Botswana to implement climate adaptation actions
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC) has been called to rethink the adaptation finance strategy and consider merging the Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund.
This move would be aimed at creating an adaptation window that could accommodate integrated innovative approaches to financing adaptation actions as opposed to project based financing.
Speaking during the Climate Implementation Summit of the 27th Conference of the parties to the UNFCC (COP27), President Mokgweetsi Masisi said adaptation financing due to its long-term nature should be embedded into the national treasury as it requires established institutions and systems which are not project based.
“For effective implementation of adaptation actions, the project based approach will not yield the intended results. We need to re-think our adaptation finance strategy,” he said.
The President said it became evident from the exchanges at the recent 2022 National Adaptation Plans (NAP) Expo that there is a need to implement adaptation actions for the rest of vulnerable countries across the world, including Botswana.
“There is no doubt that we all acknowledge the science and warnings on climate change but implementation of desired adaptation actions and deliverables, though a national development imperative for many of us, has thus far remained elusive,” he said.
According to the President, Botswana has the Climate Change Policy and its associated Strategy and Action Plan. He said the new normal of unpredictable patterns of rainfall is compounding unreliability of rainfed agriculture adding that adaptation measures within the agricultural sector, includes the development of drought resistant crop varieties and livestock breeds more tolerable to the harsh climatic conditions.
However, he noted that smart agricultural approaches and deployment of associated technologies, including the Integrated Water Master Plan that transfers water from the North to the Southern parts of the country for both drinking and for food production, come at a prohibitive cost.
“Our commitment to the international community remains undiminished. Within the limitation of our financial resources, Botswana intends to do more especially through our research institutions to provide the necessary support given our capability and experience in the development of animal disease vaccines and disease management through the Botswana Vaccine Institute. With additional support to our research institutions, we can provide the world with some of the cutting-edge adaptation solutions especially on Agriculture and Health,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President revealed that Botswana has made a decision to increase renewable energy penetration from two percent to 30% by 2030. This is said to double the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets. These efforts are in line with the Energy Policy and Renewable Energy Strategy.