MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa says the world’s wealthiest countries should make serious and binding commitments towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at the ongoing 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) being held in Glasgow, Scotland.
Posting on Twitter this Monday, Chamisa noted that Zimbabwe has in the recent past been ravaged by the effects of climate change, for instance, Cyclone Idai in 2019 which killed many people and destroyed infrastructure, thereby highlighting the urgency needed in combating global warming. He wrote:
COP26, the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), kickstarts today, 1 until 12 November 2021 in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
For Zimbabwe, this landmark conference could not have come at a more appropriate time. In recent years our beloved country has been ravaged by several catastrophes directly linked to climate change, including Cyclone Idai, which in 2019 claimed about lives in Zimbabwe.
To reduce the frequency of extreme weather shocks like Cyclones, bold acceleration towards more sustainable methods of generating energy, manufacturing goods, transportation, urban development, & farming need to be taken by all countries. Net-zero emissions by 2050 is the target.
At COP26, we expect serious & binding commitments by the world’s wealthiest countries towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Rich countries contribute the most to the precarious state of the world’s climate, as such, responsibility for the crises must fall where it must.
At a minimum, we expect significant contributions to investment funds (e.g., Green Climate Fund: greenclimate.fund), earmarked for less developed countries, like Zimbabwe to access the green finance required to build resilience and adapt to climate change.
As the next government, our climate change policy is clear. Whilst the journey to net-zero by 2050 appears daunting, it represents a unique opportunity for Zimbabwe to create new jobs in new industries like renewable energy, electric vehicles, smart farming and green manufacturing.