Online Reporter
Sifelani Tsiko
Fact Check Editor
ZIMBABWE, on June 5 this year, joined the international community in commemorating World Environment Day, with the next El Niño building up over the Pacific and facing an increased risk of below – normal rainfall in the 2026 – 2027 cropping seasons.
Commemorations this year were held under the theme: “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future.”
This year’s theme serves as a powerful reminder of the urgent need for governments, businesses, local communities and individuals to work together in taking meaningful action to protect the environment and address the impacts of climate change.
With an El Nino looming, it is important for Zimbabwe to continue building its own long-term climate resilience and safeguard future generations from climatic shocks that are increasing and becoming more frequent.
For several years, Zimbabwe and most other countries across the world have heard the climate story through scientific warnings, global agreements, targets and various calls for climate action.
With severe aid cuts on environment and global conflicts – US – Israeli war on Iran, the response by Zimbabwe and other African countries has been slow, delayed and distracted.
There are so many questions now. And just what will happen to the country as the next El Nino builds up over the Pacific, much is known, but how the country will respond is limited and poorly understood.
To mark World Environment Day, Zimbabwe chose to localise the global theme to reflect its own experience and aspirations.
Zimbabwe localised its focus to target one of the most visible, aggressive drivers of environmental degradation under the national theme: “A Plastic Free Environment is Possible—Play Your Part.”
The Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife said the local focus is intricately intertwined with UNEP’s global mandate for Climate Action.
It said the relationship between plastic and climate change is undeniable. The production, manufacture, and transportation of plastics use fossil fuels.
The entire lifecycle of plastic releases massive amounts of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. Furthermore, when plastic pollution chokes our land, clogs our waterways, and litters our green spaces, it severely weakens ecosystems that otherwise act as vital natural carbon sinks.
By asserting that a plastic-free environment is attainable through practical solutions like recycling, strict policy enforcement, and shifting to eco-friendly, sustainable alternatives, Zimbabwe is directly lowering its domestic carbon footprint.
Through the Third Generation Nationally Determined Contributions, Zimbabwe committed to a 40 percent per capita reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The localised call to “Play Your Part” bridges the gap between global policy and personal accountability, challenging every stakeholder to realise that protecting the immediate environment is the first step toward securing a clean, safe and healthy environment as enshrined in Section 73 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
“For Zimbabwe, climate action is about protecting our people’s health and livelihoods, safeguarding our ecosystems, and building a resilient and prosperous nation,” said Acting Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife Tino Machakaire at commemorations that were held at Mukuvisi Woodlands Nature Reserve and Environment Centre in the capital.
“I am happy to say that, as Zimbabwe, we have contextualised this great global environment day under the theme “A Plastic Free Environment is Possible – Play Your Part”.
“This theme is both a call to action. It affirms that through collective effort, innovation, strengthened policy enforcement and use of sustainable alternatives, we can significantly reduce, and ultimately eliminate, plastic pollution in our country.”
Plastic pollution remains one of the most visible symptoms of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Environmental experts bemoan that it blocks drains, chokes rivers and wetlands, harms wildlife and livestock, and when burnt, adds to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
“By targeting plastics, we tackle both pollution and climate risks in a practical and visible way,” Minister Machakaire said.
He said efforts to address plastic pollution are firmly anchored on the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which recognises environmental protection, climate resilience and sustainable natural resource management as key pillars of our march towards an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
“A plastic free environment speaks directly to this vision as clean cities and rural service centres attract investment and tourism; healthy rivers and wetlands support agriculture and water security; and a thriving recycling sector creates green jobs and supports the circular economy,” he said.
“When we reduce, reuse and recycle plastics, we are not only cleaning our surroundings, but we are also advancing NDS2’s aspiration for a modern, prosperous and environmentally sustainable Zimbabwe.”
Zimbabwe has adopted important policy steps to confront plastic pollution, including strengthening regulations on problematic plastics, improving waste management standards and promoting recycling and recovery of materials.
These measures are complemented by enforcement and education efforts led by the Government and a growing number of voluntary initiatives from business and civil society.
“However, laws and policies alone cannot keep Zimbabwe clean. Their success depends on how seriously we implement them in our factories, shops, offices, markets, homes and, generally, in our daily lives,” said Minister Machakaire.
The threat of El Nino in the 2026 – 2027 summer season remains a source of worry for the country.
Memories of a number of cyclones that have devastated livelihoods in recent decades are still fresh.
The deadly impact is still firmly etched in the minds of people whose homes, livelihoods, infrastructure and local economies have been severely affected by climate-related disasters.
Rising temperatures, destructive floods, prolonged droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and declining soil quality are all clear signals of the increasing pressures that Zimbabwe faces.
In the past few years, flooding and severe weather events have affected several provinces in the country, resulting in the tragic loss of lives, damage to homes and public infrastructure, and disruption to livelihoods.
In addition, this has added increased pressure on the Government and councils that are often the first line of response during climate disasters.
As climate-related disasters increase in frequency and intensity, experts say the response must move beyond recovery after disaster strikes.
It calls for Zimbabwe to continue strengthening prevention, preparedness, adaptation and resilience at the local level, where the impacts of climate change are felt most directly.
Climate experts say this year’s El Niño could become very intense towards the end of the year and many are already pointing to a “super-El Niño.”
All these fears and forecasts require the Government, councils and other NGOs to support climate change adaptation planning, risk and vulnerability assessments, climate response strategies, disaster risk reduction and the integration of climate considerations into local development planning.
This includes supporting councils and disaster risk agencies with adequate budgets to strengthen early warning and preparedness measures, identify adaptation priorities, and implement nature-based solutions such as wetland rehabilitation, catchment restoration, urban greening and ecosystem protection.
Supporting climate – proof agriculture is also important. All this and other mechanisms remain critical to protecting lives, livelihoods and public infrastructure.
Charles Duri