently created in 1995.

The goal of Durban's Local Agenda 21 programme (initiated in November 1994) is the development of an Environmental Management System (EMS) that will guide the city towards environmentally sustainable development. CEROI, which is a Phase 3 LA21 project, provides Durban with the opportunity to more widely disseminate and update certain of the information collected for the first State of the Environment and Development Report (a Phase 1 project) and related Phase 2 projects (e.g. the Durban South Basin Strategic Environmental Assessment, Durban Metropolitan Open Space System Framework Plan etc.). The Internet report also affords the opportunity to present the information collected during the preparation of the first State of the Environment and Development Report in the internationally accepted Driving Force, Pressure, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) format (although at this stage a reduced framework of PSIR is used due to the lack of suitable information in all the reporting sectors).

The Internet report gives an overview of the human-induced impact on the environment in the Durban Metropolitan Area, indicates the present state of the environment and current trends and pressures, as well as society's responses to these urban environmental problems. The report is another a tool, within the city's environmental management system, for reporting on the progress made in achieving stated sustainable development objectives and fulfilling statutory planning and environmental obligations.