Power shortages a result of climate change: VP Mnangagwa

By Leonard Ncube

VICTORIA FALLS – Poor rains have caused power shortages faced by regional countries including Zimbabwe and Zambia and are a result of climate change emanating from gas emissions from industrialised nations, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa said yesterday.

Officially opening the 5th Conference on Climate and Development in Africa (CCDA-V) here, VP Mnangagwa said Africa needs to adopt a common climate change position to fight the catastrophe ahead of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21/CMP11) conference to be held next month in Paris, France.

“Climate change has massive implications to development. The continent contributes the least greenhouse gasses but stands to lose the most because of its vulnerability and limited adaptation capacity.

“Research evidence shows that climate change has become a serious human threat especially in Africa where the region and Zimbabwe in particular are grappling with recurrent droughts due to climate change and there are clear indications that the region will be hardest hit by 2020,” he said.

“Zimbabwe and Zambia are grappling with power challenges because of reduction in rainfall totals to feed into Zambezi and Kariba Dam. Water in the Zambezi River is now low and a pale shadow of the river it used to be. This appropriately shows the effects of climate change and as we deliberate here let’s not be blind to such challenges.”

The VP said some countries such as the United States had failed to abide by the Kyoto protocol as it was emitting large volumes of greenhouse gases.

VP Mnangagwa said all countries must be part of the solution, and not just the industrialised ones that caused the problem but even the poorest.

“Delegates here should put heads together and deal with this fast spreading catastrophe that has the potential to destabilise the continent and cause alarm and despondency, so that the continent can have a common position at COP21,” said the VP.

He said it was in the continent’s interest to have a climate governance framework that is functional and capable of controlling emissions while at the same time providing for adaptation.

Mnangagwa said to show commitment, the continent had formed a Committee of African Heads of State on Climate Change to coordinate the African response to climate change in various sectors.

He said the transition to a post Kyoto climate governance framework was an opportune time for the continent to engage ahead of COP21 which will come up with a new climate agreement.

Achieving long term climate change policy goals requires dramatic progress in the innovation and deployment of energy efficient and low carbon technologies, VP Mnangagwa said.

He said renewable energies such as hydro-power, solar, wind and other sound projects were critical for climate mitigation on the continent, hence the need for wholly African driven processes.

VP Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was committed to mitigating climate change as evidenced by the crafting of the National Climate Change Response Strategy and Climate Change Policy.

The conference which started on Monday ends tomorrow and more than 400 delegates from across the continent are attending. It is being held under the theme: “Sustainable Development and Climate change: prospects of Paris and beyond” which VP Mnangagwa said was carefully selected.

The VP said since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 global efforts to respond to climate change have not been particularly successful as global warming has worsened. The Chronicle