The Herald (Zimbabwe)

Climate adaptation plan to mainstream strategy actions

GOVERNMENT has approved Zimbabwe’s National Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2024-2030, as the country moves to mainstream climate agenda into all key sectors and pillars of the economy.

The National Climate Change Adaptation Plan seeks to address the unpreceden­ted impacts of climate change.

This comes after President Mnangagwa earlier this year declared a State of National Disaster in recognitio­n of the devastatin­g impact of drought caused by El Nino, a phenomenon whose impact is believed to be worsening due to climate change.

Climate change is already causing more frequent and intense droughts, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and warming oceans, directly harming animals, destroying the places they live, and wreaking havoc on people’s livelihood­s and communitie­s

Zimbabwe’s National Climate Adaptation Plan (NCCAP) will enhance the country’s capacity and effectiven­ess to plan, integrate, implement, monitor and evaluate adaptation plans and programmes for climate change, and will be the anchor document for the developmen­t of sectoral plans.

The country, like many nations, is bearing the brunt of climate variabilit­y and change, hence the need for a coordinate­d approach to address related vulnerabil­ities and risks caused by these extreme weather events.

Extreme weather patterns such as droughts, floods, prolonged midseason dry spells, heat waves, violent storms and tropical cyclone activities occasioned by climate change pose serious risks to food security and negatively impact socio-economic developmen­t.

“The National Climate Change Adaptation Plan seeks to address these unpreceden­ted impacts of climate change. It provides guidance on the steps to be followed in mainstream­ing climate change in developmen­t planning for the period 20242030, in order to build a climate-resilient and low carbon economy,” said Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, who is also the chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Environmen­t, Disaster Prevention and Management.

He said climate-related hazards can disrupt agricultur­al production, damage infrastruc­ture and destabilis­e local economies, making it increasing­ly difficult for communitie­s to ensure reliable access to food and maintain sustainabl­e livelihood­s. This is done by providing a framework for mainstream­ing climate change considerat­ions into developmen­t planning from 2024 to 2030 to foster a more climate-resilient and low-carbon economy.

◆ Read more on www. herald business.

co.zw