Game poaching has exploded in recent years, endangering some of the most magnificent beasts of our country. Could the problem be much more than an animal problem or a threat to humanity?
Poaching networks threatening the stability and security of countless countries among them Kenya, Cameroon, DR Congo, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa Zimbabwe.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a global environmental conservation organisation, presented a study at a United Nations briefing mid-last month hoping to convince government officials to take poaching more seriously.
It might be a tough sell. For those who make political or humanitarian issues their bread and butter, it’s easy to brush off environmental causes. Why focus on plants and animals when so many humans are fighting, starving and suffering — they might ask?
Already, there are reports that Zimbabwe could face a future without any rhinoceros, if urgent measures to tackle poaching are not implemented. This followed the killing of four white rhinos at Thetford Estate in Mazowe reportedly owned by businessman John Bredenkamp. This is not a good sign at all given the endangered species were butchered on New Year’s Day.
Thetford Estate — a 1 300-hectare holding in the Mazowe Valley — is a registered conservancy, breeding a variety of wildlife species. In March 2002 the farm was listed again and war vets reportedly disrupted operations, in what was widely believed to be a deliberate attempt to “punish” Bredenkamp for siding with Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa’s succession campaign.
That aside, conservationist Johnny Rodrigues, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, says poaching in the country is “disgusting”, and one that was likely to get worse.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson Caroline Washaya-Moyo said apart from the four rhinos killed last year Zimbabwe lost 19 black and white rhinos to poachers. Neighbouring South Africa lost an unprecedented 633 rhino in the same year. While our rhino poaching statistics are not yet as bad as South Africa’s, it is still a serious problem given we don’t even have that many rhino left in Zimbabwe. If we don’t put the measures in place now, the animals will be extinct in the next couple years.
The environmentalist movement, Environment Africa, then led by Charlene Hewat, had its heyday during the 1980s campaigning against rhino poaching along the Zambezi River forcing government to create Intensive Protection Zones (IPZs), anti-poaching units and the subsequent banning of ivory trade in 1989.
But the fervour has since waned, and today’s environmentalists are often grouped as animal enthusiasts, botanical aficionados or tree-hugging hippies. No surprise, then, their wildlife conservation initiatives are often a low priority for policymakers, which is what was discovered by WWF in its recent report.
For instance, in neighbouring South Africa, where growing demand for rhinoceros horns in Asia has led to a poaching spree, hundreds of rhinos have been killed over the past year, and 90% of the entire rhino population has been decimated within the past half century.
Although Zimparks, especially under then Environment ministers Victoria Chitepo, Simon Khaya Moyo and currently Francis Nhema, has been acknowledged for a job well done in encouraging conservation in general and virtually eliminating rhino poaching, it is time Zimbabweans themselves knew the importance of wildlife in our country. It is not only about our geographical aesthetics but, it is also about attracting tourists, one of the biggest income generators in the country.
A solution needs to be found, and while it is a vexatious and difficult issue, Nhema needs to do his part to at least try to push for an elite force to deal with poaching. Also the justice system should appreciate the gravity of wildlife crimes. It must be made tougher for poachers – to send a clear message that it’s not allowed while preserving endangered species. Arresting and charging the perpetrators, in itself is not going to solve the problem, but there is need to find out just who is behind the poaching and inducing poaching by offering large sums of money for the rhino horn. This applies not only to rhino, but also the elephant for its ivory.
Ironically, this industry is no longer entirely dominated by whites to be precise, but also by black elites who are threatening our wildlife and by extension tourism and ultimately employment creation as well.
The Environment ministry is therefore a key government arm than many may think, and it is hoped Nhema will consolidate his efforts to stamp out poaching by making conservation a priority, and expose those forces behind the poaching of protected species.
Our hope is that Zimbabwe’s emphatic response to this latest threat will be enough to dissuade poaching gangs from crossing into their territory.
It is also worrying as we now find a cataclysmic depredation of landscapes and the wildlife that depends on forests that has sustained unparalleled biodiversity.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Monday, 7 January 2013
Will these ‘prophets’ come to the rescue?
FINANCE minister Tendai Biti on Friday challenged Spirit Embassy founder Uebert Angel Mudzanire and United Family International Church leader Emmanuel Makandiwa to “produce” over $10 billion required to liquidate government’s debt and fund national programmes.
This follows claims that Angel enables congregants to “miraculously” receive money in their pockets and bank accounts. He was reported to have done it in Botswana and Harare recently. Makandiwa is also on record as saying he can assist people to amass material wealth.
Last year there were mixed feelings coupled with a sense of national outrage following Makandiwa’s prophecy in which he claimed that an enemy or oppressor was going to die on or after Good Friday. Some people criticised Makandiwa describing his prophecy as typically provocative and unpatriotic. According to others, the prophets were spreading malicious gospels to please people.
Biti was quoted as saying: “I respect the men of God, Angel and Makandiwa, because of the miracles they are performing. But if they are printing real money, I am asking them to deposit the money in our (Treasury) account at CBZ so that we can pay some of our arrears.”
Although Biti has been roundly criticised for his challenge, he could be right after all. He is not the only one to question the existence of prophets claiming supernatural powers. Indeed, President Robert Mugabe recently wondered why the number of prophets in the country was more than all the 40 men who wrote the Holy Bible.
Could this be another manifestation of our politics going wrong? Perhaps we should encourage self-introspection on these important matters and explain why all these calamities are befalling our country.
At least somebody must explain the “miracle money”. Is it real or not? We doubt it.
For all we know, the last prophet was the one who wrote the Bible book of Revelation. How then can we have other prophets emerging when other Biblical prophecies are yet to be fulfilled? Perhaps that’s why the so-called prophecies by“our men of the cloth” are simply dealing with wealth! Nothing more! Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Zimbabweans are now wondering where all these prophecies are really coming from. When it comes to written revelations, the question of language becomes paramount. Was the revelation taken from the Lord’s dictation by the prophet? Or does it reflect the prophet’s language, reflecting the truths revealed to him by God? One could argue either case without clear resolution. Some critics have proclaimed local prophets to be false prophets because they cite what has become known as “Gospreneurship”. Could this be a sign of a false prophet?
Whether Biti, Mugabe and others are being sarcastic, this remains a matter of concern to ordinary people. The fact remains that Zimbabwe is saddled with a huge international debt, and if these men of the cloth can help — being patriotic as they claim — then let them chip in with their latest theories.
Biti says Zimbabwe has a $10,1 billion external debt and $260 million local arrears. Treasury also needs $200 million for the referendum.
This follows claims that Angel enables congregants to “miraculously” receive money in their pockets and bank accounts. He was reported to have done it in Botswana and Harare recently. Makandiwa is also on record as saying he can assist people to amass material wealth.
Last year there were mixed feelings coupled with a sense of national outrage following Makandiwa’s prophecy in which he claimed that an enemy or oppressor was going to die on or after Good Friday. Some people criticised Makandiwa describing his prophecy as typically provocative and unpatriotic. According to others, the prophets were spreading malicious gospels to please people.
Biti was quoted as saying: “I respect the men of God, Angel and Makandiwa, because of the miracles they are performing. But if they are printing real money, I am asking them to deposit the money in our (Treasury) account at CBZ so that we can pay some of our arrears.”
Although Biti has been roundly criticised for his challenge, he could be right after all. He is not the only one to question the existence of prophets claiming supernatural powers. Indeed, President Robert Mugabe recently wondered why the number of prophets in the country was more than all the 40 men who wrote the Holy Bible.
Could this be another manifestation of our politics going wrong? Perhaps we should encourage self-introspection on these important matters and explain why all these calamities are befalling our country.
At least somebody must explain the “miracle money”. Is it real or not? We doubt it.
For all we know, the last prophet was the one who wrote the Bible book of Revelation. How then can we have other prophets emerging when other Biblical prophecies are yet to be fulfilled? Perhaps that’s why the so-called prophecies by“our men of the cloth” are simply dealing with wealth! Nothing more! Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Zimbabweans are now wondering where all these prophecies are really coming from. When it comes to written revelations, the question of language becomes paramount. Was the revelation taken from the Lord’s dictation by the prophet? Or does it reflect the prophet’s language, reflecting the truths revealed to him by God? One could argue either case without clear resolution. Some critics have proclaimed local prophets to be false prophets because they cite what has become known as “Gospreneurship”. Could this be a sign of a false prophet?
Whether Biti, Mugabe and others are being sarcastic, this remains a matter of concern to ordinary people. The fact remains that Zimbabwe is saddled with a huge international debt, and if these men of the cloth can help — being patriotic as they claim — then let them chip in with their latest theories.
Biti says Zimbabwe has a $10,1 billion external debt and $260 million local arrears. Treasury also needs $200 million for the referendum.
Friday, 4 January 2013
2012 –in the eye of a storm
Global warming was the hot news this year, literally breaking out of the ivory tower.
Many of the warnings scientists have made about climate change went from dry studies in scientific journals to real-life video played before our eyes: record melting of the ice in the Arctic Ocean; snow disrupting business all over in South Africa; Spanish and United States cities baking at 95 degrees or hotter; July becoming the hottest month ever in Zimbabwe; widespread drought; flooding; storm surges inundating most countries.
Perhaps the most unavoidable climate story of the year was the warmth that gripped much of our country and, to an extent, the whole world throughout the entire year.
This, inevitably, led to a discussion of global warming and the degree to which it contributes to some types of extreme weather, in this case heat waves.
This triggered a series of high-level global meetings to deal with the global warming phenomena –among them the Rio+ summit and the Doha Climate Change conference which closed the year on a high note. So the Doha climate change conference was the most significant in nearly 20 years of gatherings under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)/COP 18 process aimed at staving off future global warming disaster.
The urgency of the science is indeed upon everybody.
The need for decisive ambition was thrust before politicians, scientists and environmentalists alike at COP 18 to ensure the Doha outcomes could change the face of long-term global adaptation and mitigation responses and chart the course of the coming years.
Doha was to ensure that there was agreement on an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol; that there was a clear path forward on climate finance; that there was an effective review of the long-term goal of staying below 2°C; that there was an urgent response to the widening emissions gap; and that there was a firm foundation laid for a long-term framework that is applicable to all, equitably instituted and responsive to science.
Since carbon dioxide emission limits agreed to under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol were to expire at the stroke of midnight today, it was critical that COP 18 agreed to extend those obligations and to continue talks about future emission cuts.
However, the outcome fell far short of what will be necessary to keep the world’s average temperature below 2°C in the foreseeable future.
As highly expected under the Doha arrangement, 17 of the 25 biggest carbon-emitting countries (including China, the US, Russia and India) did not commit to any legally binding emission limits.
The countries that did agree to extend and deepen their Kyoto emission reductions, including the European Union, Australia and Eastern Europe, make up only about 15% of the world’s emissions.
That seems like a rather meagre return on the investment of time and effort over the past years. As often is the case, these negotiations over climate have come to symbolise epic David and Goliath struggles pitting poor developing countries against recalcitrant government officials from rich countries. Lobbying efforts, shaming tactics, and staging public demonstrations have been the slingshots of choice.
One result is that more people are paying attention to environmental issues.
Nonetheless, it is time to abandon the myth that a consensus solution is necessarily the best approach. At the best, gatherings like the one in Doha dangle a tantalising mirage of achieving a sustainable future. At the worst, they give cover to governments that would rather avoid the hard choices they ultimately will have to make.
After one more expensive and time-consuming round of talks, it’s time to be honest with what can really be accomplished at these UN-style gatherings.
On another front, poaching was the bane for the wildlife industry as Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa lost huge numbers of animals. While the number of key species poached is not immediately available, South Africa says it was hard hit with at least 633 rhinoceros killed this year alone as a poaching epidemic continued to threaten the animals.
Besides poaching of the rhino, elephants and other big game, Zimbabwe also lost over 100 elephants due to thirst at Hwange National Park.
We began 2012 worrying about drought; elections; we ended it worrying about famine and elections. So reviewing the year environmentally, nothing stands out so much as the topsy-turvy nature of our weather over the past 12 months, which not only caused irritation and real difficulties to people all over the country, but raised larger concerns about global warming.
There is no doubt that the majority of people locally and internationally now realise the importance of the environment. So let us develop a culture to preserve the environment and to mitigate global warming effects in the New Year –2013.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Many of the warnings scientists have made about climate change went from dry studies in scientific journals to real-life video played before our eyes: record melting of the ice in the Arctic Ocean; snow disrupting business all over in South Africa; Spanish and United States cities baking at 95 degrees or hotter; July becoming the hottest month ever in Zimbabwe; widespread drought; flooding; storm surges inundating most countries.
Perhaps the most unavoidable climate story of the year was the warmth that gripped much of our country and, to an extent, the whole world throughout the entire year.
This, inevitably, led to a discussion of global warming and the degree to which it contributes to some types of extreme weather, in this case heat waves.
This triggered a series of high-level global meetings to deal with the global warming phenomena –among them the Rio+ summit and the Doha Climate Change conference which closed the year on a high note. So the Doha climate change conference was the most significant in nearly 20 years of gatherings under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)/COP 18 process aimed at staving off future global warming disaster.
The urgency of the science is indeed upon everybody.
The need for decisive ambition was thrust before politicians, scientists and environmentalists alike at COP 18 to ensure the Doha outcomes could change the face of long-term global adaptation and mitigation responses and chart the course of the coming years.
Doha was to ensure that there was agreement on an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol; that there was a clear path forward on climate finance; that there was an effective review of the long-term goal of staying below 2°C; that there was an urgent response to the widening emissions gap; and that there was a firm foundation laid for a long-term framework that is applicable to all, equitably instituted and responsive to science.
Since carbon dioxide emission limits agreed to under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol were to expire at the stroke of midnight today, it was critical that COP 18 agreed to extend those obligations and to continue talks about future emission cuts.
However, the outcome fell far short of what will be necessary to keep the world’s average temperature below 2°C in the foreseeable future.
As highly expected under the Doha arrangement, 17 of the 25 biggest carbon-emitting countries (including China, the US, Russia and India) did not commit to any legally binding emission limits.
The countries that did agree to extend and deepen their Kyoto emission reductions, including the European Union, Australia and Eastern Europe, make up only about 15% of the world’s emissions.
That seems like a rather meagre return on the investment of time and effort over the past years. As often is the case, these negotiations over climate have come to symbolise epic David and Goliath struggles pitting poor developing countries against recalcitrant government officials from rich countries. Lobbying efforts, shaming tactics, and staging public demonstrations have been the slingshots of choice.
One result is that more people are paying attention to environmental issues.
Nonetheless, it is time to abandon the myth that a consensus solution is necessarily the best approach. At the best, gatherings like the one in Doha dangle a tantalising mirage of achieving a sustainable future. At the worst, they give cover to governments that would rather avoid the hard choices they ultimately will have to make.
After one more expensive and time-consuming round of talks, it’s time to be honest with what can really be accomplished at these UN-style gatherings.
On another front, poaching was the bane for the wildlife industry as Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa lost huge numbers of animals. While the number of key species poached is not immediately available, South Africa says it was hard hit with at least 633 rhinoceros killed this year alone as a poaching epidemic continued to threaten the animals.
Besides poaching of the rhino, elephants and other big game, Zimbabwe also lost over 100 elephants due to thirst at Hwange National Park.
We began 2012 worrying about drought; elections; we ended it worrying about famine and elections. So reviewing the year environmentally, nothing stands out so much as the topsy-turvy nature of our weather over the past 12 months, which not only caused irritation and real difficulties to people all over the country, but raised larger concerns about global warming.
There is no doubt that the majority of people locally and internationally now realise the importance of the environment. So let us develop a culture to preserve the environment and to mitigate global warming effects in the New Year –2013.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Trophy hunting – the bane of tourism!
Following the decision to ban trophy hunting, also referred to as sport hunting by neighbouring Botswana – a country with the largest population of elephants on the continent, debate has been going on by animal protectionist groups and conservationists in the country on whether it was prudent or not for the tourism industry in the region.
All the big five: elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion, leopard – key animal species rarely found on the globe, are found in southern Africa mainly in four countries: Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and to some extent, Mozambique which recently introduced hunting for conservation efforts.
Hence, the debate has been intense to the extent that the formation of a movement to lobby MPs to enact a law banning the sport is almost done, awaiting its launch.
Some may want to accuse the lobbyists of being unpatriotic while they in turn believe the country’s key species populations have drastically reduced due to rampant poaching and uncontrolled hunting on government and private safari areas across the country.
But who will blame them? It’s their right they part of the citizenry of this country.
“Sport” hunting is a violent form of recreation that has left countless animals maimed and orphaned animals vulnerable to starvation, exposure, and predation.
I believe in sustainable utilisation of the natural resource, but this activity itself disrupts natural animal population dynamics and could contributed to the extinction of animal species all over the world, including the African painting dog, cheetah and Tasmanian tiger.
Generally, Zimbabweans are subsistence hunters, but the vast majority of hunters trooping into the country as tourists-cum-hunters do not kill for subsistence.
Trophy hunting is most often criticised when it involves rare or endangered animals, for example, the fast disappearing lions, elephants, rhino, cheetahs, leopards, tigers and others.
Opponents view trophy hunting as an issue of morality or animal cruelty, criticising the killing of living creatures for recreation.
Today’s hunters come from a broad range of economic, social, and cultural backgrounds.
In 2001, over 13 million hunters averaged 18 days hunting, and spent over $20,5 billion on their sport. In the United States proceeds from hunting licensces contribute to State game management programs, including preservation of wildlife habitat.
It is clearly an industry on its own, only when managed in a transparent manner. But it appears safari hunting in some countries is a preserve for the elite few and that in itself does not help matters.
In Britain, game hunting of birds as an industry is said to be extremely important to the rural economy. The Cobham Report of 1997 suggested it to be worth around £700 million, and hunting and shooting lobby groups claimed it to be worth over £1billion less than 10 years later.
Victorian era dramatist WS Gilbert remarked, “Deer-stalking would be a very fine sport if only the deer had guns”.
There is also debate about the extent to which trophy hunting benefits the local economy. Hunters argue that fees paid contribute to the local economy and provide value to animals that would otherwise be seen as competition for grazing, livestock, and crops.
This analysis is disputed by opponents of trophy hunting. Some argue that the animals are worth more to the community for ecotourism than hunting.
Could banning safari hunting be the answer to poaching? It remains to be seen whether the Botswana ban will have an impact on poaching at all and whether it will only serve to send legitimate hunters to other parts of the continent, taking their money with them when they go.
Clearly, stainable hunting can actually be an effective tool for conservation when used effectively.
Environment Minister Francis Nhema, through Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, may use his direct control over the number of licences to issue on an annual basis by scaling that number up or down as needed.
All what we need is to take stock of our animal population – something that has not been done for close to 10 years and see whether we can go the Botswana route or not. On the other hand an outright ban may indicate failure to use hunting as a means for conservation.
We could see the lion and elephant, in fact any endangered species in the same light, as a trophy animal, and sell a limited number of licences each year to control the population. Should hanting be allowed to be the bane of the country’s tourism?
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
All the big five: elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion, leopard – key animal species rarely found on the globe, are found in southern Africa mainly in four countries: Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and to some extent, Mozambique which recently introduced hunting for conservation efforts.
Hence, the debate has been intense to the extent that the formation of a movement to lobby MPs to enact a law banning the sport is almost done, awaiting its launch.
Some may want to accuse the lobbyists of being unpatriotic while they in turn believe the country’s key species populations have drastically reduced due to rampant poaching and uncontrolled hunting on government and private safari areas across the country.
But who will blame them? It’s their right they part of the citizenry of this country.
“Sport” hunting is a violent form of recreation that has left countless animals maimed and orphaned animals vulnerable to starvation, exposure, and predation.
I believe in sustainable utilisation of the natural resource, but this activity itself disrupts natural animal population dynamics and could contributed to the extinction of animal species all over the world, including the African painting dog, cheetah and Tasmanian tiger.
Generally, Zimbabweans are subsistence hunters, but the vast majority of hunters trooping into the country as tourists-cum-hunters do not kill for subsistence.
Trophy hunting is most often criticised when it involves rare or endangered animals, for example, the fast disappearing lions, elephants, rhino, cheetahs, leopards, tigers and others.
Opponents view trophy hunting as an issue of morality or animal cruelty, criticising the killing of living creatures for recreation.
Today’s hunters come from a broad range of economic, social, and cultural backgrounds.
In 2001, over 13 million hunters averaged 18 days hunting, and spent over $20,5 billion on their sport. In the United States proceeds from hunting licensces contribute to State game management programs, including preservation of wildlife habitat.
It is clearly an industry on its own, only when managed in a transparent manner. But it appears safari hunting in some countries is a preserve for the elite few and that in itself does not help matters.
In Britain, game hunting of birds as an industry is said to be extremely important to the rural economy. The Cobham Report of 1997 suggested it to be worth around £700 million, and hunting and shooting lobby groups claimed it to be worth over £1billion less than 10 years later.
Victorian era dramatist WS Gilbert remarked, “Deer-stalking would be a very fine sport if only the deer had guns”.
There is also debate about the extent to which trophy hunting benefits the local economy. Hunters argue that fees paid contribute to the local economy and provide value to animals that would otherwise be seen as competition for grazing, livestock, and crops.
This analysis is disputed by opponents of trophy hunting. Some argue that the animals are worth more to the community for ecotourism than hunting.
Could banning safari hunting be the answer to poaching? It remains to be seen whether the Botswana ban will have an impact on poaching at all and whether it will only serve to send legitimate hunters to other parts of the continent, taking their money with them when they go.
Clearly, stainable hunting can actually be an effective tool for conservation when used effectively.
Environment Minister Francis Nhema, through Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, may use his direct control over the number of licences to issue on an annual basis by scaling that number up or down as needed.
All what we need is to take stock of our animal population – something that has not been done for close to 10 years and see whether we can go the Botswana route or not. On the other hand an outright ban may indicate failure to use hunting as a means for conservation.
We could see the lion and elephant, in fact any endangered species in the same light, as a trophy animal, and sell a limited number of licences each year to control the population. Should hanting be allowed to be the bane of the country’s tourism?
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Banning trophy hunting exposes Zim
I have been writing about wildlife and conservation for years, and one thing I have learned is that if you want controversy, write about elephants or safari hunting. Now, I am wondering what would happen if I wrote about both at the same time.
I can’t help it, after neighbouring Botswana, one of the world’s most diverse bio-diverse countries, recently became the first African country, and only the second in the world, to ban hunting as a sport in an edict which came directly from that country’s leader Ian Khama.
The decree, which will be effective from January 1, 2014, stated that the shooting of wild game for sport and trophies was no longer compatible with “our commitment to preserve local fauna”.
So much for a country that has fought against banning hunting since 1989 when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) suspended ivory trade to contain elephant poaching along the Zambezi Valley.
When Cites banned hunting, it argued the sport made the species’ extinction a real near-term threat resulting in hugely reduced key species populations in Africa.
Last Monday, Costa Rica also became the first Latin American nation to ban hunting as a sport in a unanimous vote on the Wildlife Conservation Bill in Congress. President Laura Chinchilla is expected to sign the new Bill into law. The law “will allow us to live in peace with other living things that share our planet”, said assembly president Victor Emilio Granadas.
Arturo Carballo, deputy director at Apreflofas, an environmentalist organisation behind the reform, said: “I believe this is a message we give to future generations, that an activity like sport hunting is not a sport, but a cruelty. There is no data on how much money hunting generates in the country, but we do know there are currently clandestine hunting tours that go for about $5 000 per person.”
But, Khama’s ban will still allow for the indigenous people to continue hunting wild game as they have in the past. Some tribes, such as the legendary Kalahari Bushmen, have lived off the land for centuries and a complete ban would be a direct threat to their traditional way of life. However, over the course of 2013, Botswana will begin issuing less and less hunting permits to foreign visitors as commercial hunts come to an end.
Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe have fought the 176 Cites member states to lift the ban so that they could sustainably utilise their abundant wildlife resources. As a result, the four nations were twice allowed once-off sales of their ivory stock piles. The moratorium ends in 2018.
For instance, Zimbabwe’s Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (Campfire) has benefited scores of communities living alongside the wildlife resource. This Campfire project has been replicated in most of Africa and has been vaunted as hugely a success in the region.
I am sure if the local industry was vibrant, there is no doubt that a variety of firms could benefit from sport hunting. In Zimbabwe, its neighbours and Tanzania, it is estimated that a safari hunter spends 50 to 100 times that of the average eco-tourist.
So villagers living alongside animal range areas in remote areas often make their livelihoods from big game hunting with most hunters travelling from the West to bag their prize.
It remains to be seen whether Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa will also ban hunting. There is no doubt that the influx of hunters to Botswana has played a key role in that country’s economy as much as it has done in Zimbabwe and elsewhere, and the revenue may not be easy to replace, particularly at a local level.
While the average photographic tourist may seek luxury accommodation, the average safari hunter generally stays in tented camps. Safari hunters are also more likely to use remote areas, uninviting to the typical eco-tourist. Hunting advocates argue that these hunters allow for anti-poaching activities and revenue for local communities.
It must be borne in mind that tourism plays a vital role in the economy as well. So banning hunting may in itself help government to more than make up for the loss in revenue by promoting the country as an outstanding safari destination. With 130 000 elephants representing roughly a third of the world’s population, Botswana certainly has some fantastic natural resources with which to lure visitors. It has the biggest elephant population in the world and Zimbabwe is second with just above 100 000, while both Namibia and South Africa have less than 20 000.
The mere fact that Botswana has banned hunting means Sadc regional countries must brace for a big fight against animal protectionist groups at the next Cites conference where a total ban on hunting could be imposed on all endangered species in Africa.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Can religion solve mystery of climate?
As I was writing this instalment at the weekend in the dying hours of United Nations climate negotiations, hundreds of campaigners occupied the conference centre halls in Doha, Qatar, to call on countries to “Reject the Text”.
It appeared two weeks of negotiations were not all rosy as the final “Ministers” texts emerging were “A million miles from where we need to be to even have a small chance of preventing runaway climate change.”
It was clear that as the Doha talks lurched listlessly towards their close, hot air was just one of the outstanding issues unresolved. The others involved finance and compensation for damages caused by climate change.
No countries increased their emission cut targets at the Doha meeting. Africa demanded cuts of 40-50% by 2020 to have a chance of limiting temperature rise to no higher than 1,5˚C. Without this, environment campaigners claimed the world would face runaway climate change and far greater global temperature rises.
The Pan African Climate Alliance’s Mithika Mwenda said: “Our message to the world is build the transformation of our food and energy systems in every country; deliver real national emissions cuts and build a global climate justice movement that will hold world leaders accountable to their citizens and not the polluters.”
LIdy Nacpil of Jubilee South Asia Pacific which is currently experiencing devastation as a result of Typhoon Bopha said: “As civil society movements, we are saying that this is not acceptable. We cannot go back to our countries and tell them that we allowed this to happen, that we condemned our own future. We cannot go back to the Philippines, to our dead, to our homeless, to our outrage, and tell them that we accepted this.”
The campaigners put the blame for failure squarely on the shoulders rich industrialised countries, such as the United States, Canada and Japan, who have refused to sign up to deep climate pollution cuts and outrightly rejected a new commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
A compromise was still not enough to satisfy developing countries who wanted hot air permits scrapped altogether.
In a frosty exchange, the Qatari president of the talks Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah was asked by the EU representative to break up the plenary session to allow countries to sort out disputes in small groups.
The Doha talks represented the hinge point between the existing UN system — the 15-year-old Kyoto Protocol — and a future system to be settled by 2015.
And as politicians delayed, scientists continued to warn of ever-increasing greenhouse gases, while questions were raised as to whether religion had a role in the war on climate change. Some believed that people of all faiths could make a difference as the world faces turbulent change.
According to an inter-faith panel of religious figures at COP 18, the power of prayer and ethical behaviour are vital tools in the fight against climate change.
Several senior representatives of different religions discussed how faith in God can contribute to the climate change conference at a side event organised by the World Council of Churches (WCC).
The “Ethical and Religious Insights on the Climate Crisis” began with a short film that the WCC made in Tuvalu, a small island state in the Pacific that could be wiped out if sea levels continue to rise.
One of the islanders described the issues his country is facing today, including the death of fish stocks and destruction of coral that acts as a barrier against coastal erosion from the sea.
Despite the threat of climate change to their country, the film showed that much of the population retains its faith in God and are optimistic about their fate. They just need the rest of the world to agree ways to dramatically reduce carbon emissions.
After the film, the event heard from Jayanti Kirpalani from the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University — Europe, who partly blamed climate change on the fact that much of the world population had rejected spirituality and the importance of the soul.
“As a result there is no respect for other forms of life,” she said, adding that through prayer, “it is possible to heal nature and reverse the process of damage that we have been responsible for”.
Archbishop Seraphim Kykotis of Zimbabwe and Angola said that all religions and followers of religions had a duty to lead sustainable lifestyles.
“I want to emphasise that most religions in their sacred texts
uphold the need to care for creation.”
So unless and until humanity achieves an ethical stance that recognises the intrinsic value of nature, all our efforts may well end in failure.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
It appeared two weeks of negotiations were not all rosy as the final “Ministers” texts emerging were “A million miles from where we need to be to even have a small chance of preventing runaway climate change.”
It was clear that as the Doha talks lurched listlessly towards their close, hot air was just one of the outstanding issues unresolved. The others involved finance and compensation for damages caused by climate change.
No countries increased their emission cut targets at the Doha meeting. Africa demanded cuts of 40-50% by 2020 to have a chance of limiting temperature rise to no higher than 1,5˚C. Without this, environment campaigners claimed the world would face runaway climate change and far greater global temperature rises.
The Pan African Climate Alliance’s Mithika Mwenda said: “Our message to the world is build the transformation of our food and energy systems in every country; deliver real national emissions cuts and build a global climate justice movement that will hold world leaders accountable to their citizens and not the polluters.”
LIdy Nacpil of Jubilee South Asia Pacific which is currently experiencing devastation as a result of Typhoon Bopha said: “As civil society movements, we are saying that this is not acceptable. We cannot go back to our countries and tell them that we allowed this to happen, that we condemned our own future. We cannot go back to the Philippines, to our dead, to our homeless, to our outrage, and tell them that we accepted this.”
The campaigners put the blame for failure squarely on the shoulders rich industrialised countries, such as the United States, Canada and Japan, who have refused to sign up to deep climate pollution cuts and outrightly rejected a new commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
A compromise was still not enough to satisfy developing countries who wanted hot air permits scrapped altogether.
In a frosty exchange, the Qatari president of the talks Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah was asked by the EU representative to break up the plenary session to allow countries to sort out disputes in small groups.
The Doha talks represented the hinge point between the existing UN system — the 15-year-old Kyoto Protocol — and a future system to be settled by 2015.
And as politicians delayed, scientists continued to warn of ever-increasing greenhouse gases, while questions were raised as to whether religion had a role in the war on climate change. Some believed that people of all faiths could make a difference as the world faces turbulent change.
According to an inter-faith panel of religious figures at COP 18, the power of prayer and ethical behaviour are vital tools in the fight against climate change.
Several senior representatives of different religions discussed how faith in God can contribute to the climate change conference at a side event organised by the World Council of Churches (WCC).
The “Ethical and Religious Insights on the Climate Crisis” began with a short film that the WCC made in Tuvalu, a small island state in the Pacific that could be wiped out if sea levels continue to rise.
One of the islanders described the issues his country is facing today, including the death of fish stocks and destruction of coral that acts as a barrier against coastal erosion from the sea.
Despite the threat of climate change to their country, the film showed that much of the population retains its faith in God and are optimistic about their fate. They just need the rest of the world to agree ways to dramatically reduce carbon emissions.
After the film, the event heard from Jayanti Kirpalani from the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University — Europe, who partly blamed climate change on the fact that much of the world population had rejected spirituality and the importance of the soul.
“As a result there is no respect for other forms of life,” she said, adding that through prayer, “it is possible to heal nature and reverse the process of damage that we have been responsible for”.
Archbishop Seraphim Kykotis of Zimbabwe and Angola said that all religions and followers of religions had a duty to lead sustainable lifestyles.
“I want to emphasise that most religions in their sacred texts
uphold the need to care for creation.”
So unless and until humanity achieves an ethical stance that recognises the intrinsic value of nature, all our efforts may well end in failure.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Doha must consider Africa’s challenges
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference has convened this year in Doha, the capital of the oil-rich emirate of Qatar, on the Arabian Peninsula.
Dubbed the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP 18), an army of bureaucrats, business and greens are gathered – presumably to limit global greenhouse gas emissions to a level that scientists say will contain the global temperature rise to 2˚C and perhaps stave off a global climate catastrophe.
The World Meteorological Organisation released preliminary findings for 2012 highlighting extremes of drought, heat waves, floods, snow and extreme cold, as well as above-average hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin for the third consecutive year.
If past meetings are any indication to go by, national self-interest on the part of the world’s largest polluters, chief among them the United States, will trump global consensus when the meeting concludes this Friday.
In his victory speech on November 6 this year, just over a week after Superstorm Sandy devastated New York City and most of Eastern coastline lands, killing some 100 people, US President Barack Obama proclaimed: “We want our children to live in an America . . . that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.”
These are fine aspirations, but the problem is action is needed now to avert the very scenario that Obama has said he wants to avoid. The US, which remains the greatest polluter in world history, stands as one of the biggest impediments to a rational global programme to stem global warming.
While Africa’s voice has been growing in international negotiations, more focus is needed on climate change adaptation on the continent to protect those who rely on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods.
Hence COP 18 must finally take the concrete steps needed to move towards a comprehensive agreement to address one of the world’s most pressing and immediate challenges.
Global citizens expect long-term vision and leadership from their governments to address the existential threats created by climate change. It is agreed that Doha presents one more critical chance for governments to stem the tide of emissions, step up support for countries bearing the brunt of climate change, and provide the financial assistance that these vulnerable states need to adapt and build resilience to a warming planet.
The COP 18 agenda is drawn from commitments made at previous COPs. Delegates are seeking a climate agreement positioned to begin in 2015, a second Kyoto Protocol period beginning immediately, and funds to support poor countries’ adaptation to life in a hotter climate.
These negotiations come at a time when climate science is clear and established on global warming’s impending threat to the planet. The world’s leading international climate change assessment body, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), strongly warns that the threat of climate change is real, and its impacts will become unmanageable if greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically reduced.
Despite scientific evidence, previous COPs have been characterised by mistrust of scientific evidence and by a general lack of urgency, discouraging a number of governments from taking action.
So a new spirit is needed at these talks – a spirit of trust, dialogue, urgency and collective effort to address climate change, which is one of the defining issues of our time.
Given the fact that the UNFCCC has just three years left to agree a fair, ambitious and binding agreement for the negotiations to succeed, leadership is needed.
Apparently, things have changed for Africa. Her empowerment in these international climate negotiations has really been growing over the last decade. The African voice is being heard more clearly and Africa has been much better about articulating and understanding where its interests are and pushing the climate change negotiators to pay attention to their issues. But the key issue is not being paid attention to, but adaptation to climate change. Many resources are being mobilised to reduce emissions and fewer to adaptation –that is a fact.
With approximately 70% of African farmers earning their livelihoods from rain-fed agriculture, the issue is critical for livelihoods.
If rainfall is going to increase, they need to be able to deal with more flooding. If rainfall is going to decrease in their areas, they need to be able to deal with more droughts. If there is increased variability, they need to be able to accommodate that, so they can get a harvest and get a meaningful livelihood every year out of their farming systems. And they need support in doing this.
A recent study by the Centre for International Forestry Research in Cameroon highlights challenges forest communities face in adapting to climate change, which could reduce their access to food, medicinal plants and firewood.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Dubbed the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP 18), an army of bureaucrats, business and greens are gathered – presumably to limit global greenhouse gas emissions to a level that scientists say will contain the global temperature rise to 2˚C and perhaps stave off a global climate catastrophe.
The World Meteorological Organisation released preliminary findings for 2012 highlighting extremes of drought, heat waves, floods, snow and extreme cold, as well as above-average hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin for the third consecutive year.
If past meetings are any indication to go by, national self-interest on the part of the world’s largest polluters, chief among them the United States, will trump global consensus when the meeting concludes this Friday.
In his victory speech on November 6 this year, just over a week after Superstorm Sandy devastated New York City and most of Eastern coastline lands, killing some 100 people, US President Barack Obama proclaimed: “We want our children to live in an America . . . that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.”
These are fine aspirations, but the problem is action is needed now to avert the very scenario that Obama has said he wants to avoid. The US, which remains the greatest polluter in world history, stands as one of the biggest impediments to a rational global programme to stem global warming.
While Africa’s voice has been growing in international negotiations, more focus is needed on climate change adaptation on the continent to protect those who rely on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods.
Hence COP 18 must finally take the concrete steps needed to move towards a comprehensive agreement to address one of the world’s most pressing and immediate challenges.
Global citizens expect long-term vision and leadership from their governments to address the existential threats created by climate change. It is agreed that Doha presents one more critical chance for governments to stem the tide of emissions, step up support for countries bearing the brunt of climate change, and provide the financial assistance that these vulnerable states need to adapt and build resilience to a warming planet.
The COP 18 agenda is drawn from commitments made at previous COPs. Delegates are seeking a climate agreement positioned to begin in 2015, a second Kyoto Protocol period beginning immediately, and funds to support poor countries’ adaptation to life in a hotter climate.
These negotiations come at a time when climate science is clear and established on global warming’s impending threat to the planet. The world’s leading international climate change assessment body, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), strongly warns that the threat of climate change is real, and its impacts will become unmanageable if greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically reduced.
Despite scientific evidence, previous COPs have been characterised by mistrust of scientific evidence and by a general lack of urgency, discouraging a number of governments from taking action.
So a new spirit is needed at these talks – a spirit of trust, dialogue, urgency and collective effort to address climate change, which is one of the defining issues of our time.
Given the fact that the UNFCCC has just three years left to agree a fair, ambitious and binding agreement for the negotiations to succeed, leadership is needed.
Apparently, things have changed for Africa. Her empowerment in these international climate negotiations has really been growing over the last decade. The African voice is being heard more clearly and Africa has been much better about articulating and understanding where its interests are and pushing the climate change negotiators to pay attention to their issues. But the key issue is not being paid attention to, but adaptation to climate change. Many resources are being mobilised to reduce emissions and fewer to adaptation –that is a fact.
With approximately 70% of African farmers earning their livelihoods from rain-fed agriculture, the issue is critical for livelihoods.
If rainfall is going to increase, they need to be able to deal with more flooding. If rainfall is going to decrease in their areas, they need to be able to deal with more droughts. If there is increased variability, they need to be able to accommodate that, so they can get a harvest and get a meaningful livelihood every year out of their farming systems. And they need support in doing this.
A recent study by the Centre for International Forestry Research in Cameroon highlights challenges forest communities face in adapting to climate change, which could reduce their access to food, medicinal plants and firewood.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Met Office must raise monitoring
Reliable and detailed climate information is essential in the design of effective strategies for managing risks and adapting to climate variability and change.
It helps farmers to adequately plan for the agricultural season.
Their planning, however, depends on the availability of high quality, long-term observations on the adequacy of climate predictions from numerical models to depict future regional climate conditions, and on a thorough understanding and appreciation of the uncertainties and constraints associated with the use of both data and national, regional and global models.
There must be a two-way interaction or dialogue between the information providers, in this case, the Meteorological Services Department (Met Office), and the users in government and public/private sectors.
If the World Climate Research Programme, the Global Climate Observing System and the World Meteorological Organisation have teamed up to demonstrate key elements of an effective climate risk management strategy for East Africa, the Met office can also do the same given that our economy is agriculture-based.
It is sad that it appears climate information to the farmers is “truncated”, making it difficult for them to plan for the farming season. If anything, SeedCo and Panner Seeds among other seed houses, have assumed the role of the Met Office by disseminating information that could assist farmers to adapt to climate variability.
But what has happened to the Met Office? Apart from their banal forecast: “it will be sunny in the morning; partly cloudy by day and we can expect some thunderstorm and rain later in the day in some parts of the country”. Daily — This is unsustainable!
The Met Office should move a step further than this and promote understanding and dialogue amongst providers and users of climate information as well as build confidence in observations and models.
They should promote fuller understanding of climate information for more effective communication of information to decision-makers; “mainstream” climate change into the planning and activities of government, and rescue, digitise, and quality-control existing data records and utilise re-analyses to fill gaps in time series.
The country should also develop sector-specific indices of particular value to the region, share national data for regional analyses and strengthen the capacity of the Met Office in downscaling to develop and analyse climate scenarios for national, regional and other assessments.
This will entail that the Met Office uses the latest techniques in downscaling climate models, including multiple-model ensembles, to improve the quality and accuracy of projections and form partnerships between national agencies that provide and use climate information to produce climate scenarios that are the most relevant to the region and sectors of interest.
Given the prevailing dry conditions that have developed so far this year with many parts of the country receiving less than a quarter of their usual rainfall for the September–December period, lack of strategies to manage climate inconsistency could have adverse impact on agriculture and water supply in the country.
Hence, reanalysis would provide a coherent multivariate reconstruction of the global atmosphere over an extended period of time, based on information from a wide range of observations.
The reconstructions could be created with model-based data assimilation methods similar to those employed for numerical weather prediction. Agreed, reanalysis rely on a forecast model to propagate information in space and time, and to impose physically meaningful constraints on the estimates produced.
In this way it is possible, for example, to extract useful information about rainfall from satellite observations of temperature and humidity, or to infer large-scale features of the global circulation in the early 20th century from surface pressure observations available at the time.
Since first produced in the 1980s, reanalysis data have been widely used for research in the atmospheric sciences.
Reanalysis is a rapidly evolving field; successive generations of products have improved in quality and diversity, reflecting major advances in modelling and data assimilation achieved in recent decades.
New reanalysis products additionally benefit from improvements in the observations and other required input datasets, such as specifications of sea surface temperature and sea-ice concentration.
These are the result of ongoing efforts in data reprocessing and recalibration by satellite agencies and other data providers, as well as recovery and digitisation of early instrumental data that have not previously been used.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
It helps farmers to adequately plan for the agricultural season.
Their planning, however, depends on the availability of high quality, long-term observations on the adequacy of climate predictions from numerical models to depict future regional climate conditions, and on a thorough understanding and appreciation of the uncertainties and constraints associated with the use of both data and national, regional and global models.
There must be a two-way interaction or dialogue between the information providers, in this case, the Meteorological Services Department (Met Office), and the users in government and public/private sectors.
If the World Climate Research Programme, the Global Climate Observing System and the World Meteorological Organisation have teamed up to demonstrate key elements of an effective climate risk management strategy for East Africa, the Met office can also do the same given that our economy is agriculture-based.
It is sad that it appears climate information to the farmers is “truncated”, making it difficult for them to plan for the farming season. If anything, SeedCo and Panner Seeds among other seed houses, have assumed the role of the Met Office by disseminating information that could assist farmers to adapt to climate variability.
But what has happened to the Met Office? Apart from their banal forecast: “it will be sunny in the morning; partly cloudy by day and we can expect some thunderstorm and rain later in the day in some parts of the country”. Daily — This is unsustainable!
The Met Office should move a step further than this and promote understanding and dialogue amongst providers and users of climate information as well as build confidence in observations and models.
They should promote fuller understanding of climate information for more effective communication of information to decision-makers; “mainstream” climate change into the planning and activities of government, and rescue, digitise, and quality-control existing data records and utilise re-analyses to fill gaps in time series.
The country should also develop sector-specific indices of particular value to the region, share national data for regional analyses and strengthen the capacity of the Met Office in downscaling to develop and analyse climate scenarios for national, regional and other assessments.
This will entail that the Met Office uses the latest techniques in downscaling climate models, including multiple-model ensembles, to improve the quality and accuracy of projections and form partnerships between national agencies that provide and use climate information to produce climate scenarios that are the most relevant to the region and sectors of interest.
Given the prevailing dry conditions that have developed so far this year with many parts of the country receiving less than a quarter of their usual rainfall for the September–December period, lack of strategies to manage climate inconsistency could have adverse impact on agriculture and water supply in the country.
Hence, reanalysis would provide a coherent multivariate reconstruction of the global atmosphere over an extended period of time, based on information from a wide range of observations.
The reconstructions could be created with model-based data assimilation methods similar to those employed for numerical weather prediction. Agreed, reanalysis rely on a forecast model to propagate information in space and time, and to impose physically meaningful constraints on the estimates produced.
In this way it is possible, for example, to extract useful information about rainfall from satellite observations of temperature and humidity, or to infer large-scale features of the global circulation in the early 20th century from surface pressure observations available at the time.
Since first produced in the 1980s, reanalysis data have been widely used for research in the atmospheric sciences.
Reanalysis is a rapidly evolving field; successive generations of products have improved in quality and diversity, reflecting major advances in modelling and data assimilation achieved in recent decades.
New reanalysis products additionally benefit from improvements in the observations and other required input datasets, such as specifications of sea surface temperature and sea-ice concentration.
These are the result of ongoing efforts in data reprocessing and recalibration by satellite agencies and other data providers, as well as recovery and digitisation of early instrumental data that have not previously been used.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Vic Falls indaba a damp squib
The Victoria Falls Diamond Conference has come and gone. But is there anything for the country to show for it?
For some reason I doubt. Although the conference theme was Unlocking Zimbabwe’s Diamond Potential Together, I want to argue that it appears the bulk of the invited guests could have been a hired crowd.
The reasons being there was hardly any constructive voice although the Kimberley Process (KP) members have always labelled our gemstones “blood diamonds” whatever that means.
From the look of things, the conference, which was meant to address the country’s economic growth, unemployment, broad-based empowerment to control and manage the gemstones, lure investors, ensure the diamonds assist in alleviating the liquidity crunch, indigenisation and, above all, the creation of a local diamond industry, failed to live up to its billing.
Besides, if Mines minister Obert Mpofu and company were worried about the “bad boy tag” put by the KP, then it was only logical that the conference should have been held somewhere in Manicaland province where the diamond mines are.
This for transparent reasons –that is if there is any legitimacy in whatever we are doing. This could have shown the world beyond any reasonable doubt how compliant the Zimbabwe is. After the conference perhaps the invited guests could have been taken around the diamond fields and the local Chiadzwa community.
But the fact that the conference was held some 1 000km away speaks volumes about its intent and purpose. One can simply conclude that the holding of the conference from where things are happening could have so many meanings.
Could President Robert Mugabe have been hoodwinked into rubber-stamping a diamond fair under the guise of a conference meant to deal with bread and butter issues? For if indeed the Victoria Falls gathering was of national importance, why would the event be organised and funded by foreigners? It is a fact that the conference was organised by a Dubai-based diamond buyer and moderated by an Israeli – both foreigners.
Isn’t it ironic that the Mines ministry could have a master-servant arrangement with rough diamonds buyers – in this case Zimbabwe being the servant? Unbelievable, isn’t it?
There are so many unanswered questions in many Zimbabweans’ minds and there is no doubt that the best that the conference could have settled for was to ensure the creation and undivided support for the local diamond industry given the fact that Chiadzwa diamonds have created (I am told) one million jobs so far in India alone.
How much more could be created if 90% of the rough diamonds were cut and polished locally? Zimbabwe has an unemployment rate of 90%, therefore it is incredible what could be achieved through cutting and polishing by the local industry. Wouldn’t the diamonds absorb half the number of unemployed youths?
Instead, the conference turned out to be a diamond fair where rough diamond buyers from elsewhere simply showcased their profiles trying to convince local diamond administrators to sell them even more quantities to sustain their failing industries.
It is sad to learn that only 10% of the total mined diamonds in the country are sold to the local diamond industry, yet that figure should be for export while 90% is consumed locally.
With the expertise the country now boasts of, Zimbabwe does not need any foreigner to teach them about cutting and polishing the gemstones.
Mpofu has alluded to it in the past, so he is aware of this development since his ministry is the licensing authority for diamond schools. Mpofu should go back to the drawing board and include all interested partners into the equation regardless of political or personal differences for the country’s benefit. Agreed no one can ever have enough money, but it is time to move on as a country for posterity’s purpose.
I also challenge Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere to stand up and be counted –take the bull by its horns and right the wrongs here otherwise he does not have black economic empowerment to talk about in the diamond industry. Kasukuwere should not feel comfortable with the community share trusts that he has had Mugabe launch one after the other countrywide. Community share trusts are not part of a government programme at all. If anything, companies the world over are required to pay back to communities they operate from.
With all due respect to organisers of the Victoria Falls Diamond Conference, how could we gather to decide on selling even more uncut diamonds to foreign dealers so that we could sustain their countries’ industries? In the end one is tempted to ask: Did the conference sell a real deal or a cubic zirconia?
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
For some reason I doubt. Although the conference theme was Unlocking Zimbabwe’s Diamond Potential Together, I want to argue that it appears the bulk of the invited guests could have been a hired crowd.
The reasons being there was hardly any constructive voice although the Kimberley Process (KP) members have always labelled our gemstones “blood diamonds” whatever that means.
From the look of things, the conference, which was meant to address the country’s economic growth, unemployment, broad-based empowerment to control and manage the gemstones, lure investors, ensure the diamonds assist in alleviating the liquidity crunch, indigenisation and, above all, the creation of a local diamond industry, failed to live up to its billing.
Besides, if Mines minister Obert Mpofu and company were worried about the “bad boy tag” put by the KP, then it was only logical that the conference should have been held somewhere in Manicaland province where the diamond mines are.
This for transparent reasons –that is if there is any legitimacy in whatever we are doing. This could have shown the world beyond any reasonable doubt how compliant the Zimbabwe is. After the conference perhaps the invited guests could have been taken around the diamond fields and the local Chiadzwa community.
But the fact that the conference was held some 1 000km away speaks volumes about its intent and purpose. One can simply conclude that the holding of the conference from where things are happening could have so many meanings.
Could President Robert Mugabe have been hoodwinked into rubber-stamping a diamond fair under the guise of a conference meant to deal with bread and butter issues? For if indeed the Victoria Falls gathering was of national importance, why would the event be organised and funded by foreigners? It is a fact that the conference was organised by a Dubai-based diamond buyer and moderated by an Israeli – both foreigners.
Isn’t it ironic that the Mines ministry could have a master-servant arrangement with rough diamonds buyers – in this case Zimbabwe being the servant? Unbelievable, isn’t it?
There are so many unanswered questions in many Zimbabweans’ minds and there is no doubt that the best that the conference could have settled for was to ensure the creation and undivided support for the local diamond industry given the fact that Chiadzwa diamonds have created (I am told) one million jobs so far in India alone.
How much more could be created if 90% of the rough diamonds were cut and polished locally? Zimbabwe has an unemployment rate of 90%, therefore it is incredible what could be achieved through cutting and polishing by the local industry. Wouldn’t the diamonds absorb half the number of unemployed youths?
Instead, the conference turned out to be a diamond fair where rough diamond buyers from elsewhere simply showcased their profiles trying to convince local diamond administrators to sell them even more quantities to sustain their failing industries.
It is sad to learn that only 10% of the total mined diamonds in the country are sold to the local diamond industry, yet that figure should be for export while 90% is consumed locally.
With the expertise the country now boasts of, Zimbabwe does not need any foreigner to teach them about cutting and polishing the gemstones.
Mpofu has alluded to it in the past, so he is aware of this development since his ministry is the licensing authority for diamond schools. Mpofu should go back to the drawing board and include all interested partners into the equation regardless of political or personal differences for the country’s benefit. Agreed no one can ever have enough money, but it is time to move on as a country for posterity’s purpose.
I also challenge Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere to stand up and be counted –take the bull by its horns and right the wrongs here otherwise he does not have black economic empowerment to talk about in the diamond industry. Kasukuwere should not feel comfortable with the community share trusts that he has had Mugabe launch one after the other countrywide. Community share trusts are not part of a government programme at all. If anything, companies the world over are required to pay back to communities they operate from.
With all due respect to organisers of the Victoria Falls Diamond Conference, how could we gather to decide on selling even more uncut diamonds to foreign dealers so that we could sustain their countries’ industries? In the end one is tempted to ask: Did the conference sell a real deal or a cubic zirconia?
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
No hush money, polish our diamonds
Four years after the discovery of vast diamond deposits in the Chiadzwa community, Marange communal lands in Manicaland province — perhaps the largest known reserve in the world — Zimbabwe today hosts yet another high-profile talk shop in Victoria Falls. Yet very few investors have been willing to cross the Rubicon.
Dubbed the Zimbabwe Diamond Conference, it is reported to have been oversubscribed as it emerged local and international organisations were still making efforts to book seats and attend the “inaugural edition” of the indaba in the country. For all that we know, it is not the first diamond conference in the country per se, but perhaps it is the first that the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has fully funded. The fact of the matter is that Mines minister Obert Mpofu and his top officials have in the past hopped from one conference to another since the huge Chiadzwa find.
But after so much globetrotting with the authorities gracing local, regional and international diamond conferences, one wonders what the Victoria Falls one would achieve. I do not doubt what diamonds could achieve, but events of the last four years have somewhat yielded little, if not nothing at all, for the country except perhaps the plunder of the resource by a few privileged individuals. If Zimbabwe had wanted, she could have learnt a thing or two from her neighbours –South Africa which discovered its diamonds over a century ago or Botswana whose deposits were found almost five decades ago, Namibia or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to name, but a few.
Besides non-diamond producing countries such as Belgium, Dubai, Israel and United States of America’s economies are ticking because of diamonds from countries like Zimbabwe that have no clear beneficiation policies. Who will blame these countries for taking advantage of these loopholes?
History tells us that before Botswana discovered diamonds in the 1960s, she had only one main road and her economy was driven by mainly cattle farming, but since the discovery of diamonds the economy drastically transformed into the best in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its GDP is 60% funded by diamonds and yet with all the diamonds Zimbabwe is producing monthly, she has dismally failed to meet a target of a paltry $600 million.
What really is happening here? Who is to blame? Is it Mpofu –probably the country’s richest politician of our time — or is it the governance system itself? Where did the wheels come off? Has the Chiadzwa find become a curse for Zimbabwe? Whatever the case, it appears to me that Zimbabwe will/may not even benefit any cent from the list of invited guests at the Victoria Falls conference given the fact that almost all of them are in the country to buy rough diamonds to sustain their ailing industries back home.
To the generality of Zimbabweans, there is no reason now or in the future why we should continue giving away rough diamonds to those who are going to make more money with us. Accused of being opaque, corrupt and murderous, our diamond sector must polish its image. This calls for beneficiation, finish! The Mines ministry has evidently lost the plot, failed to take advantage of the exposure which they had for so long, yet they continue to invite countries whose ailing industries have failed due to shortage of rough diamonds on the international market to begin to revive them at the expense of the people.
Given the successful stories in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia, Zimbabwe does need to sell rough diamonds anymore. For by so doing we are simply exporting labour and frustrating the creation of local industries, with unemployment in the country standing at between 80%-90%. It is a naked truth that the Chiadzwa diamonds have created 60 000 jobs in India over four years, and yet we appear determined to continue feeding their industries at the same time claiming to have the interests of the people at heart. What double speak!
By exporting 90% of rough diamonds, we are prejudicing the economy of the much-needed revenue to the fiscus — itself a source of friction between Finance minister Tendai Biti and Mpofu, yet the country had anchored its hopes of economic recovery on diamonds.
Instead of following what countries represented at the conference are doing by, for example, buying for value addition, boosting their economies, creating employment and assisting downstream industries, we seem happy with the status quo –where some diamonds administrators have become some of the richest in the region if not the world. Can the Mines ministry convince Zimbabweans that they do not know the consequences of selling 90% of the country’s rough diamonds to other nations? Or is it a deliberate ploy to suppress the majority?
Is it not curious that despite the abundance of minerals, Zimbabwe has failed to sustain a measly $4 billion budget? Is it not time the Mines ministry was compelled to manage diamonds transparently and is it not common cause that it is only through this that diamonds will benefit the country?
One wonders whether the Victoria Falls invited will be sold the real deal or a cubic zirconia.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Dubbed the Zimbabwe Diamond Conference, it is reported to have been oversubscribed as it emerged local and international organisations were still making efforts to book seats and attend the “inaugural edition” of the indaba in the country. For all that we know, it is not the first diamond conference in the country per se, but perhaps it is the first that the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has fully funded. The fact of the matter is that Mines minister Obert Mpofu and his top officials have in the past hopped from one conference to another since the huge Chiadzwa find.
But after so much globetrotting with the authorities gracing local, regional and international diamond conferences, one wonders what the Victoria Falls one would achieve. I do not doubt what diamonds could achieve, but events of the last four years have somewhat yielded little, if not nothing at all, for the country except perhaps the plunder of the resource by a few privileged individuals. If Zimbabwe had wanted, she could have learnt a thing or two from her neighbours –South Africa which discovered its diamonds over a century ago or Botswana whose deposits were found almost five decades ago, Namibia or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to name, but a few.
Besides non-diamond producing countries such as Belgium, Dubai, Israel and United States of America’s economies are ticking because of diamonds from countries like Zimbabwe that have no clear beneficiation policies. Who will blame these countries for taking advantage of these loopholes?
History tells us that before Botswana discovered diamonds in the 1960s, she had only one main road and her economy was driven by mainly cattle farming, but since the discovery of diamonds the economy drastically transformed into the best in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its GDP is 60% funded by diamonds and yet with all the diamonds Zimbabwe is producing monthly, she has dismally failed to meet a target of a paltry $600 million.
What really is happening here? Who is to blame? Is it Mpofu –probably the country’s richest politician of our time — or is it the governance system itself? Where did the wheels come off? Has the Chiadzwa find become a curse for Zimbabwe? Whatever the case, it appears to me that Zimbabwe will/may not even benefit any cent from the list of invited guests at the Victoria Falls conference given the fact that almost all of them are in the country to buy rough diamonds to sustain their ailing industries back home.
To the generality of Zimbabweans, there is no reason now or in the future why we should continue giving away rough diamonds to those who are going to make more money with us. Accused of being opaque, corrupt and murderous, our diamond sector must polish its image. This calls for beneficiation, finish! The Mines ministry has evidently lost the plot, failed to take advantage of the exposure which they had for so long, yet they continue to invite countries whose ailing industries have failed due to shortage of rough diamonds on the international market to begin to revive them at the expense of the people.
Given the successful stories in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia, Zimbabwe does need to sell rough diamonds anymore. For by so doing we are simply exporting labour and frustrating the creation of local industries, with unemployment in the country standing at between 80%-90%. It is a naked truth that the Chiadzwa diamonds have created 60 000 jobs in India over four years, and yet we appear determined to continue feeding their industries at the same time claiming to have the interests of the people at heart. What double speak!
By exporting 90% of rough diamonds, we are prejudicing the economy of the much-needed revenue to the fiscus — itself a source of friction between Finance minister Tendai Biti and Mpofu, yet the country had anchored its hopes of economic recovery on diamonds.
Instead of following what countries represented at the conference are doing by, for example, buying for value addition, boosting their economies, creating employment and assisting downstream industries, we seem happy with the status quo –where some diamonds administrators have become some of the richest in the region if not the world. Can the Mines ministry convince Zimbabweans that they do not know the consequences of selling 90% of the country’s rough diamonds to other nations? Or is it a deliberate ploy to suppress the majority?
Is it not curious that despite the abundance of minerals, Zimbabwe has failed to sustain a measly $4 billion budget? Is it not time the Mines ministry was compelled to manage diamonds transparently and is it not common cause that it is only through this that diamonds will benefit the country?
One wonders whether the Victoria Falls invited will be sold the real deal or a cubic zirconia.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Of health, climate change ‘n’ sinking ship
Advance warning is an imperative in getting people out of harm’s way in cases of any dangers such as those caused by the changing climate.
Precisely had the massive storms like Hurricane Sandy, which is currently devastating the East Coast of the United States, not been seen before striking, many people more than those that have been affected could have perhaps suffered.
Is there any relation between weather forecasts and health? Yes, early information about the climate and weather forecasts plays a vital role in preventing and preparing for different ways to counteract any kind of disease epidemics.
In this regard, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) this past week published its first Atlas of Health and Climate.
According to the WMO, the speed with which the climate is changing all over the world is a matter of great concern as it tends to bring a number of hazards to human health.
This is a new tool to map health risks linked to climate change and extreme weather conditions, enabling authorities to give advance warnings and act to prevent “climate-sensitive” diseases from spreading.
The serious perennial water problems affecting most urban areas — Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare and Gweru, among others — it is no laughing matter as millions of urban dwellers are sitting on a health time bomb. The water crisis has come with its health problems — diarrhoea, malaria and an unprecedented increase in meningitis cases follow in the wake of sudden, but often foreseeable shifts in climate change.
When this Atlas of Health and Climate was presented, WHO secretary-general Margaret Chan and WMO chief Michel Jarraud indicated it could be used as a guide for decision-makers on how to prevent such diseases.
They said this tool should assist policymakers to make decisions given the fact that over 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Zimbabwe, were affected by bacterial meningitis brought each year by a hot and dusty wind that blows across the so-called meningitis belt.
Sadly, it is projected that heat extremes now expected to occur only once in 20 years, may occur every two to five years by the middle of this century. At the same time, the number of older people living in cities will almost quadruple globally, from 380 million in 2010, to 1,4 billion in 2050. And so co-operation between health and climate departments can create measures to better protect people in this vulnerable group from heat stress during periods of extreme weather.
The unique Atlas also shows how the relationship between health and climate is shaped by other vulnerabilities, such as those created by poverty, environmental degradation, and poor infrastructure, especially for water and sanitation.
Which is more sound — to seek the best lounge seat on a sinking ship or to get into a lifeboat? Your guess is just as good as mine.
Health minister Henry Madzorera and Environment minister Francis Nhema should steer clear of partisan politics and work together to improve and increase climate services.
When I flipped through this Atlas, I found out that it illustrates the most pressing current and emerging problems to human health caused by global climate changes.
For instance, areas like Masvingo, Beitbridge, Matabeleland regions and low-lying Zambezi Valley and Dande Valley, among others, have never had meaningful maize harvests for decades now due to droughts, floods and cyclones. That phenomenon has also affected the health of thousands of people each year by triggering epidemics of diseases such as diarrhoea, malaria and meningitis, which cause death and suffering for many millions more.
The Atlas gives practical examples of how the use of weather and climate information protect public health. WMO says greater focus will now be given to climate resources protecting public health and the key word in the new resource is information, providing prevention and preparedness and in turn delivering risk management and reduction, which governments should take advantage of.
It is only by strengthening the ties between the technological resources available will it be possible to deliver up-dated information on weather and climate challenges and events, integrating this information into public health management systems at all levels: local, national and international.
Technological information systems have greatly reduced human casualties over the years, an example given being that of Bangladesh where in 1970, 500000 people died because of a storm and in 2007 the number was under 3 000.
If the climate services are used in an effective manner then initiatives could be surely made to safeguard the health of societies in a reflective manner. For this, there has to be stronger collaboration between the meteorological and health communities.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Precisely had the massive storms like Hurricane Sandy, which is currently devastating the East Coast of the United States, not been seen before striking, many people more than those that have been affected could have perhaps suffered.
Is there any relation between weather forecasts and health? Yes, early information about the climate and weather forecasts plays a vital role in preventing and preparing for different ways to counteract any kind of disease epidemics.
In this regard, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) this past week published its first Atlas of Health and Climate.
According to the WMO, the speed with which the climate is changing all over the world is a matter of great concern as it tends to bring a number of hazards to human health.
This is a new tool to map health risks linked to climate change and extreme weather conditions, enabling authorities to give advance warnings and act to prevent “climate-sensitive” diseases from spreading.
The serious perennial water problems affecting most urban areas — Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare and Gweru, among others — it is no laughing matter as millions of urban dwellers are sitting on a health time bomb. The water crisis has come with its health problems — diarrhoea, malaria and an unprecedented increase in meningitis cases follow in the wake of sudden, but often foreseeable shifts in climate change.
When this Atlas of Health and Climate was presented, WHO secretary-general Margaret Chan and WMO chief Michel Jarraud indicated it could be used as a guide for decision-makers on how to prevent such diseases.
They said this tool should assist policymakers to make decisions given the fact that over 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Zimbabwe, were affected by bacterial meningitis brought each year by a hot and dusty wind that blows across the so-called meningitis belt.
Sadly, it is projected that heat extremes now expected to occur only once in 20 years, may occur every two to five years by the middle of this century. At the same time, the number of older people living in cities will almost quadruple globally, from 380 million in 2010, to 1,4 billion in 2050. And so co-operation between health and climate departments can create measures to better protect people in this vulnerable group from heat stress during periods of extreme weather.
The unique Atlas also shows how the relationship between health and climate is shaped by other vulnerabilities, such as those created by poverty, environmental degradation, and poor infrastructure, especially for water and sanitation.
Which is more sound — to seek the best lounge seat on a sinking ship or to get into a lifeboat? Your guess is just as good as mine.
Health minister Henry Madzorera and Environment minister Francis Nhema should steer clear of partisan politics and work together to improve and increase climate services.
When I flipped through this Atlas, I found out that it illustrates the most pressing current and emerging problems to human health caused by global climate changes.
For instance, areas like Masvingo, Beitbridge, Matabeleland regions and low-lying Zambezi Valley and Dande Valley, among others, have never had meaningful maize harvests for decades now due to droughts, floods and cyclones. That phenomenon has also affected the health of thousands of people each year by triggering epidemics of diseases such as diarrhoea, malaria and meningitis, which cause death and suffering for many millions more.
The Atlas gives practical examples of how the use of weather and climate information protect public health. WMO says greater focus will now be given to climate resources protecting public health and the key word in the new resource is information, providing prevention and preparedness and in turn delivering risk management and reduction, which governments should take advantage of.
It is only by strengthening the ties between the technological resources available will it be possible to deliver up-dated information on weather and climate challenges and events, integrating this information into public health management systems at all levels: local, national and international.
Technological information systems have greatly reduced human casualties over the years, an example given being that of Bangladesh where in 1970, 500000 people died because of a storm and in 2007 the number was under 3 000.
If the climate services are used in an effective manner then initiatives could be surely made to safeguard the health of societies in a reflective manner. For this, there has to be stronger collaboration between the meteorological and health communities.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Climate change reshapes cropping season
The cropping season is upon us and majority of farmers across the country are preparing their land. They are, however, constrained by the fact that crop agriculture has somewhat delayed due to shortage of rains. So far sporadic rains have fallen across the country.
As I was chatting to various farmers at the weekend, it became clear to me that even some pessimistic farmers have accepted the existence of global warming.
Farmers, Development Trust executive director Lovegot Tendengu said: “You know what, I never believed in this phenomenon, but I realise it is real. I use irrigation, but it is clear our cropping seasons now delay, in fact, they have shortened. Perhaps we need to do something about it.”
So if this condition continues, farmers across the country could get a permanent dose of hot weather if future climate change projections are accurate. I can imagine a farmer trying to eke out a living from an almost barren piece of land in Masvingo, Zaka, Gokwe, Binga, Matabeleland and elsewhere without enough rains and/or fertiliser to help him boost crop production.
The fact that this farmer knows little or nothing at all about global warming means government has a lot of explanation to do to farmers countrywide.
That could translate into changes in the government position on agricultural information or subsidies at a time when food production might face even more challenges.
What of seed houses –are they doing enough to equip farmers with the right information so that they are able to grow short-season varieties or drought-resistant varieties?
In the past, some farmers would by now be weeding. This has not happened –the reason being across much of the world crop agriculture could become up to two months longer due to climate change.
Zimbabwe is one country that has been heavily affected by global warming together with such countries as Norway.
A recent research project in Norway has been studying the potential and challenges inherent in such a scenario, and scientists expect the global mean temperature to rise in the future.
One consequence is that by the end of this century, farmers could be growing their crops for up to two months longer.
In areas of higher elevation, in fact the difference could turn out to be three months. A warmer climate would, however, open up several exciting opportunities for agriculture especially in Europe while it could spell doom for Africa.
It is not clear what needs to be done to ensure that plants thrive through the entirety of the longer growing season. A warmer climate means the growing season extends longer into the autumn.
As the climate shifts, it is a naked truth that farmers will be confronted with major meteorological challenges.
Rainfall variability with a smaller number of storms over the growing season and more intense storms are things we will have to watch out for.
If this develops, it will affect us all. Another important concern with temperature as it relates to maize production is pollination. What we would like to have is a situation where it may be hot in the daytime but there’s a drop in nighttime temperatures, which facilitates pollination.
Even with climate change, Banket, Mazowe Valley and Macheke among other areas would continue to be the country’s best maize-growing areas and might actually need to increase production. Climate projections suggest areas that rely on irrigation to boost productivity might drop maize production altogether if permanent drier conditions prevail.
One possible benefit from warmer annual temperatures is the prospect of more farmers growing soya beans and winter wheat in the same crop year.
Climate change could affect crop agriculture in other ways including: Seed varieties. To produce high-yielding crops in more challenging weather conditions, farmers might have to choose varieties with better resistance traits and different maturity dates. Planting schedules also might have to be adjusted.
Soil erosion: Much progress has been made in stemming soil loss brought on by the combination of farming practices under moderate rainfall and temperatures. If conditions change, it could reverse those gains and reduce soil organic matter.
Depending on the size and scope of future climate change, government policy on renewable fuels might need to be revisited.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
As I was chatting to various farmers at the weekend, it became clear to me that even some pessimistic farmers have accepted the existence of global warming.
Farmers, Development Trust executive director Lovegot Tendengu said: “You know what, I never believed in this phenomenon, but I realise it is real. I use irrigation, but it is clear our cropping seasons now delay, in fact, they have shortened. Perhaps we need to do something about it.”
So if this condition continues, farmers across the country could get a permanent dose of hot weather if future climate change projections are accurate. I can imagine a farmer trying to eke out a living from an almost barren piece of land in Masvingo, Zaka, Gokwe, Binga, Matabeleland and elsewhere without enough rains and/or fertiliser to help him boost crop production.
The fact that this farmer knows little or nothing at all about global warming means government has a lot of explanation to do to farmers countrywide.
That could translate into changes in the government position on agricultural information or subsidies at a time when food production might face even more challenges.
What of seed houses –are they doing enough to equip farmers with the right information so that they are able to grow short-season varieties or drought-resistant varieties?
In the past, some farmers would by now be weeding. This has not happened –the reason being across much of the world crop agriculture could become up to two months longer due to climate change.
Zimbabwe is one country that has been heavily affected by global warming together with such countries as Norway.
A recent research project in Norway has been studying the potential and challenges inherent in such a scenario, and scientists expect the global mean temperature to rise in the future.
One consequence is that by the end of this century, farmers could be growing their crops for up to two months longer.
In areas of higher elevation, in fact the difference could turn out to be three months. A warmer climate would, however, open up several exciting opportunities for agriculture especially in Europe while it could spell doom for Africa.
It is not clear what needs to be done to ensure that plants thrive through the entirety of the longer growing season. A warmer climate means the growing season extends longer into the autumn.
As the climate shifts, it is a naked truth that farmers will be confronted with major meteorological challenges.
Rainfall variability with a smaller number of storms over the growing season and more intense storms are things we will have to watch out for.
If this develops, it will affect us all. Another important concern with temperature as it relates to maize production is pollination. What we would like to have is a situation where it may be hot in the daytime but there’s a drop in nighttime temperatures, which facilitates pollination.
Even with climate change, Banket, Mazowe Valley and Macheke among other areas would continue to be the country’s best maize-growing areas and might actually need to increase production. Climate projections suggest areas that rely on irrigation to boost productivity might drop maize production altogether if permanent drier conditions prevail.
One possible benefit from warmer annual temperatures is the prospect of more farmers growing soya beans and winter wheat in the same crop year.
Climate change could affect crop agriculture in other ways including: Seed varieties. To produce high-yielding crops in more challenging weather conditions, farmers might have to choose varieties with better resistance traits and different maturity dates. Planting schedules also might have to be adjusted.
Soil erosion: Much progress has been made in stemming soil loss brought on by the combination of farming practices under moderate rainfall and temperatures. If conditions change, it could reverse those gains and reduce soil organic matter.
Depending on the size and scope of future climate change, government policy on renewable fuels might need to be revisited.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
MPs ultimate game changer!
In my last instalment, I pointed out that Zimbabwe is one of the leading countries in Africa in terms of work on the environment.
Report by Wisdom Mdzungairi
However, the implementation of the Mines and Minerals Act vis-à-vis environment and/or climate change, has become quite controversial. How exploring the land resources for mining can supersede the right of communities already using the land for farming, without any compensation to the farmer is still a mystery.
For once a mining claim is pegged, all other acts cannot be considered. Supersession may be an acceptable feature of a legal system, but the supersession of a sustainable land use such as agriculture by surface mining that is dependent upon a non-renewable resource is a questionable practice from an environmental point of view. It has further proved difficult to enforce land reclamation after mining operations have ceased given the forced relocation of communities. This has presented environmental challenges of unparalled proportions.
Again, the country has adequate expertise capable of monitoring natural resource degradation, but less so far the regulation of industrial pollutants in the atmosphere and in water bodies. The implementation of the relevant Acts (Hazardous Substances and Articles Act, Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act and the Water Act) is dependent upon accurate monitoring, which the government has not been able to do systematically due to lack of qualified manpower.
In some cases, the various pieces of legislation are conflicting, which leads to further problems of implementation. In other words, while one may argue that there is no lack of legislation per se, the various laws are fragmented and lawmakers have failed in 32 years to develop a coherent national environmental policy in the form of umbrella legislation.
A closely-related legal innovation concerns the management of wildlife resources. The utilisation of these resources is carefully regulated, even on private land. Thus, a landowner needs to be licensed in order to hunt specific animals on his own land, yet where Statecraft players have chosen to double-dip to satisfy their greed at the expense of the environment and the poor masses, nothing stops them.
MPs Edward Chindori-Chininga and Patrick Zhuwao recently said that the climate change phenomenon required a lot of research (which is lacking among the generality of the legislators) to enable them to put in place a policy that is knowledge-based with clear guidelines on how people must respond to issues of global warming.
It appears to me though that a policy vacuum and lack of knowledge among MPs on the effects of climate change has for long threatened the country’s goal to achieve full agricultural potential.
Generally MPs are aware of the short-term impacts of climate change and are willing to act. But they appear less sure of the appropriate policy response required to do so. Hence if MPs are to play their part in the “bottom-up” design of climate policy, and according to the International Institute for Environment and Development, if our countries are to join the growing number of nations acting in parallel with the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change, MPs’ knowledge and skills need to be developed so that they can truly hold government to account. Of course, tackling domestic climate change can’t be confined to cutting emissions, as climate change is a cross-cutting issue. A raft of initiatives and regulatory measures aimed at mitigation and adaptation is required.
MPs need training on how to effectively mainstream climate considerations into sectoral policy and legislation, and how to scrutinise dedicated umbrella policies – proposed by the Executive. Both approaches are necessary to ensure a comprehensive approach to the effects of climate change.
The institutional architecture and the processes of Parliament merits consideration as well when developing a training or “capacity-building” programme. This includes covering the mechanics of parliamentary business –the committees, the support networks, political relationships, partisanship and Executive influence. Precisely, it is important that the Clerks of Parliament assist in ensuring that climate change is integrated into committee business. If due consideration is not given to such structures and processes, acquired institutional knowledge gained by MPs may be lost, hampering the integration of climate change responses into debate and decision-making.
International agreements are vital, and countries can’t just act in isolation. However, if international agreements continue to come up short, a point may be reached where there is a critical mass of nations that have enacted their own national legislation – an alternative route to a similar outcome, some analysts have argued.
Before any of this can take place, the capacity of key stakeholders must be built –MPs included. They form the human foundation for effective national action plans to tackle climate change.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Report by Wisdom Mdzungairi
However, the implementation of the Mines and Minerals Act vis-à-vis environment and/or climate change, has become quite controversial. How exploring the land resources for mining can supersede the right of communities already using the land for farming, without any compensation to the farmer is still a mystery.
For once a mining claim is pegged, all other acts cannot be considered. Supersession may be an acceptable feature of a legal system, but the supersession of a sustainable land use such as agriculture by surface mining that is dependent upon a non-renewable resource is a questionable practice from an environmental point of view. It has further proved difficult to enforce land reclamation after mining operations have ceased given the forced relocation of communities. This has presented environmental challenges of unparalled proportions.
Again, the country has adequate expertise capable of monitoring natural resource degradation, but less so far the regulation of industrial pollutants in the atmosphere and in water bodies. The implementation of the relevant Acts (Hazardous Substances and Articles Act, Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act and the Water Act) is dependent upon accurate monitoring, which the government has not been able to do systematically due to lack of qualified manpower.
In some cases, the various pieces of legislation are conflicting, which leads to further problems of implementation. In other words, while one may argue that there is no lack of legislation per se, the various laws are fragmented and lawmakers have failed in 32 years to develop a coherent national environmental policy in the form of umbrella legislation.
A closely-related legal innovation concerns the management of wildlife resources. The utilisation of these resources is carefully regulated, even on private land. Thus, a landowner needs to be licensed in order to hunt specific animals on his own land, yet where Statecraft players have chosen to double-dip to satisfy their greed at the expense of the environment and the poor masses, nothing stops them.
MPs Edward Chindori-Chininga and Patrick Zhuwao recently said that the climate change phenomenon required a lot of research (which is lacking among the generality of the legislators) to enable them to put in place a policy that is knowledge-based with clear guidelines on how people must respond to issues of global warming.
It appears to me though that a policy vacuum and lack of knowledge among MPs on the effects of climate change has for long threatened the country’s goal to achieve full agricultural potential.
Generally MPs are aware of the short-term impacts of climate change and are willing to act. But they appear less sure of the appropriate policy response required to do so. Hence if MPs are to play their part in the “bottom-up” design of climate policy, and according to the International Institute for Environment and Development, if our countries are to join the growing number of nations acting in parallel with the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change, MPs’ knowledge and skills need to be developed so that they can truly hold government to account. Of course, tackling domestic climate change can’t be confined to cutting emissions, as climate change is a cross-cutting issue. A raft of initiatives and regulatory measures aimed at mitigation and adaptation is required.
MPs need training on how to effectively mainstream climate considerations into sectoral policy and legislation, and how to scrutinise dedicated umbrella policies – proposed by the Executive. Both approaches are necessary to ensure a comprehensive approach to the effects of climate change.
The institutional architecture and the processes of Parliament merits consideration as well when developing a training or “capacity-building” programme. This includes covering the mechanics of parliamentary business –the committees, the support networks, political relationships, partisanship and Executive influence. Precisely, it is important that the Clerks of Parliament assist in ensuring that climate change is integrated into committee business. If due consideration is not given to such structures and processes, acquired institutional knowledge gained by MPs may be lost, hampering the integration of climate change responses into debate and decision-making.
International agreements are vital, and countries can’t just act in isolation. However, if international agreements continue to come up short, a point may be reached where there is a critical mass of nations that have enacted their own national legislation – an alternative route to a similar outcome, some analysts have argued.
Before any of this can take place, the capacity of key stakeholders must be built –MPs included. They form the human foundation for effective national action plans to tackle climate change.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
MPs — the missing link
In many respects, Zimbabwe is one of the leading African countries in terms of work on the environment. This is reflected in the economically important wildlife sector.
Report by Wisdom Mdzungairi
Although some species are endangered due to habitat destruction, the country’s rich wildlife resources have been somewhat well managed. A number of innovations, which have promoted sustainable utilisation of wildlife, could serve as a model for other countries.
Sadly, the country does not have a national climate change policy, which could give guidelines in dealing with global warming that has affected our rainfall patterns and increased the risk of droughts.
Belatedly though, Zimbabwe recently formed a committee of permanent secretaries of various government ministries as well as representatives of private companies, manufacturing industries and other organisations and tasked them with producing well researched and practical recommendations that will make up a draft national climate change policy.
There is no doubt that we all appreciate that climate change is a global problem, and the current prevailing paradigm would have everyone think that the only solution is a global one. And many countries like Zimbabwe have decided to forge ahead with their own plans in the meantime.
A global solution is desirable, but action is also required outside of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.
In reality, MPs are supposed to be important actors in this process.
Unfortunately in our case, the Executive its wisdom and/or lack of it, heads of government ministries are leading the process.
Regrettably so, our climate change policy formulation does not have a timeframe within which it is expected to be passed.
Given the slow pace for developing an international agreement, and the current lack of a universally-binding agreement, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) researchers say some countries are moving ahead and beyond the UNFCCC by adopting in tandem a national approach to combat the impacts of climate change by enacting domestic legislation based on their own set of circumstances.
This approach doesn’t replace the formal regime, but can, and should, accompany it.
UNFCCC executive secretary Christiana Figueres would seem to agree: “. . . at the international level . . . domestic legislation opens the political space for international agreements and facilitates overall ambition.”
There are several examples of countries acting now. Costa Rica’s National Strategy on Climate Change sets out a two-pronged approach — a national strategy concentrating on domestic activity, and an international strategy which recognises that they cannot go it alone.
According to IIED, South Korea has become the first developing country in Asia to pass a nationwide greenhouse gas Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) which will take effect in 2015. There are inherent challenges in unilateral action, such as lack of co-ordination among countries and the possibility of “DIY climate policies” not being effective.
But as some have pointed out, “Global solutions negotiated at a global level — if not backed up by a variety of efforts at national, regional, and local levels — are not guaranteed to work effectively.”
In those cases, MPs could play a role as important actors driving this process. Apparently their role as legislators, overseers and shepherds of climate policy was recently highlighted during the 1st Globe World Summit of Legislators, which culminated in the drafting of the soft law instrument Rio+20 Legislators’ Protocol.
MPs also act as important catalysts for a shift from short-term political thinking towards longer-term climate and development considerations.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon told the MPs at the Summit of Legislators: “Parliamentarians have a profound influence. You enact legislation. You approve budgets. You are at the heart of democratic governance. And in today’s interconnected world, you are also the link between the global and local — bringing local concerns into the global arena, and translating global standards into national action.”
Yes, there is evidence of MPs striving to fulfil these roles in Africa — Zimbabwe in particular. The ongoing drafting of the National Climate Change Policy Framework in Ghana and Zimbabwe — that sits within these countries’ shared growth and development agenda — could prove to be a good opportunity for MPs to hold their Executive to account over climate action.
With the calibre of MPs we have, can they effectively fulfil these roles as legislators and protectors of climate policy?
Report by Wisdom Mdzungairi
Although some species are endangered due to habitat destruction, the country’s rich wildlife resources have been somewhat well managed. A number of innovations, which have promoted sustainable utilisation of wildlife, could serve as a model for other countries.
Sadly, the country does not have a national climate change policy, which could give guidelines in dealing with global warming that has affected our rainfall patterns and increased the risk of droughts.
Belatedly though, Zimbabwe recently formed a committee of permanent secretaries of various government ministries as well as representatives of private companies, manufacturing industries and other organisations and tasked them with producing well researched and practical recommendations that will make up a draft national climate change policy.
There is no doubt that we all appreciate that climate change is a global problem, and the current prevailing paradigm would have everyone think that the only solution is a global one. And many countries like Zimbabwe have decided to forge ahead with their own plans in the meantime.
A global solution is desirable, but action is also required outside of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.
In reality, MPs are supposed to be important actors in this process.
Unfortunately in our case, the Executive its wisdom and/or lack of it, heads of government ministries are leading the process.
Regrettably so, our climate change policy formulation does not have a timeframe within which it is expected to be passed.
Given the slow pace for developing an international agreement, and the current lack of a universally-binding agreement, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) researchers say some countries are moving ahead and beyond the UNFCCC by adopting in tandem a national approach to combat the impacts of climate change by enacting domestic legislation based on their own set of circumstances.
This approach doesn’t replace the formal regime, but can, and should, accompany it.
UNFCCC executive secretary Christiana Figueres would seem to agree: “. . . at the international level . . . domestic legislation opens the political space for international agreements and facilitates overall ambition.”
There are several examples of countries acting now. Costa Rica’s National Strategy on Climate Change sets out a two-pronged approach — a national strategy concentrating on domestic activity, and an international strategy which recognises that they cannot go it alone.
According to IIED, South Korea has become the first developing country in Asia to pass a nationwide greenhouse gas Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) which will take effect in 2015. There are inherent challenges in unilateral action, such as lack of co-ordination among countries and the possibility of “DIY climate policies” not being effective.
But as some have pointed out, “Global solutions negotiated at a global level — if not backed up by a variety of efforts at national, regional, and local levels — are not guaranteed to work effectively.”
In those cases, MPs could play a role as important actors driving this process. Apparently their role as legislators, overseers and shepherds of climate policy was recently highlighted during the 1st Globe World Summit of Legislators, which culminated in the drafting of the soft law instrument Rio+20 Legislators’ Protocol.
MPs also act as important catalysts for a shift from short-term political thinking towards longer-term climate and development considerations.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon told the MPs at the Summit of Legislators: “Parliamentarians have a profound influence. You enact legislation. You approve budgets. You are at the heart of democratic governance. And in today’s interconnected world, you are also the link between the global and local — bringing local concerns into the global arena, and translating global standards into national action.”
Yes, there is evidence of MPs striving to fulfil these roles in Africa — Zimbabwe in particular. The ongoing drafting of the National Climate Change Policy Framework in Ghana and Zimbabwe — that sits within these countries’ shared growth and development agenda — could prove to be a good opportunity for MPs to hold their Executive to account over climate action.
With the calibre of MPs we have, can they effectively fulfil these roles as legislators and protectors of climate policy?
Save Presidential elephants
The drought that has hit Matabeleland North could wipe out an elite herd of elephants granted “perpetual protection” by President Robert Mugabe as the water crisis sweeps across the vast Hwange National Park.
The situation could also spell doom for the communities living alongside the country’s flagship game reserve amid reports that the water shortage had led wildlife to invade nearby villages to quench their thirst.
At least 19 elephants reportedly succumbed to thirst last month bringing to over 75 jumbo deaths so far this year. During the same period last year, 80 elephants also died due to the biting water crisis. It is a known fact that Hwange is a dry area and annually hundreds of elephants die as a result. Thousands of other game species have also died as they cannot compete for the limited resource with the jumbos at the few dotted waterholes around the park.
As a result of the dire situation, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) last week sent an SOS to save the animals. Curiously, the appeal came after it had become apparent that the situation could surpass that of 2005 when hundreds of elephants died due to shortage of water.
In its wisdom and/or lack of it, the authority appealed for over $100 000, which it said would help save the calamitous state of affairs. There is no doubt that Zimparks should have prepared for this long before. This state of affairs could have been avoided had Zimparks stuck to its mandate — that of protecting flora and fauna — in place of political considerations. There are 72 pans in Hwange, all of which are dry as no water pumping is being done.
Alas, we were told Zimparks is facing financial squeeze which has seen a number of its operations being heavily compromised. Treasury reportedly allocated $1,5 million to Zimparks, but the funds were surprisingly not released. Could that have heightened the water crisis in the park or it’s sheer mismanagement by the authority?
What has happened to Zimparks, partners? Could this be a sign of donor fatigue as a result of Zimparks, abuse of donated financial and material resources?
Given that Hwange is the country’s main national park, priority should be given to protection of the game reserve as demand for water has always outstripped supply during the hot season.
Pressure on the water holes has also increased owing to an upsurge in wildlife frequenting the watering holes. This has obviously created a situation whereby pumped water is not adequate for game during the late dry season.
According to Zimparks’ Caroline Washaya-Moyo, this year Robins and Sinamatella camps had witnessing an influx of key wildlife species presumably from neighbouring Botswana.
She says 11 carcasses were recently recorded at Robins, Bumbusi, Mandavu, Masuna and Sinamatella Camp while Hwange Main camps recorded six elephant carcasses.
What became of the donor meeting at Hwange Main Camp last Wednesday?
Although the park is overpopulated, that is no reason why authorities should not do their duty to protect the vulnerable and endangered species in the vast game reserve.
Ironically, Hwange is home to this group of elephants numbering over 400 identified as the Presidential elephants.
Mugabe bestowed his personal patronage on the elephant herd in 1990 as a symbol of Zimbabwe’s commitment to animal conservation.
It was an idyllic time.
But, now this can come unstuck if the water crisis is not dealt with as a matter of urgency to save the very same species that he has given “perpetual protection” over the years.
Dozens of the Presidential elephants have been killed in a ruthless surge of poaching that conservationists report that the herd is in danger of disappearing.
The elephants are also being trapped in wire snares which wrap around their neck, head, chest, legs and trunks, wounding and maiming them. Some die from disease while huge numbers were dying of water shortage.
If the snares are not removed quickly, the elephants’ chances of survival are slim. Baby elephants find it particularly difficult to free themselves and drag the snares until they drop.
Until recently, it had been thought that water was enough for the jumbos and other game, but it is to the contrary.
At least 30 000 litres of diesel is needed to pump adequate water into pans and to repair some of the broken-down pumps. If that does not happen, the country can anticipate increased human-wildlife conflict in communities around the game reserve.
Though the indifference, among others continues, let us continue to strive to protect and promote these extraordinary elephants.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
The situation could also spell doom for the communities living alongside the country’s flagship game reserve amid reports that the water shortage had led wildlife to invade nearby villages to quench their thirst.
At least 19 elephants reportedly succumbed to thirst last month bringing to over 75 jumbo deaths so far this year. During the same period last year, 80 elephants also died due to the biting water crisis. It is a known fact that Hwange is a dry area and annually hundreds of elephants die as a result. Thousands of other game species have also died as they cannot compete for the limited resource with the jumbos at the few dotted waterholes around the park.
As a result of the dire situation, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) last week sent an SOS to save the animals. Curiously, the appeal came after it had become apparent that the situation could surpass that of 2005 when hundreds of elephants died due to shortage of water.
In its wisdom and/or lack of it, the authority appealed for over $100 000, which it said would help save the calamitous state of affairs. There is no doubt that Zimparks should have prepared for this long before. This state of affairs could have been avoided had Zimparks stuck to its mandate — that of protecting flora and fauna — in place of political considerations. There are 72 pans in Hwange, all of which are dry as no water pumping is being done.
Alas, we were told Zimparks is facing financial squeeze which has seen a number of its operations being heavily compromised. Treasury reportedly allocated $1,5 million to Zimparks, but the funds were surprisingly not released. Could that have heightened the water crisis in the park or it’s sheer mismanagement by the authority?
What has happened to Zimparks, partners? Could this be a sign of donor fatigue as a result of Zimparks, abuse of donated financial and material resources?
Given that Hwange is the country’s main national park, priority should be given to protection of the game reserve as demand for water has always outstripped supply during the hot season.
Pressure on the water holes has also increased owing to an upsurge in wildlife frequenting the watering holes. This has obviously created a situation whereby pumped water is not adequate for game during the late dry season.
According to Zimparks’ Caroline Washaya-Moyo, this year Robins and Sinamatella camps had witnessing an influx of key wildlife species presumably from neighbouring Botswana.
She says 11 carcasses were recently recorded at Robins, Bumbusi, Mandavu, Masuna and Sinamatella Camp while Hwange Main camps recorded six elephant carcasses.
What became of the donor meeting at Hwange Main Camp last Wednesday?
Although the park is overpopulated, that is no reason why authorities should not do their duty to protect the vulnerable and endangered species in the vast game reserve.
Ironically, Hwange is home to this group of elephants numbering over 400 identified as the Presidential elephants.
Mugabe bestowed his personal patronage on the elephant herd in 1990 as a symbol of Zimbabwe’s commitment to animal conservation.
It was an idyllic time.
But, now this can come unstuck if the water crisis is not dealt with as a matter of urgency to save the very same species that he has given “perpetual protection” over the years.
Dozens of the Presidential elephants have been killed in a ruthless surge of poaching that conservationists report that the herd is in danger of disappearing.
The elephants are also being trapped in wire snares which wrap around their neck, head, chest, legs and trunks, wounding and maiming them. Some die from disease while huge numbers were dying of water shortage.
If the snares are not removed quickly, the elephants’ chances of survival are slim. Baby elephants find it particularly difficult to free themselves and drag the snares until they drop.
Until recently, it had been thought that water was enough for the jumbos and other game, but it is to the contrary.
At least 30 000 litres of diesel is needed to pump adequate water into pans and to repair some of the broken-down pumps. If that does not happen, the country can anticipate increased human-wildlife conflict in communities around the game reserve.
Though the indifference, among others continues, let us continue to strive to protect and promote these extraordinary elephants.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
Elephant in the room at climate talks
The United Nations climate machine has rolled into Bangkok, and an elephant sat patiently on the table in the plenary room.
As the latest round of UN climate talks kicked off in an “informal” session, observers described the presence of United States representatives as an “elephant in the room”.
The Obama administration recently announced it does not support an international agreement that guarantees a safe climate. They actually reject the entire premise of the international negotiations and instead they want to keep on with business as usual, each country doing whatever it wants.
“Business as usual” caused this crisis in the first place. Bringing that approach in Bangkok only guarantees climate catastrophe.
One of the key issues in the negotiations is that of “adaptation finance” — the amount of money needed for countries, especially the poorer ones, to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The amount needed is calculated to be at least $150 billion a year although some consider this a low estimate. Until now, the amount pledged by rich countries was pitifully low, and while the European Union has begun to indicate that they will put some money on the table, it is still nowhere near what is necessary.
As politicians falter, the public has once again taken a lead with communities across northern Thailand providing “small change for the climate” to give a boost to the adaptation fund.
The money collected was handed over in five elephant piggy banks last week to the top official in charge of the UN climate change negotiations — by five Thai children representing the 1,3 million people who have already called for a fair, ambitious and binding treaty as part of the anti-rich country’s campaign. They also represented the millions of young people whose futures are at risk if a strong outcome is not achieved in Qatar in December.
The official was clearly moved by the presentation and immediately suggested that one of the elephants could be placed on the table in the plenary room to remind delegates of their responsibilities to the people of the world. He was good to his word, and the elephant duly appeared with him at the opening session — sadly, however, this is currently the only money on the table.
Almost 50 of the world’s poorest nations claimed pledges made by rich countries to provide funds to help them adapt to a warmer planet risked being overlooked as UN negotiations over a global climate pact to start in 2020 got underway in Bangkok.
The group of mostly African nations said that ill-fated talks launched in 2007 to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol must not end without richer nations pledging financial aid to help them cope with rising sea levels caused by climate change.
Traditional industrialised nations and blocs such as the European Union, the US and Japan want to close down the talks, which failed in 2009, to produce a legally-binding global pact to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases starting next year.
They want to focus on a new deal to take effect at the end of the decade. Rich nations have pledged to find $100 billion per year starting in 2020 to help nations combat the effects of climate change, but poorer nations are concerned that existing pledges of $10 billion a year will expire in December without a new interim agreement in place.
“All sides need a clearer understanding on how to get to $100 billion a year by 2020 with no gaps,” said Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN’s climate department and the public face of the talks.
The call comes as traditional rich nations struggle to rein in their national debt and budget deficits, while support for proposals to tap the private sector for cash through regulating or taxing emissions from shipping and aviation have struggled to receive backing.
The Bangkok negotiations, which end this week, will also try to advance talks on whether countries that have refused to be legally bound to cut emissions under the Kyoto Protocol should be allowed access to the carbon markets launched under the 1997 treaty.
Earlier this month, Australia’s main opposition party which is tipped to win the country’s next general election said it would not object to the country taking on another legal target to cut emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, putting pressure on the government to sign up.
It is not a mystery as to what is missing in the climate change talks — it’s as obvious as an elephant in the room.
They need deep emission cuts in line with the science and they need a commitment to getting finance and technology to communities on the frontline. These were promised by industrialised countries in existing legal agreements, but the tricks they will use to get out of their commitments seem endless.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/ twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
As the latest round of UN climate talks kicked off in an “informal” session, observers described the presence of United States representatives as an “elephant in the room”.
The Obama administration recently announced it does not support an international agreement that guarantees a safe climate. They actually reject the entire premise of the international negotiations and instead they want to keep on with business as usual, each country doing whatever it wants.
“Business as usual” caused this crisis in the first place. Bringing that approach in Bangkok only guarantees climate catastrophe.
One of the key issues in the negotiations is that of “adaptation finance” — the amount of money needed for countries, especially the poorer ones, to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The amount needed is calculated to be at least $150 billion a year although some consider this a low estimate. Until now, the amount pledged by rich countries was pitifully low, and while the European Union has begun to indicate that they will put some money on the table, it is still nowhere near what is necessary.
As politicians falter, the public has once again taken a lead with communities across northern Thailand providing “small change for the climate” to give a boost to the adaptation fund.
The money collected was handed over in five elephant piggy banks last week to the top official in charge of the UN climate change negotiations — by five Thai children representing the 1,3 million people who have already called for a fair, ambitious and binding treaty as part of the anti-rich country’s campaign. They also represented the millions of young people whose futures are at risk if a strong outcome is not achieved in Qatar in December.
The official was clearly moved by the presentation and immediately suggested that one of the elephants could be placed on the table in the plenary room to remind delegates of their responsibilities to the people of the world. He was good to his word, and the elephant duly appeared with him at the opening session — sadly, however, this is currently the only money on the table.
Almost 50 of the world’s poorest nations claimed pledges made by rich countries to provide funds to help them adapt to a warmer planet risked being overlooked as UN negotiations over a global climate pact to start in 2020 got underway in Bangkok.
The group of mostly African nations said that ill-fated talks launched in 2007 to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol must not end without richer nations pledging financial aid to help them cope with rising sea levels caused by climate change.
Traditional industrialised nations and blocs such as the European Union, the US and Japan want to close down the talks, which failed in 2009, to produce a legally-binding global pact to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases starting next year.
They want to focus on a new deal to take effect at the end of the decade. Rich nations have pledged to find $100 billion per year starting in 2020 to help nations combat the effects of climate change, but poorer nations are concerned that existing pledges of $10 billion a year will expire in December without a new interim agreement in place.
“All sides need a clearer understanding on how to get to $100 billion a year by 2020 with no gaps,” said Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN’s climate department and the public face of the talks.
The call comes as traditional rich nations struggle to rein in their national debt and budget deficits, while support for proposals to tap the private sector for cash through regulating or taxing emissions from shipping and aviation have struggled to receive backing.
The Bangkok negotiations, which end this week, will also try to advance talks on whether countries that have refused to be legally bound to cut emissions under the Kyoto Protocol should be allowed access to the carbon markets launched under the 1997 treaty.
Earlier this month, Australia’s main opposition party which is tipped to win the country’s next general election said it would not object to the country taking on another legal target to cut emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, putting pressure on the government to sign up.
It is not a mystery as to what is missing in the climate change talks — it’s as obvious as an elephant in the room.
They need deep emission cuts in line with the science and they need a commitment to getting finance and technology to communities on the frontline. These were promised by industrialised countries in existing legal agreements, but the tricks they will use to get out of their commitments seem endless.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/ twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
UNWTO tourism indaba doomed
The fight to take over one of Zimbabwe’s largest wildlife sanctuaries, the Save Valley Conservancy, is mind-boggling to say the least given that it was formed 11 years after Independence in 1991 with the approval of the government and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.
Opportunities to invest were open to all and, in fact, the government took the opportunity through Arda to invest in the conservancy. Surprisingly, 21 years later and at a critical juncture for the country when expectations are high that Zimbabwe will successfully co-host the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly, reports that thousands of wild animals, some endangered species, face annihilation in a wave of land takeovers by Zanu PF politicians can only serve to expose President Robert Mugabe’s top officials’ greediness.
Everybody thought that the UNWTO was an opportunity too big to lose for a country eager to mend its tattered image, but it looks like Zanu PF does not mind losing this kind of opportunity.
Whose interests are the invasions serving anyway? Is Environment minister Francis Nhema, who many thought was a relatively sensible official in a sea of corruption, aware of what his actions have done to this lovely country?
If the allocations were done in 2007, why did the beneficiaries wait until now before staking their claim? Why hold the country to ransom just to score cheap political points in their internal power struggle with Tourism minister Walter Mzembi? The two ministers should be curbed immediately, even though the damage has already been done.
This proves to all that Zanu PF does not have the people’s interests at heart. This in essence shows that Zanu PF is preparing for the worst by grabbing what they can and attempting to legitimise these acquisitions before an election. This is part and parcel of the widespread asset-stripping going on in Zimbabwe as elections loom.
There is no doubt that thousands of people’s livelihoods are threatened in the nature reserve and surrounding districts after hunting permits and land leases were granted to 25 Zanu PF provincial leaders under a so-called black empowerment programme.
Surely after 32 years of Independence, Mugabe should stop his party from using colour as a racial tool to collapse world-renowned conservation efforts for short-term gain. There is no doubt that through this move they will destroy not only each other, but generations to come.
It is understood that the conservancy has engaged with the Ministry of Environment and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority over a period of three years between 2006 and 2009 with plans to bring increased benefit to neighbouring communities as well as to increase indigenous shareholding in the conservancy.
Despite the current impasse and the graveness of the situation, we urge government and the conservancy to remain committed to seeking realistic and viable solutions to the situation.
By their actions, the conservancy has ceased to exist in its original form. There is extensive habitat destruction, large-scale destruction of the fence and rampant poaching of animals, especially the rhino, whose numbers are said to be fast dwindling.
This Nhema-supported Masvingo gang has destroyed the country’s image through their petty jealousy. Nhema should take on board Mzembi’s concerns given that he was until recently Tourism minister. Is he trying to get back at Mzembi for a job well done? Whatever the case, next year’s tourism indaba is definitely doomed.
Opportunities to invest were open to all and, in fact, the government took the opportunity through Arda to invest in the conservancy. Surprisingly, 21 years later and at a critical juncture for the country when expectations are high that Zimbabwe will successfully co-host the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly, reports that thousands of wild animals, some endangered species, face annihilation in a wave of land takeovers by Zanu PF politicians can only serve to expose President Robert Mugabe’s top officials’ greediness.
Everybody thought that the UNWTO was an opportunity too big to lose for a country eager to mend its tattered image, but it looks like Zanu PF does not mind losing this kind of opportunity.
Whose interests are the invasions serving anyway? Is Environment minister Francis Nhema, who many thought was a relatively sensible official in a sea of corruption, aware of what his actions have done to this lovely country?
If the allocations were done in 2007, why did the beneficiaries wait until now before staking their claim? Why hold the country to ransom just to score cheap political points in their internal power struggle with Tourism minister Walter Mzembi? The two ministers should be curbed immediately, even though the damage has already been done.
This proves to all that Zanu PF does not have the people’s interests at heart. This in essence shows that Zanu PF is preparing for the worst by grabbing what they can and attempting to legitimise these acquisitions before an election. This is part and parcel of the widespread asset-stripping going on in Zimbabwe as elections loom.
There is no doubt that thousands of people’s livelihoods are threatened in the nature reserve and surrounding districts after hunting permits and land leases were granted to 25 Zanu PF provincial leaders under a so-called black empowerment programme.
Surely after 32 years of Independence, Mugabe should stop his party from using colour as a racial tool to collapse world-renowned conservation efforts for short-term gain. There is no doubt that through this move they will destroy not only each other, but generations to come.
It is understood that the conservancy has engaged with the Ministry of Environment and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority over a period of three years between 2006 and 2009 with plans to bring increased benefit to neighbouring communities as well as to increase indigenous shareholding in the conservancy.
Despite the current impasse and the graveness of the situation, we urge government and the conservancy to remain committed to seeking realistic and viable solutions to the situation.
By their actions, the conservancy has ceased to exist in its original form. There is extensive habitat destruction, large-scale destruction of the fence and rampant poaching of animals, especially the rhino, whose numbers are said to be fast dwindling.
This Nhema-supported Masvingo gang has destroyed the country’s image through their petty jealousy. Nhema should take on board Mzembi’s concerns given that he was until recently Tourism minister. Is he trying to get back at Mzembi for a job well done? Whatever the case, next year’s tourism indaba is definitely doomed.
Water crisis: Cause for concern
The water crisis that has hit Zimbabwe’s major cities, particularly Bulawayo and Harare should be serious cause for concern.
The nonchalant attitude by central and local government in finding a permanent solution is, for want of a better term, disastrous.
The 2008 cholera outbreak that had killed an estimated 4 300 people by January 2010 should be taken as a sign of grim things to come if water and sanitation problems are not addressed.
Currently, the country is battling typhoid as a result of the shortage of potable water in cities.
The water crisis mainly affects the poor who are excluded from the limited and more reliable water infrastructure that is set up mainly for the rich.
The poor are then forced to extract water from unprotected sources and boreholes that draw tainted water from underground.
The World Health Organisation Epidemiological Report of March 5-11 2012 notes that there is a high rise of preventable water diseases such as typhoid in Zimbabwe. The most affected of course are the poor who constitute the majority of urban dwellers.
The water crisis in the country is there for all to see as long queues can be seen at the few boreholes sunk by Unicef in urban areas.
Women bear the greater burden triggered by the water crisis.
Women and girls have to travel long distances and endure long hours in queues to get water. It is fact that most urban dwellers do not stay within a radius of one kilometre to the nearest alternative water source such as a borehole.
The United Nations (UN) estimates that 4 400 children under the age of five die daily due to unclean water and unsanitary conditions. In fact, the UN claims that five times as many children die around the world of diarrhoea as of HIV and Aids.
Impoverished city dwellers in high density areas and slums draw water from water sources — including rivers — where sewage is dumped.
This is not helped by the fact that city councils, due to shortage of funds, are failing to properly treat water for human consumption. At times the water that runs from taps would be replete with sediment and other impurities.
Cities go for days and other suburbs have gone for years with no single drop coming out of their taps. As if to show the lack of seriousness on the part of local authorities, residents in such suburbs continue to receive water bills.
We have had pronouncements by mayors and other city fathers, that they have no clue as to permanently deal with the water crisis. This is not only frustrating for residents, and if taken in the context of waterborne disease outbreak it spells doom for them.
Corruption and politics also compound the problem. Tenders for fixing water problems are awarded to cronies who fail to perform.
Residents end up with untreated or no clean water as a result. Local authorities are more concerned with their political survival than residents’ plight. Some people in local authorities are kept in there not for their competence but for political expediency.
Creative ways of ensuring the availability of potable water, such as reducing waste or investing in infrastructure to harvest rainwater,are needed.
The current signs we see due to the water crisis are symptomatic of worse things to come if the problem is not addressed.
The nonchalant attitude by central and local government in finding a permanent solution is, for want of a better term, disastrous.
The 2008 cholera outbreak that had killed an estimated 4 300 people by January 2010 should be taken as a sign of grim things to come if water and sanitation problems are not addressed.
Currently, the country is battling typhoid as a result of the shortage of potable water in cities.
The water crisis mainly affects the poor who are excluded from the limited and more reliable water infrastructure that is set up mainly for the rich.
The poor are then forced to extract water from unprotected sources and boreholes that draw tainted water from underground.
The World Health Organisation Epidemiological Report of March 5-11 2012 notes that there is a high rise of preventable water diseases such as typhoid in Zimbabwe. The most affected of course are the poor who constitute the majority of urban dwellers.
The water crisis in the country is there for all to see as long queues can be seen at the few boreholes sunk by Unicef in urban areas.
Women bear the greater burden triggered by the water crisis.
Women and girls have to travel long distances and endure long hours in queues to get water. It is fact that most urban dwellers do not stay within a radius of one kilometre to the nearest alternative water source such as a borehole.
The United Nations (UN) estimates that 4 400 children under the age of five die daily due to unclean water and unsanitary conditions. In fact, the UN claims that five times as many children die around the world of diarrhoea as of HIV and Aids.
Impoverished city dwellers in high density areas and slums draw water from water sources — including rivers — where sewage is dumped.
This is not helped by the fact that city councils, due to shortage of funds, are failing to properly treat water for human consumption. At times the water that runs from taps would be replete with sediment and other impurities.
Cities go for days and other suburbs have gone for years with no single drop coming out of their taps. As if to show the lack of seriousness on the part of local authorities, residents in such suburbs continue to receive water bills.
We have had pronouncements by mayors and other city fathers, that they have no clue as to permanently deal with the water crisis. This is not only frustrating for residents, and if taken in the context of waterborne disease outbreak it spells doom for them.
Corruption and politics also compound the problem. Tenders for fixing water problems are awarded to cronies who fail to perform.
Residents end up with untreated or no clean water as a result. Local authorities are more concerned with their political survival than residents’ plight. Some people in local authorities are kept in there not for their competence but for political expediency.
Creative ways of ensuring the availability of potable water, such as reducing waste or investing in infrastructure to harvest rainwater,are needed.
The current signs we see due to the water crisis are symptomatic of worse things to come if the problem is not addressed.
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