IT is gratifying that Zambia has finally launched the long-awaited National Climate Change Policy as the impact of climate change has contributed to the reduction of the annual economic growth and crop failure.
Having a stand-alone policy is an important development which presents the country with a well structured national strategy to respond more effectively to the adverse effects of climate change.
What is good about the policy is that it has been mainstreamed in the Ministry of Development Planning to ensure stronger collaboration
between various ministries that have a role to play in Climate Change mitigation and adaptation.
The mainstreaming also ensures that there is coherence between National Development Plans and all climate change programmes.
The multi-sectoral approach is critical for success in implementing projects and programmes because its require coordination through an identified institutional framework.
Doing so will help the country meet its developmental goals through adaptation and mitigation interventions?
The document also provides the country with home grown initiatives that would enhance efforts aimed at limiting the impact of climate change on national development.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources will spear head the implementation of climate change programmes.
The policy will support and facilitate a coordinated response to climate change by re-aligning its climate sensitive sectors of the economy and society.
The policy provides stakeholders with a clearer framework on how to tackle climate change in Zambia. With a policy in place, duplication of sectors and time wasting would not arise because of the integrated efforts.
I agree with Vice President Inonge Wina, who has called for renewed concerted efforts in combating climate change which threatens the social and economic gains the country has achieved.
It is known fact that climate change has emerged as one of the most globally pressing issues to current socio-economic development.
Over the past decades, climate change has significantly affected rainfall patterns, a situation that resulted in crop failure and a further reduction in economic growth.
These adverse effects if allowed to persist have potential to keep a substantial section of Zambia’s population below the poverty line.
Therefore, the country can no longer restrict climate change actions to only preserving the environment for future generations.
That is why it was critical to formulate a more holistic approach to address the negative effects of climate change especially as it relates to disruption of people’s livelihoods.
I am optimistic that the Government would ensure coherence between national development plans and the implementation of climate change programmes.
What is next after having this policy is to ensure that cooperating partners and other stakeholders are consistent in implementing the policy.
There is need to ensure that adequate provision of resources for climate change initiatives are available.
The country need to remain focused, diligent and have visionary approach to successfully achieve objectives which were enshrined in the document.
In the same vein I would like appeal to the Government to expedite the implementation of the Extended Product Responsibility (EPR) policy.
The principal of EPR policy places an obligation on producers of products that have the potential to pollute the environment to employ measures to reduce waste through treatment, reclamation, re-use, recovery and recycling.
In other words, the company that produces, for example, bottled water would be held responsible should it fail to take care of the empty bottles that would be littered.
EPR is a product stewardship policy framework that helps to create sustainable systems that continually reuse the materials in commerce according to their highest and best use.
It is a foundational circular economic policy that helps to increase the wwMoreover, once this policy is implemented, more jobs would be created because of increased business activities precisely in recycling subsector.
The policy would stimulate growth call more recycling industries to be established and subsequently create employment and more revenue through taxes collection.
It is important to protect the environment because man-made disruptions to ecosystems can cause extinction because, for example, pollution creates dangers for both animals and people, and because mankind owes the natural world a moral obligation.
Such activities are the ones that are actually responsible for climate change. Within the overall ecosystem, there are smaller ecosystems like the rainforests, marine ecosystems and the desert.
When any of these systems are off kilter, it impacts the entire planet. All of the environmental problems that exist have far-reaching implications for the health of the planet and its inhabitants.
For example, global warming causes a rise in sea levels which effects marine life.
The rising sea levels also cause land erosion which harms the habitats of animals living by the coast.
Global warming also melts polar caps and leads to arctic shrinking. This endangers the polar bears and other arctic wildlife.
Since the icecaps are made of fresh water, they will throw off the saline levels in the ocean which will affect ocean currents.
Furthermore, the ice caps reflect light. As they disappear the Earth will get darker and absorb more heat increasing the Earth’s temperature. I end here today!
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