By Martin Muleya.
Mutare, Zimbabwe. (News of The South) – The Government of Zimbabwe is increasingly concerned with the impacts of global change which are becoming more evident with increased incidences of droughts, floods and heat waves.
Zimbabwe’s vulnerability status has been necessitated because the country heavily relies on climate sensitive sectors thus we have had a rapid increase in occurrence of extreme weather events, increased day time temperatures, rainfall shortages and prolonged dry spells among others.
Addressing journalists at a one day Awareness Seminar on Climate Change and Ozone at a local hotel in the capital this week, Climate Change Management Department Director Mr. Washington Zhakata, highlighted that the seminar had been necessitated to share a common goal and vision of developing the country whilst at the same time making people aware of critical topical issues.
“This event brings together a wonderful array of media practitioners from different media houses who share a common goal and vision of developing our country and makes people aware of critical topical issues. This workshop which seeks to raise the awareness levels of media practitioners in climate change, causes and impacts; and also equip you media practitioners with information, knowledge and skills to understand the science and facts around climate change with a view to demystifying the same to the general public.
“The impacts of global climate change and variability are becoming more evident with increased incidences of droughts, floods, hailstorms and heat waves. Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing the global economy with developing countries including Zimbabwe being more vulnerable due to their low adaptive capacities and over-reliance on climate-sensitive sectors,” said Zhakata.Climate change is an economic development challenge with required economic system transition to low carbon and climate resilient pathways on a global scale. The climate system knows no boundaries and pollution in any part of the world affects the atmosphere in its entirety.
He went on to note that countries which are Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of which Zimbabwe is a member, had accepted certain commitments taking into account their common but differentiated responsibilities and other specific national and regional development priorities.
To fulfill these commitments the Parties need to promote and facilitate various education, training and awareness programmes at the national, and, as appropriate, sub-national levels, and in accordance with national laws and regulations, and within their respective capacities as required under Article 6 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on Education, Training and Public Awareness. Zimbabwe is a party to the UNFCCC, signed and ratified the Paris Agreement of 2015.
“Climate change education and public awareness is essential in pursuing the climate change agenda. It helps people to understand and address the impacts of climate change, encourages changes in their attitudes, behavior and helps them adapt to climate change-related shocks and trends. Media is very important in the climate change agenda; it plays a vital role in educating and enlightening the entire citizenry about climate change issues at both national and international levels. Media plays a pivotal role in creating awareness and bringing the positive behavioral change among people in mitigating the anthropogenic climate change. Media coverage of climate change can give better informed public and more effective policy making,” noted the Director.
Mr Zhakata reiterated that the impacts of climate change in Zimbabwe were stalling the country’s development endeavors, posing serious risks to the main economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry and water resources.
He however, said taking into cognisance the impacts of climate change felt at the local level, mostly by poor communities due to their low adaptive capacities, the Government of Zimbabwe has crafted policies, institutional structures and processes to guide the nation to a climate-resilient and a sustainable low carbon future.
In Zimbabwe much of the emission comes from energy followed by agriculture, waste management and industrial processes. Rainfall in the country has generally decreased and the official rainy season is now erratic.
This awareness workshop is to enlighten media practitioners in Northern Region on what climate change is, the impacts of climate change in Zimbabwe and around the world as well as how the country is responding to the change in its quest to attain a climate resilient and low carbon Zimbabwe, and a similar workshop for the Southern Region in Bulawayo, during this quarter.
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