Govt approves principles of Climate Change Bill
Government has approved the principles of the Climate Change Management Bill, paving the way for the introduction of comprehensive legislation to address the country’s climate change challenges.
The Bill, presented by Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife Mangaliso Ndlovu before Cabinet on Tuesday, outlines a framework for integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies into national development planning and budgeting processes.
The proposed Bill will establish a robust regulatory framework for greenhouse gas emissions, fostering low-carbon development pathways, promoting carbon trading mechanisms and implementing measures to curtail the use of ozone-depleting substances.
These measures align with Zimbabwe’s commitments under the Paris Agreement and demonstrate the country’s commitment to addressing climate change.
“The proposed bill will create obligations for the public and private sector stakeholders to collect, archive and share activity data that is utilised in the compilation of national greenhouse gas inventories, climate risk and vulnerability impacts,” Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere told a post Cabinet press briefing.
“The Bill will also provide for the establishment of the Designated National Authority (DNA) and the National Climate Fund to support the implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation actions provided for in the National Climate Policy.”
Dr Muswere added that the fund will be financed by a percentage of the proceeds from carbon credits trading, the fiscus and multilateral climate finance mechanisms, such as the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund among others.
Consistent with the Paris Agreement and Montreal Protocol obligations on emissions reporting, the Bill will establish and operationalise a domestic mechanism for Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) to enable the country to report to the Conference of Parties (COP) on the level of emissions by which compliance to those agreements will be measured. The MRV system will be crucial for tracking Zimbabwe’s progress towards its climate change mitigation and adaptation goals.
The Bill’s approval underscores the Government’s recognition of the urgency of climate action and its commitment to safeguarding the nation’s environment and ensuring sustainable development for future generations.-ebusinessweekly
