By Myles Matarise
ZIMBABWE requires increased access to adequate financial support to implement adaptation and mitigation strategies to achieve the goals set in its revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) strategy.
Environment minister Mangaliso Ndlovhu expressed this when he addressed delegates at an event at the just ended United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Zimbabwe submitted its low emissions development strategy and the revised Nationally Determined Contribution Strategy.
The revised strategy presents a conditional 40 percent economy-wide per capita emissions reduction target by 2030.
“We need to be able to scale up solutions that are working.
“We need to create green jobs and enhance the contribution of renewables in our energy mix.
“I hope that developed countries will be able to deliver on the long-awaited promise to raise at least US$100 billion every year in climate finance to support developing countries’ transition to low carbon and climate-resilient development pathways,” Ndlovhu said.
Zimbabwe requires affordable and better technologies to strengthen adaptation in agriculture and water sectors; to build resilient infrastructure in particular roads, and to accelerate energy transition.
“This revised NDC target represents a 7 percent upward revision from the first generation NDC and includes an adaptation component to address the high vulnerability of the country to climate change,” he said.
“The NDC target is conditional on the means of implementation in the form of finance, technical development and technology transfer under the framework of the Convention and the Paris Agreement.
“Our climate goals are consistent with the National Development Strategy 1 (2021-2025) which has mainstreamed climate change across all its thematic areas. In this regard, Zimbabwe will pursue a holistic and balanced development trajectory, which seeks to balance national development and fulfilment of our international obligations on emissions reduction as guided by the low emissions development strategy, the revised NDCs and the National Adaptation Plan.”
Zimbabwe has made efforts to adapt and mitigate the impact of climate change as the country has developed supportive policies and strategies that include the National Climate Policy in 2017, the National Climate Change Response Strategy in 2014, National Renewable Energy Policy of 2019, National Agriculture Policy Framework of 2018 and National Biofuels Policy.
Furthermore, Zimbabwe is finalising the development of its Water Resources Masterplan to guide water resources development and management.
The process incorporated future climate scenario projections to guide water resources development and management.
The master plan acknowledges the projected increased rainfall variability against increasing demand for water and proposes measures such as sustainable catchment management, afforestation and reforestation, rainwater harvesting, wetlands conservation, efficient water resources utilization and wastewater re-use and recycling.