The Harare Wetlands Trust and the Harare Residents Trust (HRT) affirm their full support to the preservation of the environment, respect for the rule of law, and the upholding of key legal provisions on the protection of wetlands and road verges. The organisations acknowledge that there has been an increase in trading along main and…
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has trained the media on how to use Data Journalism for Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (VAA) data in their work. Alfred Hermida contends that data journalism draws on fields such as information visualization, computer science, and statistics to convey news through the analysis and representation of quantitative, computer-processed data….
Distributed Power Africa (DPA), the continent’s leading renewable energy solutions company, says it is targeting to reduce Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s diesel consumption by 80% through the use of solar batteries. Several businesses in Africa have been relying on fossil fuels to sustain their operations due to erratic power suppliers. However, environmental and sustainability concerns, along…
The African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group and the Centre for Disaster Protection have entered into a partnership agreement to mutually promote technical collaboration on capacity building, research, and advocacy through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) jointly signed by the chief executives of both institutions. Under the MoU, the parties will explore opportunities and leverage their…
The world’s soils, which provide 95% of humanity’s food, are “under great pressure”, according to a UN report on soil pollution. Soils are also the largest active store of carbon, after the oceans, and therefore crucial in fighting the climate crisis. But the report said industrial pollution, mining, farming, and poor waste management are poisoning soils,…
The Fifth Africa Climate Resilient Investment Summit ACRIS V under the theme “Embedding and financing climate resilience for Africa’s green recovery” will be held virtually on 16th – 17th June 2021. The two-day program will deal with investments for climate resilience. The panel discussions will deal with cross-border energy, resilience, nature-based solutions, smart agriculture, innovative…
Environmentalists made this call during the third session of a dryland fellowship thematic training organised by Climate Tracker which was held virtually, Thursday. Amidst a profound surge in the negative impacts of land degradation due to human activities across the continent of Africa, sustainable environmental practices advocates have called for the intensification of proactive and…
The Africa Green Waste and Energy Expo and Conference 2021 kicks off in Harare today with this year’s edition described as crucial since it reflects on a milestone development agenda that coincides with the 10th Anniversary. This year’s edition is running under the theme; ‘CIRCULAR ECONOMY: ‘I CREATE!” with the main event being hosted…
Stakeholders have been urged to prevent veld fires whose impacts are multifaceted and a threat to the biophysical, social and economic environment because of their trail of destruction that cuts across all sectors of the economy. Wildfires constitute 10% of the world’s emissions and nearly half of this is related to Southern Africa. In Southern…
To ensure the integration of gender equality and women empowerment issues in the disaster risk management (DRM) landscape, the African Union (AU) and the African Risk Capacity (ARC), have launched the Gender and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) platform. The new platform is expected to contribute to the development and management of knowledge on the issues…
Environment and tourism stakeholders had a consultative meeting in Harare yesterday to gather views on the review of the Parks and Wildlife Act [Chapter 20:14] to ensure that the Act meets the current needs of society whilst at the same time addressing a myriad of contemporary sector challenges. In his keynote address, Honourable Mangaliso Ndlovu,…
Cognisant of the fact that following COVID-19-induced hardships, most families in Zimbabwe are facing hunger and starvation, the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) is extending its giving hand by distributing food hampers to deserving families across the country. Speaking during the food distribution exercise in Chitungwiza on Monday 3 May 2021, Mr Can…
Mr. Washington Zhakata, the Director in the Climate Change Management Department of the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry has underscored the need for young people’s needs and aspirations to be captured in the nationally determined contributions (NDCs). He made the statement in his opening remarks read by Mr. Lawrence Mashungu, a Climate…
Healthy forests are key to “building back better”, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General QU Dongyu said last week in his video address to the high-level round table at the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF, 26-30 April 2021). In his remarks, the Director-General extolled the many virtues of forests, including ensuring people’s food security…
The Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia has signed the Treaty and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the African Risk Capacity (ARC) to work together towards helping the country better prepare, plan and respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters. The ARC Treaty and MoU were signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by…
by Pat Mooney The idea of a Food Systems Summit seemed timely when it was announced in 2019 by the World Economic Forum and the UN Secretary-General’s Office. But while the need was widely appreciated, the unorthodox proposal by Davos to expand “stakeholder capitalism” to encompass the United Nations alarmed some involved in the food movement….
While humanity is scrambling to prevent the cascading effects of climate change, a new global plan to turn 30% of the earth into environmental sanctuaries by 2030 is not the solution, according to Survival International. This is because protected areas often come at the expense of the land rights and livelihoods of indigenous peoples, Survival says….
FAO’s new Goodwill Ambassador, astronaut Thomas Pesquet, calls us to act against climate change On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to travel into space, completing one full orbit around Earth. For the first time ever, a human saw what our planet looked like from above. The planet he saw back then,…
An estimated 710 million children live in the 45 countries that are at the highest risk of suffering the impact of climate change, Save the Children warned yesterday. Floods, droughts, hurricanes, and other extreme weather events will have an especially deep impact on vulnerable children and their families. Children in these countries will for example…
The congress will be convened by the Government of Rwanda, the International Union for Conservation of Nature – World Commission on Protected Areas, and the African Wildlife Foundation The Government of Rwanda will in March 2022 host the inaugural International Union for Conservation of Nature (www.IUCN.org) Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) to discuss conservation…
In preparation for COP26, the Energy Transition Council (ETC) has launched the Rapid Response Facility, an international and UK-funded initiative of £10million for 2021–2022 to support the transition away from fossil fuels towards clean energy. #CCG is a supporting partner. The RRF will assist developing countries with strategic planning, capacity building, and technical expertise to…
Cycads, the world’s oldest seed-producing plants, are facing extinction. Africa is home to a variety of cycad species and South Africa is regarded as a global hotspot for cycad diversity. One of the most prominent cycad taxa, the genus Encephalartos, is endemic to Africa and is categorised as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This…
Honourable Mangaliso Ndlovu, the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry has underscored the important role that forests play in promoting a green economy to foster sustainable development. He made the remarks today on the graduation ceremony at the Forestry Industry Training Centre following the successful completion of Forestry training by 35 men and…
Africa now faces the dual onslaught of climate change – currently estimated at between $7 billion and $15 billion each year – and Covid-19, which has claimed 114,000 lives In a historic and united show of solidarity for a continent that contributes only 5% to global emissions, more than 30 heads of state and global…
The Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) Seeds has collaborated with the Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) to drive the uptake of urban and climate-smart agriculture. This came to the fore during a Maize Field Day meeting held at the Harare South Retreat at a plot owned by Mrs. Shamiso Marumisa that was presided…
The African Development Bank and the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) will bring together African heads of state and government for a virtual Leaders’ Dialogue on the Africa Covid-Climate Emergency on Tuesday 6 April 2021. The African Development Bank and GCA are combining their expertise, resources and networks to develop and implement a bold new Africa…
The Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry in conjunction with the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ), and Development partners (the UNDP and Tetratech) is reviewing International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) technical standards (TS) 62257-9-5 series in order to adopt them. Speaking to Spiked Online Media during a two-day…
The Climate Research and Advocacy Trust (CRAT), a non-profit making organisation that focuses on providing strategies that help communities to adapt and mitigate climate change has stressed the need to practice sustainable agriculture to ensure that environment and nature are being protected. This comes after the organisation has noted with deep concern how population increase…
The African Development Bank and the Climate Investment Funds [CIF (https://bit.ly/3vSPNtq)] have joined forces (https://bit.ly/2OQ4QU9) to produce a study of the role of green banks and national climate change funds in mobilizing finance to support low-carbon, climate-resilient development in Africa. The ground-breaking study (https://bit.ly/2OY4mv7), released on Tuesday 23 March, is expected to underpin development of…
By 2030, 80,000 e-vehicles shall be deployed for last-mile deliveries, resulting in 60% electrification of the fleet New sustainability roadmap defines ambitious sustainability targets; group decides on “Science-Based Targets” and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement; to this end, the Group will invest EUR 7 billion in climate-neutral…
By Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) Today is World Water Day which is running under the theme, ‘Valuing Water.’ This theme is significant as it puts on the spotlight the value of water in our daily lives. As we commemorate the day adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 22, 1992, we reflect…
Strengthening food systems must be an integral part of efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to build resilience in Africa, said African Development Bank Director General for Southern Africa, Leila Mokaddem. Hunger is a greater threat to many Africans than the COVID-19 crisis, Mokaddem said in a session on sustainable food systems at the Southern…
The report, Are We Building Back Better? Evidence from 2020 and Pathways for Inclusive Green Recovery Spending, calls for governments to invest more sustainably and tackle inequalities as they stimulate growth in the wake of the devastation wrought by the pandemic. The most comprehensive analysis of COVID-19-related fiscal rescue and recovery efforts by 50 leading economies so far,…
In light of recent events, such as the mass kidnapping of the 343 schoolboys in Nigeria, the war in Tigray in the northernmost region of Ethiopia, as well as decades-long issues such as the Darfur war, the accumulating news headlines seems unequivocal: there is a growing link between climate change and conflict, and that link…
By Tatenda Mujeyi Stakeholders are skeptical following the government’s proposed Wetlands Masterplan citing complacency, technical applicabilities, omniscient government’s role, and funding shortcomings amongst other challenges. The call by the government to establish a national wetland masterplan as announced in Cabinet this week has been labelled deceitful as key stakeholders have not been incorporated despite their…
By Joyce Mukucha Following successive droughts over the past few years that negatively affected agricultural growth in Zimbabwe, farmers in rural areas are overwhelmed with joy because the rains have remained above normal throughout the country in the 2020 -2021 cropping season. Spiked Online Media conducted interviews with various farmers in different provinces who expressed…
By Joyce Mukucha The UN Climate Change Secretariat recently announced Regional Climate Weeks in 2021 and 2022, key meetings that will help build regional momentum for the annual UN Climate Change Conferences and drive forward regional implementation of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Regional Climate Weeks are open to all stakeholders as a ‘go-to’ hub…
By Joyce Mukucha The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged governments, businesses, and people everywhere to work tirelessly in scaling up efforts to create awareness about flora and fauna as well as conserving so as to contribute to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He communicated this in his message on World Wildlife Day…
COVID 19 has reduced the ability of the government, local authorities (Rural District Councils-RDCs) to fund the protection of wildlife and other natural resources from poaching, unsustainable exploitation and human-wildlife conflict, Hon Mangaliso Ndlovu, the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry has said. He made the remarks during the hand over of equipment…
Herzel Mushayabasa Floods have become the new normal for residents living in New Tafara in the capital Harare as their houses are flooded during the rainy season. The flooding began when the nation started to experience heavy rainfall patterns in mid-January. In an interview with this publication, one of the residents, Blah Rocks said, “We…
Taking into consideration the fact that climate change is real and continues to have adverse impacts on the African continent and Zimbabwe in particular, Honourable Mangaliso Ndlovu, the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry has outlined a development agenda in response to the phenomenon. He made the remarks virtually in his Keynote Address…
There is a need for farmers to plant better seeds that can thrive in the changing climate, Dr Edward Mungai has said. The Kenya Climate Innovation Center CEO told Spice FM that the time has come for farmers to play their role in mitigating the impact of climate change. Further, he added that the use…
Following the delay by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to formally announce progress on a new national policy to protect wetlands and ecosystems, the Manyame Conversation Trust – a conservational mouthpiece that advocates the preservation of water sources, said it supports the Government’s new policy on wetlands but at the same time is worried about…
The SADC Regional Vulnerability Committee Chair, António Pacheco Dias Lima on 22 February 2021 called on member states, to find ways to share success stories, opportunities, and progress captured in the national Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis to inform food security interventions as the region battles COVID-19 and record high levels of food insecurity Dias Lima…
By Joyce Mukucha The Netherlands’s Environment Minister, Stientje van Veldhoven-van der Meer has stressed the need to seriously take care of the planet and environment. That country is a strong supporter of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in policy, programme and funding. In a statement, Stientje van Veldhoven-van der Meer said environmental stewardship can…
