Climate
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COP26: Landlocked countries bear brunt of climate change
There is a need for enhancing the capacity of landlocked developing countries to address climate change and water-related challenges, the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Honourable Mangaliso Ndlovu has said. He made the remarks at a Side Event at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow held under the theme “Enhancing…
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Germany announces support for Africa’s climate insurance at COP 26
The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany today announced, on the margins of the ongoing United Nations 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), the sum of €18million to subsidize the cost of disaster risk insurance for qualifying African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group Member States. In her statement, the Parliamentary State Secretary to the…
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COP26: Extractive Industries urged to be proactive in Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
By Masutane Modjadji (Southern African Resource Watch) The 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow takes place at a time when the world is desperate for concrete actions on climate challenges. As world leaders meet to discuss climate change impacts (and take symbolic pledges synonymous with this…
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Governments urged to Prioritize Integrated Water and Climate Action
By Joyce Mukucha The head of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) together with nine other international organisations have urged nations to urgently step up and take action to address the water-related consequences of climate change. The message was communicated in a correspondence which was issued last week and directed to world leaders ahead of the…
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Spotlighting Zimbabwe’s Vulnerability Assessment Report in the wake of Climate Change Vagaries
By Tendai Guvamombe The validation of the draft Vulnerability Assessment Report (VAR) held at Mazowe Hotel, in Mashonaland Central Province on the 28th September 2021 by various stakeholders is expected to drive the country towards risk reduction in vulnerability, sensitivity, and exposure as part of climate proofing the socio economic infrastructure. The VAR will directly…
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The Glasgow Climate Test
By Antonio Guterres The climate crisis is a code red for humanity. World leaders will soon be put to the test at the UN Climate Conference — known as COP26 — in Glasgow. Their actions — or inactions — will show their seriousness about addressing this planetary emergency. The warning signs are…
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Coal Mining Future in Zimbabwe
By Calvin Manika Zimbabwe is among the nations attending the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland next month. Like many third world countries it has been equally affected with climate change as evidenced with successive droughts and unreliable rainfall in some seasons. The rise in temperatures in many parts of Zimbabwe shows the brutal effects of…
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#Trash Hack Media Campaign Launched
By Tendai Guvamombe The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) in partnership with Sunshine Network across Southern Africa last week successfully launched #Trash Hack Media Campaign aimed at encouraging young people to actively participate in environment-related issues and activities. The social media campaign will be an ideal platform for young people to enhance sustainable…
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COP26: Africa’s challenges must steer the climate change conference
The 26th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, popularly known as COP26, is happening at a time when the world has just experienced one of the warmest years on record. The year 2020 reached temperatures that were about 1.02°C warmer than average. These kinds of extremes, driven by climate…
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UNESCO Partners Sunshine International Network to Launch Trash Hack Media Campaign
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in partnership with Sunshine International Network will this Friday launch a global campaign dubbed the Trash Hack aimed at raising awareness for young people to be active in environmental related issues, sustainable waste management, and promoting sustainable development through the use of social media such as…
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Climate Change Targets at Risk as Countries Produce Fossil Fuels: 2021 Production Gap Report
By Joyce Mukucha The 2021 Production Gap Report, released this Wednesday by leading research institutes and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) revealed that despite increased climate ambitions and net-zero commitments, governments still plan to produce more than double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than what would be consistent with limiting global warming…
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UNESCO Launches ‘eDNA’ Project to Protect Biodiversity.
Based on the study of environmental DNA cellular material released from living things into their surroundings, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday launched a project to protect and preserve biodiversity. This comes after the organization noted with concern that species are under threat so the project is also aimed at making…
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NAC Partners KidzCan to Raise Money for Childhood Anti- Cancer Initiatives
By Joyce Mukucha National AIDS Council (NAC) in partnership with Zimbabwe Professional Golfers Association (ZPGA) and KidzCan have joined hands in the 2021 NAC PRO-AM Golf Fundraising Tournament aimed at raising at least USD100 000 which will go towards the purchase of chemotherapy and diagnostics medicines for children. The three-day Pro-AM golf tournament which…
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Government Dedicated to Supporting Agricultural Productivity
By Joyce Mukucha The government is tirelessly working to enhance agricultural productivity, food, and nutrition security, and sustainable agri-food systems that are inclusive and resilient, a government official has said. In his remarks during the World Food Day (WFD) celebrations last week, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Douglas Karoro said the…
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FORUS Party proffers climate change adaptation, mitigation pathways
Ahead of the Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, the Freedom of Rights Under Sovereign (FORUS) Party is proffering pathways towards climate change adaptation and mitigation. Manyara irene Muyenziwa, the FORUS Party President and a development practitioner in her own capacity, said sustainable development will be difficult to achieve without tackling climate change. In an…
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Climate finance in COP26: Key Issues for Africa
By Chukwumerije Okereke We are now a couple of weeks away from the United Nations’ Conference of the Parties 26 (COP26) in Glasgow, where critical decisions that will shape the future of climate governance will be made. As the continent least responsible for, and yet most vulnerable to climate change, African governments cannot afford to be…
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Let’s shift disaster risk architecture as climate disasters threaten African continent: ARC
Climate change must be our greatest priority in disaster risk reduction space Africa must build resilience proactively if it is to change the disaster risk architecture With COP26 around the corner, our focus should be on the devastating impact of climate change as we mark International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction today, observed annually…
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Africa must upgrade its early warning systems as climate crisis deepens, experts advise
Africa risks continued exposure to climate extremes unless it makes serious efforts to enhance and remodel its early warning systems, experts caution. “The message for Africa is simple — increasing ambition for action is an urgent imperative,” Dr. Richard Munang, the Africa Regional Climate Change Coordinator at the UN Environment Program (UNEP), told the Alliance for Science.…
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Trade can Play a Significant Role in Tackling Climate Change: UN Report
By Joyce Mukucha The new report by United Nations has underscored an urgent need for economies in the Asia-Pacific region to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including to maintain their trade competitiveness as carbon taxes at borders threaten to rise. The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2021 was jointly launched on Monday by the UN…
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Hivos Announces Fourth Gathering of African Crossroads
On October 14 and 15, Hivos’ African Crossroads will organize its fourth edition. The theme of this year’s gathering is ECOEXISTENCE. At the end of Crossroads 2021, participants will emerge with an actionable (collective) manifesto that aims to shape the trajectory of climate justice on the African continent for the years to come. African Crossroads…
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UN Human Rights Council declares a healthy environment a human right
With one accord in a landmark historical moment, the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) on Friday declared that access to a healthy, clean and sustainable environment is a universal human right and stated that it can also positively contribute to a global fight against climate change and its disastrous impacts. According to World Health…
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WMO Calls Upon Nations to Improve Water Management to Halt Looming Water Crisis
Following the water crisis situation which is becoming a global challenge, a new report published recently by the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and partners emphasised the need for improved water management, monitoring, and forecasting in combating the dire situation. In 2018, the report indicated, some 3.6 billion people globally had inadequate access to water…
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Gene editing helps agriculture adapt to climate change, meet UN Food Systems Summit goals
Gene editing continues to show great promise for developing more resilient and climate-smart crops to counter the mounting threat of climate change and its adverse effects on global food security, new research shows. With its vast potential to alleviate food insecurity and improve the livelihoods of vulnerable populations, gene editing as an agricultural production tool…
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UN Launches flash appeal as 2.5 million people face severe drought in Kenya
By Joyce Mukucha The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday launched a humanitarian flash appeal for the Kenya drought response as no fewer than 2.5 million people in different communities of the country’ s dry regions categorized as Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) experience food insecurity. The Kenya Drought Flash…
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EMA yet to receive EIA report from Heijin Mining Company
By Kumbirai Mafunda THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) says it is yet to receive an environmental impact assessment report from Heijin Mining Company, a Chinese mining company, which is on the verge of displacing several villagers from their ancestral land in Uzumba Maramba-Pfungwe. On 2 September 2021, Tinashe Chinopfukutwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights…
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Action needed now to limit climate change: Ministers told
Ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference also known as COP26 which is scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland between 31 October and 12 November 2021, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres urged ministers to make concerted efforts to reduce emissions, finance climate action and support mitigation. Speaking during a…
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Reducing Food Loss and Waste Key to Strengthening Food Sustainability System: FAO
Celebrating the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste this Wednesday, the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) together with other organisations emphasised the need to embrace Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 which seeks to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns, including a specific target to halve per capita global food waste by 2030. FAO…
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UNICEF, Mercy Corps partner to supply borehole water to Rusape Town Council
By Knowledge Kutadzaushe A partnership between UNICEF and Mercy Corps has come in handy to address perennial water challenges in Rusape Town Council through the provision of solar-powered boreholes. The borehole installation project is being done in Rusape Town Council as a way of stabilizing and normalising the water supply in four wards under the…
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Enhanced multilateralism mitigates COVID-19: President Mnangagwa
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last week, said enhanced multilateralism and unity of purpose remain critical in mitigating the COVID-19 global health emergency. The President’s remarks came when the Seventy Sixth Session was being convened against the backdrop of the persistent COVID 19 pandemic but he said…
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The Glasgow Declaration: An urgent call for commitment to a decade of climate action in tourism
In preparation for COP26, two information sessions were held on September 21 on the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. The Declaration, developed by a collaborative group of leading organizations, is an urgent call for all stakeholders to commit to a decade of climate action in tourism. The signatories of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action…
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CSOs bemoan destruction of Cleveland Wetland Catchment area
Community Water Alliance (CWA), Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), and Cleveland Action Alliance (CAA) have lamented the current destruction of the Cleveland Dam Wetland Catchment area due to construction activities of houses and buildings on the site. The organisations highlighted that it was worrisome that the construction of houses on the wetland was happening as…
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Community Health Clubs ushering a clean environment
By Joyce Mukucha In an effort aimed at creating a clean, safe, and hygienic environment, this week community health clubs embarked on a massive cleanup campaign clearing illegal dumpsites in Mbare at Tsiga market. According to a Facebook post by Community Water Alliance (CWA), the newly established Community Health Clubs in Mbare as agents of…
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Acknowledging the Montreal Protocol Key to Tackling Ozone Layer Depletion, Climate Change Impacts
By Joyce Mukucha As Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Ozone Day on Thursday, the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry, Mangaliso Ndlovu said it was imperative for Zimbabwe to acknowledge and embrace the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment to phase out man-made chemicals used mostly in refrigeration…
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UNDP donates vehicles to Zimbabwe’s agricultural resilience building project
By Joyce Mukucha The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has handed over five project vehicles to the Ministry of Lands, Agricultural, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement under the Green Climate Fund Building resilience of vulnerable agricultural livelihoods in the Southern Zimbabwe project. Speaking on behalf of her superior during the handover ceremony in Harare on…
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ARC, UN Women join forces to integrate gender into disaster risk management
The African Risk Capacity (ARC) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the integration of gender equality in disaster risk management. Under the MoU, signed by the Heads of both institutions, the Parties will jointly engage in high-level…
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Climate Change predicted to force over 216 million people’s migration within their own countries by 2050
By Joyce Mukucha A new report by the World Bank (WB) has revealed that climate change is an increasingly powerful driver of migration which could force 216 million people across six world regions to move within their countries by 2050. “Climate change is a powerful driver of internal migration because of its impacts on people’s…
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ZUJ Trains Journalists on Crisis Reporting
By Joyce Mukucha The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) is conducting a two-day crisis reporting workshop for journalists to equip them with necessary media skills that enable them to provide local communities, especially those traumatized by disasters with accurate, balanced, and reliable information. The Crisis Reporting Workshop underway in Harare is running under the theme,…
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“A transition to renewable energy is central to tackling climate change”
COP26 in Glasgow is just a few weeks away. Market Access and Trade Policy Officer at the British Embassy in Harare, David Gate sat down energy markets export Lion Mashiri to talk about promoting green growth in Zimbabwe. Here’s the full interview: DAVID GATE: Through water and agriculture programmes like the Rural WASH or the…
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World Vision Improving Disaster Preparedness and Inclusive Education in Zimbabwean Districts
In the quest to address disasters and pandemics that strike and negatively affect the livelihoods of vulnerable groups, especially children and people with disabilities, World Vision in conjunction with Welthungerhilfe, Christian Blind Mission and various Government of Zimbabwe departments has launched a project to strengthen community-led actions on education and disaster preparedness in five districts…
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Improving Food Security Through Capacity Building
Millions of people suffer from food insecurity around the globe. With the help of Earth-observing satellites, the NASA-USAID SERVIR project is hoping to reduce that number. Food security – the consistent availability and affordability of food – is a basic human need, yet it remains elusive for billions of people around the world. The United Nations’…
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ARC, GCA Partner to Promote Climate Resilience and Disaster Risk Finance
The African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group and the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build climate resilience in the agriculture sector by facilitating investments in risk management into government planning and high-level advocacy. This will be supported by a joint assessment of the landscape for developing risk transfer…
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COVID-19 Restrictions Contribute to Air Quality Improvement: UN Weather Experts
By Joyce Mukucha The United Nations (UN) weather experts last week confirmed that COVID-related lockdowns brought cleaner air to many cities of various nations. The experts further highlighted that though improvement in air quality was witnessed in different parts of the world, it was not enough to combat the climate CHANGE posed by global warming.…
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EMA alerts, updates stakeholders about veld fire in the country
By Amkela Sidange (Environmental Education and Publicity Manager for EMA) The country is already in the veld fire season following the onset of the statutory fire season on the 31st of July which will be ending on the 31st of October. During this period the biomass is dry, it’s windy, and therefore conducive for wild,…
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Zimbabwe to receive adequate rainfall: Weather forecast
Zimbabwe is forecast to receive normal to above-normal rains in the October-November-December (OND) period as well in the last half of the 2021 -2022 cropping season – January – February – March (JMF) (2022) phase, the Zimbabwe National Climate Outlook Forum (2021) has revealed. The country is demarcated into three (3) zones according to the…
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Global phase-out of leaded fuel is a milestone for multilateralism
By Joyce Mukucha The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres on Monday communicated that the global phase-out of leaded fuel represents a milestone for multilateralism, marking the end of a 20-year campaign to eliminate a major threat to the health of people and the planet. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) spearheaded the initiative to put…