HARSH REALITY

Climate change remains a threat to livelihoods in Botswana Botswana takes stand against impact

Botswana is expected to make a significant contribution to deliberations at the ongoing COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, as the country grapples with climate change impacts.

The country is also making efforts to implement the National Climate Change policy, which was approved in the last Parliament seating.

The priorities for African countries ahead of COP26 include adaptation, climate finance, a market mechanism (Article 6), ambitious NDCs, a transparency mechanism, meeting pre-2020 mitigation commitments and recognising Africa’s unique needs and circumstances.

Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Phildah Kereng indicated that sectors such as agriculture, water, biodiversity, health and tourism have suffered the most and the consequences of these have contributed significantly to the decline of livelihoods in Botswana especially in rural areas. “To respond to the changing climate, Botswana has embarked on sectoral reform such as climate smart agriculture, poverty alleviation initiatives, building resilience on the economic productive sectors, diversification of tourism for the improvement of livelihoods and income generation, local economic development and sustainable environment.

“In an effort to counter the negative impacts of climate change, my Ministry has developed a National Climate Change Policy which is awaiting consideration by this house.

“A National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan have also been developed to operationalise the Policy. The Climate Change Policy represents Botswana’s commitment to join the international community in stabilisation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and building of resilience of key economic sectors.

“It also attempts to indicate the country’s environmentally conscious development agenda as substantial resources are being dedicated to research and policy efforts to mitigate climate change and support adaptation to the current and future impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Kereng indicated that lack of consideration of population dynamics hampers the development of stronger, more effective solutions to the challenges climate change poses.

Experts have alluded that currently, Botswana is considered highly vulnerable to climate variability and change due to its high dependence on rain-fed agriculture and natural resources, high levels of poverty – particularly in rural areas, and a low adaptive capacity to deal with these expected changes.

Kereng has noted that primary challenges are centred around water resource availability, changing precipitation patterns and increasing population demands.

“Climatic and socio-economic environments in semi-arid areas in Botswana make communities vulnerable to food insecurity and unstable livelihoods, as well as unsustainable agro-ecological systems, crop failure and unproductive rangelands”.

Botswana remains committed to developing a long term, low carbon development strategy and supporting the necessary mitigation and adaptation activities in order to reduce its vulnerability to climate change, and protecting the livelihoods of its population, emphasising that key focus is on the sustainability of the environment, water resources, sustainable land management, agriculture, and health sectors.

In 2016 Botswana submitted its Nationally-Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in support of the country’s efforts to realise its development goals and increase its resilience to climate change, described in the National Adaptation Plan Framework (2020). Furthermore, Botswana published its Third National Communication to the UNFCCC in 2019. Botswana remains committed to developing a long term, low carbon development strategy and supporting necessary mitigation and adaptation activities in order to reduce its vulnerability to climate change, and protecting the livelihoods of its population.

Key focus is on the sustainability of the environment, water resources, sustainable land management, agriculture, and health sectors.

Minister Kereng has also indicated that Botswana is developing a National Adaptation Plan, and Action Plan which will highlight all the priority areas that include climate smart agriculture and tourism, noting that this document would be significant in guiding how Botswana responds to the development challenges across all sectors that are attributed to global warming and climate change. The COP26 began this week on October 31 in Glasgow, Scotland, and will conclude next week on November 12.