Govt committed to greenhouse gas reductions

Officially opening a conference on climate change guidelines on national greenhouse gas inventories and wetlands in Victoria Falls yesterday, the director for environment in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management, Mr Irvine Kunene, said failure to take necessary action in tackling climate change was tantamount to condemning the world’s poorest people to generations of poverty.
“If we do not take the necessary action to tackle climate change, we risk condemning the world’s poorest people to generations of poverty. And it is just as true that development, a new kind of resilient, low carbon development is the only credible response to climate change,” said Mr Kunene.
“I am delighted on behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe, to join together with you today to show our collective commitment to tackling climate change at global level. At local level we are implementing greenhouse gas reductions.”
Mr Kunene noted that low carbon development was the only credible response to climate change adding that the reduction of emissions from wetlands would also assist in their preservation and dealing with effects of climate change.
He said the world had a duty to rise to the challenge of climate change.
“Wetlands are an important asset of our countries. Their preservation should be mandatory for adaptation, to the diverse and complex impact of climate change. It is my belief that by quantifying and consequently reducing emissions from the wetlands, we will also be conserving the wetlands,” he said.
IPCC is the leading international body for the assessment of climate change.
It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.