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…
By Joyce Mukucha Climate change has become one of the most pressing global issues worldwide today with various countries including Zimbabwe making concerted efforts on stipulating their own environmental laws in order to minimize the effects of the global phenomenon. As Zimbabwe is making huge strides through government, environmental organisations, Civil Society Organisations, Church-Based Organisations…
By Joyce Mukucha As the fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) is just around the corner, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen officially launched a new report, ‘Making Peace with Nature’ which is a scientific blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies. During an online press briefing on…
By Joyce Mukucha The Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry has appointed new board chairpersons for Forestry Commission and Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks). The Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Honourable Mangaliso Ndlovu has announced the appointment of Mrs Veronica Gundu Jakarasi as the Forestry Commission Board Chairperson…
Under the project, Enhancing Multi-Sectoral Assistance to Cyclone Idai Affected Populations in Zimbabwe, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supporting the Government of Zimbabwe with the provision of transitional shelters to 674 households affected by Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts. Among households receiving transitional shelter, assistance is 224 from three formal camps…
By Joyce Mukucha In the quest to improve agricultural productivity, the government is in the process of disbursing motorcycles and mobile tablets to the extension officers. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr John Basera told the media that the provision of extension services will play a crucial role in terms of transforming…
The power sector accounts for up to 41 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions today, with Africa contributing about 2-3%. In parallel, there are still over 580 million people on the continent who do not have access to reliable energy and the demand for electricity is expected to continue to grow as populations increase, industrialization…
By Joyce Mukucha The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the highest decision-making body on environmental issues is set to commence its 5th Session, virtually from the 22nd to the 26th of February 2021. This session is preceded by the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OEPCR) to which Zimbabwe is a party to which is kick-starting…
Following the millions of hectares that were repossessed by the black majority during the land reform programme, the Government has assured the nation that there will be sufficient maize through the food self sufficiency programmes. The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, Dr. Anxious Masuka said this year, the nation will have…
By Joyce Mukucha The world’s biodiversity is under threat with the southern Amazon region experiencing excessive deforestation which has converted swaths of land from rainforest to farmland, reports, and studies revealed. According to Eduardo Maeda and colleagues from the University of Helsinki, areas of commodity farming are experiencing a much higher increase in temperature, in…
The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has extended financial support to a project that will strengthen the efforts of West African countries to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets under the Paris climate accord. The Bank will underwrite the preparation of concept notes exploring the use of internationally transferable mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) in selected West…
The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said 2021 is a crucial year for climate change, UN News revealed. He made these remarks on Monday when he was speaking to a Member States meeting as part of the preparations towards the latest annual UN climate conference, known as COP26, which will be held in Glasgow,…
Due to some inaccurate interpretations disseminated in national and international media and also on social media about the work to be carried out in the Angolan interior basins, particularly in the Etosha/Okavango Basin, the Angolan Agency for Oil, Gas and Biofuels, clarifies the following: 1. In compliance with the guidelines established by the Angolan Government…
By Megan Rowling (Thomson Reuters Foundation) The African Development Bank plans to deploy billions of dollars to help young people build a new digitally-driven model of agriculture that can feed the continent’s people and boost prosperity even as the planet heats up, its president said. At a global summit this week, the bank and the…
Africa with is elephants or rhinos and a host of other wildlife, fauna, and flora. This landscape is Africa’s brand; it is what makes it Africa. If that is not enough of a reason to conserve our wildlife, basic economics should serve as a further impetus. After all, Africa’s wildlife is one of the primary…
By Kumbirai Mafunda On World Wetlands Day, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) calls upon policymakers, local and central government to take concerted and coordinated efforts to develop and implement action plans to stop the ongoing degradation of wetlands and protect, preserve and restore them. World Wetlands Day, which is commemorated every year on 2…
By Joyce Mukucha As the month of February begins, heavy downpours are anticipated starting off in the south-west and spreading north-eastward to cover much of the country, the Meteorological Service Department has revealed. The department advised the public to be vigilant of their immediate environment as flash-flooding is probable in low lying areas and wetlands….
By Habakkuk Trust Villagers in Huwana, Bulilima Ward 8 have lost their property and shelter after a lengthy spell of heavy rains that have hit Bulilima District, South West of Zimbabwe. The heavy downpours that are in some cases accompanied by strong winds are ripple effects of tropical storms that have hit inland Mozambique, Manicaland, and…
A new project by the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and the International Agroforestry Agency [ICRAF (www.WorldAgroForestry.org)] would bring relief to two Ivorian smallholder cocoa farmers’ communities in Soubre and Vavoua currently grappling with declining yields caused by climate change and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Without help, some 800,000 Ivorian smallholder farmers, who produce the largest…
By Joyce Mukucha In an effort aimed at combating the spread of the COVID-19 virus and at the same time striving to raise global awareness about the high importance of wetlands for people and the planet, the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry is set to commemorate the World Wetlands Day (WWD) online….
By Joyce Mukucha Following Zimbabwe’s ratification of the Minamata Convention banning the use of mercury in mining and regulatory measures for its release from industrial equipment, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) said it will continue to fully monitor the use of the substance as a way to reduce or even phase out its usage and…
By Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary Gerneral We begin this year with a heightened awareness of the importance of resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that we cannot afford to ignore known risks. Climate disruption is a risk we are well aware of. The science has never been clearer. We are facing a climate emergency….
With global economic activity stymied by COVID-19 and with air travel falling dramatically, you might think this would limit global warming. You’d be wrong. In December a little-known report warned that we’re on track for a 3 degree rise in temperatures, even if existing commitments are met, smashing efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C…
By Joyce Mukucha As the world is trying to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis is still hindering progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thus the 2021 Climate Action Summit (CAS) has launched a ‘Decade of Action’ aimed at delivering action and inspiring change to help societies build better as well as assist…
By Joyce Mukucha Zimbabwe has intensified its preparedness amid reports Tropical Storm Eloise is now in the Mozambique Channel, where it is expected to gain strength and become a Tropical Cyclone today (22 January) before making its second landfall, likely on 23 January, forecasts have revealed. For Zimbabwe, in an update, the Meteorological Service Department…
Considering that an increasing number of nations are including hydrogen as a key aspect of their transition strategies, with some already having dedicated hydrogen plans, Climate Action, a UN foundation is geared to host a professional virtual Hydrogen Transition Summit designed for the audience to network, connect and explore new opportunities within hydrogen, industry, transport,…
By Joyce Mukucha The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has warned that a new potential Tropical Cyclone Eloise is forming over the Indian Ocean and is expected to make landfalls in Madagascar, Mozambique and Zimbabwe as early as next week. This was also revealed by the International Organization for Migration. In a statement issued on the…
