The Sunday News
BULAWAYO is set to hold a three-day climate change summit where delegates are expected to discuss and deliberate on how to combat climate change in the country.
A local non-governmental organisation, Emmaus International, is organising the event.
In an interview, Emmaus International director Mr Justice Zvaita said the event was set to bring various stakeholders from different provinces and discuss measures that could be put in place to fight climate change which is affecting mostly farmers.
“We are going to host a climate change summit in Bulawayo and we have set aside 20-22 October as the dates for the event,” said Mr Zvaita.
He said the event was being held in Bulawayo because Matabeleland was among the worst affected regions by climate change.
“In Matabeleland region, climate change is gradually increasing the severity and frequency of natural disasters such as floods, drought, heat waves, tropical cyclones and veld fires,” said Mr Zvaita.
“Evidence of climate change impacts in the Matabeleland region include a decay of agricultural livelihood systems such as diminishing crop and animal yields, dry land degradation, lowering of the water table, disappearance of flora and fauna and diminishing rangeland, changes in soil fertility and general disruption of various ecosystems including wetlands.”
He said the resultant effects were increased desertification that has reduced the capacity of the environment to sustain communities that were dependent mostly on traditional farming systems.
“Climate change and variability exert a profound influence on the lives of both the urban and rural poor communities who depend on agriculture for their livelihood and sustenance. Such communities are exposed and unprotected against climate change related shocks, and the resultant lack of secure access to water, food and other assets.”
Mr Zvaita said the conference was set to tackle issues on how to mitigate climate change in the country.
“There is a need to explore the climate change threats, related hazards and disasters from a multi-sectorial perspective in a bid to address or reduce the impact of climate change key drivers,” said Mr Zvaita.
He said climate change and variability had not received much attention in Zimbabwe especially where it relates to the impacts on the livelihoods of vulnerable communities.
One of the stakeholders in the planning of the event, Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union Matabeleland North Chairperson Mr Winston Babbage, said climate change was real and called on all stakeholders to find common ground on how to fight climate change.
“It’s a good idea to have such a summit. Climate change is posing a challenge to us farmers and we are hopeful that the summit would give a solution,” said Mr Babbage.
Climate change has been defined as a long term shift in the climate of a specific location, region and planet. It occurs when the climate of a specific area or planet is altered between two different periods of time.
