Knowledge gap leaves Zim at global warming mercy
ZIMBABWE remains vulnerable to risks of climate change, with the situation made worse by limited knowledge of this phenomenon among citizens as well as the over-reliance on climate-sensitive sectors such as energy, agriculture, forestry, and water resources, a Government official has said.
Climate change remains the topmost global concern, and this will remain the case for years to come. Given that Zimbabwe as a country depends largely on the exploitation of natural resources, it faces a climate crisis that needs attention.
Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu, in a speech read on his behalf by his ministry’s climate change analyst Munashe Mukonoweshuro at the Zimbabwe-Financing climate change adaptation investment conference in Harare on Thursday, said climate facts impeded, the country’s social and economic development aspirations.
“The change in climate will further threaten already strained and inconsistent rainfall, contributing to food and nutrition insecurity, health scares due to a variety of water-borne diseases, uncertainty in hydro-electric power generation, pressures caused by human settlements that are expanding into areas prone with floods,” he said.
He added that economies and societies as a whole need to become more resilient to climate impacts and this will require large-scale efforts.
The Climate Change Adaptation Conference was organised by Business Weekly in partnership with Financial Markets Indaba.
Ndlovu said the Government has done enough to design an implementation agenda on climate change adaptation and mitigation, mobilise climate investment, and commence actions that can reduce risk and cost of investment in Zimbabwe.
“It is in this respect that the Government of Zimbabwe pays particular attention to planning forward. In all budgetary planning and allocation, climate change is the epicentre.
“The whole of Government approach means ensuring an approach that is green, sustainable and climate resilient and given the scale of climate change, and its cross-cutting impacts, adaptation efforts must take place on a greater scale.
“Our economies and societies as a whole need to become more resilient to climate impacts and this will require large-scale efforts,” he said.
Ndlovu said while the case for adaptation was clear, some communities, most vulnerable to climate change, were the least prepared and equipped to adapt because they are poor and/or in developing countries already struggling to mobilise adequate resources for basics such as health care and education.
He said Zimbabwe was translating its adaptation commitments into measurable impact on the ground, by identifying action entry points and cost options, identifying investment opportunities, supporting concrete planning, enhancing cooperation with partners and helping secure adaptation finance.
“Our view as a Government is that the private sector-led approach is more sustainable in implementation, while the Government ensures promoting a policy environment for business,” he said.
Ndlovu said the climate change conference followed hot on the heels of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP27 that was held on African soil, in the Republic of Egypt in November of 2022.
COP27 reaffirmed its commitment to limit global temperature rise to 1,5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
While globally the motivation to cut global warming to 1,5C is still strong, the minister said, adequate climate mitigation action is however still lacking in order for Zimbabwe to achieve this goal. At Cop27, developed countries sought to
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strengthen the promise to keep the threshold of 1,5C of warming alive, but these efforts were ultimately in vain.
This is mainly due to developed countries not meeting their commitment to mobilise US$100 billion for climate action in developing countries.
“We must strengthen action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change. This means boosting the support of finance, technology and capacity building needed by developing countries,” the minister said.
He said the energy sector remained an important sector for investment and greater resilience to climate change impacts would be essential to the technical viability of the energy sector and its ability to cost-effectively meet the rising energy demands driven by economic and population growth.
The minister noted that in the 2022 to 2023 period, Zimbabwe had received erratic rains with most areas not doing as well as they did last season.
He said as a country, transforming the agriculture sector and building resilience would not be possible without significantly increasing the amount of capital for climate-smart investments in agriculture.
“Climate-smart agriculture investments provide financial, community and environmental returns over both short-term and long-term horizons and deliver longterm positive impact.
“Investors, companies and farmers face evolving climate-related risks to production and stability of supply chains and have to transform to resilient global food systems.”
Speaking at the same event, Old Mutual group head of marketing and public affairs Lillian Mubaiwa said in the past, climate change issues were more prominent in the western world and seemed to be far from us.
“But if you look at the past few years in Zimbabwe and the region, we are seeing it is real and impacting lives.
“What is left is therefore to sit down and have conversations to see what everyone either corporates, Governments and individuals push towards reducing climate change,” she said.
She said climate and environment were key sustainable business objectives for Old Mutual as the company strives to do its part to protect the environment and limit carbon emissions.
“We take our role seriously for sustainable investments in the sustainable energy and agriculture sector to play our part in conservation areas as well as support events such as the conference,” she said.
Business Weekly Editor Hebert Zharare said the devastating effects of climate in the world particularly in Africa, Zimbabwe included, called for climate change mitigation, implementation and adaptation.