The Government says climate change is a developmental challenge and the country is taking all necessary actions to minimise further environmental degradations and ramifications on the economy and national development.
According to the statement issued to the media by Mr Chibaula Silwamba, the Spokesperson and Assistant to the Minister Ministry of National Development Planning, Ministry of National Development Planning Permanent Secretary (Development Planning and Administration) Mr. Chola Chabala was speaking when he officially opened the national consultative stakeholder meeting on setting up the National Climate Change Fund (NCCF) in Livingstone on Monday.
He emphasised the Government’s commitment to mobilise resources to help combat Climate Change and its impact on the economy.
“Zambia has in the past experienced adverse impacts of climate change including climate variability, extreme weather events and other systematic climate changes over the last several decades,” he said. “Droughts and floods have increased in frequency and intensity over the last two decades and this has adversely impacted on food and water security, energy availability and general livelihoods of our communities.”
The Permanent Secretary said one of the key measures the Government has taken was the formulation of the National Policy on Climate Change of 2016, which provides a framework for coordination and implementation of climate change measures.
He called for consented efforts and innovation to mobilise sufficient resources for climate change mitigation and adaptation, in order to effectively implement programmes on climate change contained in the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP).
“In 2017, Government took the necessary step to establish a catalytic National Climate Change Fund (NCCF). The main objective of the NCCF is to raise revenue from both public and domestic sources at national and international level to fund climate change programmes and projects,” Mr. Chabala explained. “Amongst other objectives, the Fund is to enable Zambia: Tap into new and innovative sources of finance for mitigation and adaptation projects; build national capacity to utilize opportunities presented by international financial mechanisms; increase access to finance for green projects in the country; facilitate appropriate technology transfers into the country for accelerated economic growth and development while achieving a sustainable low carbon development path; accelerate energy access through sustainable renewable energy technologies and solutions; and generate employment opportunities created by implementation of new economic activities through green projects.”
The Permanent Secretary called for consensus on the establishment of a national climate fund.
And Zambia National Designated Authority (NDA) for the Green Climate Fund National Co-ordinator Mr. Mainga Luwabelwa said Climate Change impact was multi-dimensional as it affects all sectors of national and human development.
Mr. Luwabelwa explained that the GCF funds projects that promote paradigm shift towards low emission and climate resilient development pathways.
Why do you drive V6 and V8 engines if you are concerned about climate change Mr PS? You are a bundle of contradictions.
AND THEY PROBABLY STOP AND BUY CHARCOAL FROM THE CHARCOAL VENDORS – OUR FORESTS ARE BEING DECIMATED BY CHINESE FOR MUKULU LOGS AND ZAMBIANS FOR CHARCOAL MAKING. STOP THE PLUNDER OF OUR MUKULU TREES AND THEN PROVIDE ELECTRICITY TO ALL ZAMBIANS SO WE CAN STOP THE PLUNDER OF TREES FOR CHARCOAL MAKING !!!
Mobilising resources? You mean Looking for a loan or grant yet you are happy to buy Fire Trucks for $ 1 million and 1.2 billion on a road…
Stopping people from use of charcoal may not be the right procedure but first provide the alternative source of heat for day to day use. Thousands want to stop using charcoal and generators but ZESCO is not helping by providing the supply of Electricity even when people paid for service in advance. The most hit is the common man who has no means to twist the necks of the powerful ZESCO ltd. Can ZESCO issue a statement to assure those that paid them money when they should expect them. Standing on hill tops to announce providing power to thatched houses is neither here nor there.
Climate change is not an urgent problem for Zambia right now. The biggest polluters are the western countries, China and India but they’ve decided that Africans and other equally gullible countries should be told to help curb climate change so that they can remain behind industrially. The problem is that when you look at the people discussing climate change in Zambia, you will probably not find any scientist. All of them are people who understand very little science. They are probably economists and professional politicians who have very little understanding of why Zambia shouldn’t be wasting any resources on climate change.