CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY & ACTION IN ZIMBABWE

In the past few weeks, the world has witnessed some of the most extreme weather events including heavy rains and floods in countries such as China, Germany, Cuba, and Kenya. Furthermore, catastrophic wildfires were experienced in Australia, Lebanon, Greece, and California in America. These events have all been attributed to climate change, a phenomenon caused by the addition of enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere thereby causing global warming. The net effect of climate change is that it is taking a toll on human lives and livelihoods around the globe, and

also affecting low emitting countries such as Zimbabwe. Primary sources of carbon emissions in Zimbabwe include the burning of fossils for energy (49%), agriculture (39%), waste management (6%), and industrial processes which account for the remainder 6%. Critics argue that the scope of mitigation is limited in Zimbabwe because the country is not highly industrialized and emits carbon dioxide a little over 10600 tons per annum. Whilst Zimbabwe is among the low emitting countries, it has done its fair share to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. So, locally how has Zimbabwe been impacted and what action are the citizens and authorities taking to mitigate the impacts of climate change?

The Zimbabwean government promulgated three policies to meet its international objectives relating to climate change and carbon-cutting pledges:

The overarching national policy aims to put in place the legal structures needed to guide businesses on complying with the international objectives on carbon-cutting pledges. Its focus is also on calling for the building of a low carbon and climate resilient nation.

Climate change issues have now been added to the new school curriculum. This policy is designed to educate school children about climate change and promote climate-friendly practices such as afforestation, wetland management, and the use of low-emission technologies.

The climate-smart agriculture policy focuses on ensuring that farmers and agriculture advisors adopt climate-hardy farming practices such as adopting small grain crops which do not require a lot of rainy fall and the construction of dams and weirs to harvest rainwater.

The intentions of the authorities are noble and commendable, However, implementing the climate-change policies has its challenges, including the following:

 60% of Zimbabweans live in rural lands and their livelihoods are dependent on natural resources such as wood fuel for heat energy at the household level and in small-scale agriculture which results in massive loss of forest areas.

 About 330 000 hectares of forest cover are lost each year to agriculture expansion and firewood for domestic use and in the curing of tobacco.

 The tough economic environment in Zimbabwe has led to ordinary citizens relegating climate and environment issues to the backbench as the focus is placed more on bread and butter issues at the household level. Climate change and poverty (food insecurity and loss of livelihood) are deeply intertwined because climate change disproportionally affects poor people in low-income communities and developing countries around the world due to increased exposure and vulnerability. Research by the World Economic Forum in early 2021 on 28 countries about what people worry most about their country showed that climate change was not the biggest worry in any of the 28 countries surveyed. The top four worries included Coronavirus, unemployment, crime, and poverty.

 About 70% of smallholder rural farmers depend on rain-fed water for domestic use and agriculture. Rainy seasons in Zimbabwe have been increasingly erratic, unreliable and therefore resulting in uncertain water availability. Between 1991 and 2016 Zimbabwe has experienced six moderate to severe droughts of which four were linked to the El Nino events. The droughts have led to crop failure and the emergence of agricultural pests such as the armyworm.

Ordinary citizens and the authorities are taking sustainable measures to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change amongst which include the following steps:

 Solar energy - The authorities in Zimbabwe have relaxed import duty on solar energy equipment into Zimbabwe. Further to the foregoing, as part of its policy to encourage investment in solar energy, the Zimbabwean government also intends to exempt investors from paying taxes for 5 years. This move will see Zimbabwe relying on mini off-grid solar energy for electrification in the future.

 Hydroelectricity - The $300 Million Investment in constructing the Tokwe-Mukosi dam and hydroelectricity plant by the Zimbabwean authorities will see an additional 12 megawatts into the grid. Furthermore, local farmers will benefit from irrigation water for sugarcane fields and other agriculture crops.

 Firewood plantations – The past decade has seen the establishment of fast-growing eucalyptus plantations across Zimbabwe for purposes of curing tobacco and provide heat energy for small-scale farmers. Organizations such as the Sustainable Afforestation Association have come to the fore with solutions such as the establishment of fast-growing gum tree plantations as an alternative source of firewood for curing tobacco.

 National Tree Planting Day - Forestry Commission is driving the planting of both indigenous and exotic trees to alleviate land degradation and to enhance rural livelihoods. The National Tree Planting Day is the Forestry Commission flagship campaign, set aside to motivate the nation to plant and conserve trees, enhance biodiversity, and also highlight the importance of forest and woodland resources. The Forestry Commission is well placed in the communities with its Officers based in each district to ensure the survival of planted trees. Many NGOs have been complimenting the Forestry Commission efforts in their local spaces helping to boost awareness and participation of locals in environmental matters.

As witnessed in the past few weeks, climate change has no boundaries as its impact is felt across the globe. The dangers of global warming are no longer something distant, impacting people in faraway places. It's here and now affecting every region in the world. A study by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in July 2021, suggests that the climate change adaptation budget is very low on the agenda for many low-income countries as some developing countries do not have the financial means to “climate-proof”. IIED further suggests that these countries need at least $US40 billion per year for their adaptation plans. Therefore, local action no matter how small or seemingly insignificant contributes to the greater global cause in abating global warming and subsequently, extreme weather.