By Correspondent

A Chat Session with Elizabeth Gulugulu

In the Midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic and lockdowns, young people and Civil society in Zimbabwe are finding ways to engage on Climate Justice issues as a way of building their Advocacy. This is happening despite the challenges in accessing internet as infrastructure is not yet at par with that of developed countries, and is still unaffordable for many. This remains a challenge for rural youth in most African countries.

More than a hundred young Climate Change & Climate Justice activists from Matabeleland South Province in Zimbabwe engaged with Elizabeth Gulugulu, an environmental scientist and climate change Activist on a creative chat session on Climate change issues they face. This was an event Facilitated by an Actionaid young people’s network called Activista, and Supported by Community Climate Action Trust. This is all thanks to Actionaid Zimbabwe for funding the project.

Below is the highlights of the chat session with Elizabeth Gulugulu:

Moderator: How can Matabeleland South Youth tap into available opportunities and build a strong climate justice advocacy network?
Elizabeth Gulugulu: As young people you have to know your policies, know how to understand certain interventions, and know how get to discuss and negotiate because you have to be a very good negotiator in order for young people’s needs to be achieved. First, young people have to be coordinated in our different ideas and be united in our diversity. Secondly, we need to learn and know how to communicate to each other and share on opportunities.
Moderator: May you briefly highlight what is the role of the climate change management department of Zimbabwe and how can young people tap into it to enhance their climate action activities?
Elizabeth: The Climate Change Management Department is a new department which was formed a few years back. It focuses mostly on mitigation and adaptation. In as much as we have the effects of climate change, we need to learn to live with those effects. The department also focuses on work that looks at what kind of measures are we going to take as a country, or what kind of projects are we going to implement to address climate change? I will give you an example. In areas that are facing severe droughts, and are know that livelihoods there are mostly based on agriculture; as a way od adaptation measure, the climate change management department may mobilise resources to come up with good climate smart practices for that area. By Climate Smart Practices I am saying that an area can practice climate smart agriculture. A good example of that is the “Pfumvudza concept”. Alternatively, they can drill boreholes so that people from that community can actually get to benefit be it through drip irrigation, and solar powered boreholes etc., and they can also advocate for drought tolerant crops that will grow well in those affected areas. So basically, these are some of the roles of the Climate Change Management Department, also not forgetting how they are coming up with policies and how they negotiate for Africa and Zimbabwe when it comes to climate related issues. There is an opportunity for young people as well. It’s either you can work under the climate change department or you can mobilise your resources and partner with the climate change Management department, or you can write concepts and proposals that you can submit to the climate change management department.
Moderator: Looking at Climate Justice, (you know as young people when we advocate for certain issues that are affecting our communities, such as degradation of the environment caused by illegal mining activities), we would like to know from you, basing on you experiences in this area of advocacy in Zimbabwe; are there existing policies that are concrete, and are specifically aimed at addressing such issues, that young people need to know and base on in their climate justice advocacy work?
Elizabeth: Thank you so much for that question. We have about eight or so climate change related policies in Zimbabwe. We have the renewable energy policy; we have the climate policy; we have the climate strategy; we have the climate smart agriculture manual; we have a climate change bill, and a number of others. So, at times we may find out that there is no proper consultation that is there. By proper consultation I am referring to young people’s inputs in those policies, and these are things that we are fighting for; that in each and every policy young people should give their input. Each and every time you read a document you need to find out where young people are fitting in. You need to find and understand your role and responsibility as a young person because this is where we are being left behind. It is unfortunate that it seems most of young people are not so interested in policy issues but are more interested in projects that we are doing; but for those projects to be there they need to be backed-up by good policies. What I have realised through this work is; young people should understand the policies that are there in their sectors, and they should contribute something in those policies. They should be capable of reading and understanding those policies, and also understand how they are contributing to those policies. Once they understand the policies they have, those policies can now be translated to projects. Some projects could be income generating projects, some could be community development projects like for example if you decide to support a community establish nutritional gardens to improve their livelihoods and household food securities, etc. Then from there these projects can now result in cash.
Now when it comes to how our environment is being degraded due to poor mining practices, we need to understand that there is a direct link between Mining and Climate Change, because for example as we are digging those pits, those pits release carbon dioxide. Our trees absorb carbon dioxide, but unfortunately most of the times when we continue to dig, we do not rehabilitate those areas, and we do not plant trees, and CO2 continues being released to the atmosphere. So, this is where adaptation measures come in, such as relating to the national adaptation plan which is something that is cross-cutting even to the mining sector. As young people we can also come in with adaptation and mitigation solutions. We can also advocate based on our understanding of how the mining activities are affecting our communities such as on whether our communities are safe from the chemicals used.

Elizabeth: So, when we talk about Climate Justice, we are realizing that developing countries are polluting less. Developing countries contribute less than four percent of greenhouse gas emissions, yet we have countries like China, USA, Canada, & Australia, that are in the top 10 in emissions of huge percentages of Carbon dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases. So, we are saying that as developing countries we have contributed less to global effects, but yet we are being affected the most by the adverse effects of climate change. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to demand justice. How do we demand that justice? This is why the Paris Agreement came into play, and these countries were asked to come up with commitments on how they are going to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. These commitments are they which we refer to as the NDCs (Nationally Determined Commitments). So, after each and every five years, every country should come up with its own plan on how its going to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions through different sectors. For example, our NDCs as Zimbabwe from 2015 were focusing more on the energy sector, and Zimbabwe wanted to reduce its greenhouse gas emission through the energy sector by implementing different innovations in renewable energy and by advocating for solar energy use, hydro-power, and some research is going on regarding wind energy. So, in a nutshell, its aim was to reduce its greenhouse emissions by 33% per capita. But now this was 2015 to 2020, and we now need to revise our NDCs through looking at all the sectors. We need to look at which sectors are contributing more to greenhouse gas emissions, and how we intend to reduce the emissions in those sectors. This time around, our five-year plan from year 2020 to year 2025 our NDCs will focus on four sectors. So, in total we have four sectors we will focus on, which include the energy sector, the transport sector, wastes sector, and the industrial sector. What does this mean to young people? This means opportunities. As the government is focusing on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions in these sectors, you must ask yourself; ‘where do I fit in as a young person?’ Can I try to do waste recycling? Can I try to come up with different innovations as far as waste management is concerned?
So, as the government is trying to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector, ‘what is my role as a young person?’ You will find out there are a lot of green job opportunities. For example, you can think of coming up with good innovative ideas such as how to manufacture good solar panels in Bulilima of Gwanda, rather than for us to import. Even in the industrial sector we need to come up with innovations as young people, such as smart machinery that cuts on greenhouse gas emissions.
So, the term NDCs is the term that needs not confuse us, but whenever it is mentioned we must think of opportunities that are there for us as young people.

Plenary

Participant: Which are the opportunities that are there in the climate change space?
Elizabeth: You need to understand that there is a global panic when it comes to climate change, and a lot of events have been happening. We talk of natural veld fires, floods, and as it stands right now, we are just in 2021, and we have already experienced two tropical cyclones in a space of two months, and this is not normal if you ask anyone. So, a lot of international platforms, international banks, development agencies, and donors are investing into climate proofing socioeconomic sectors, and there are a lot of opportunities that are there especially for young people. There are a lot of grants that are given to young people to come up with climate solutions. This year where we are going to be having a big conference in the UN, called conference of the parties 26. Young people are onboard, and we are leaving no one behind, and people will be funded to attend COP. People will be funded to upscale their local projects. People will be given awards for doing extreme and amazing job within the climate change space. We have been sharing these opportunities and we will continue sharing them via various platforms. We have been realizing that climate change information is not reaching the most vulnerable communities here in Zimbabwe.
Participant: I feel like we are left behind when the policies (climate change and environmental policies) are approved. A few young people know these policies, let alone understanding them.
Elizabeth: Yes, this is another problem, that at times the policies are there but also the terminology that is there we fail to understand and we fail to interpret it. So, we have been working a lot on how we can breakdown the information. Climate change is a science, and most of the terminology that is used when it comes to climate change is scientific. All talks and negotiations that are done in the climate change space are guided by the intergovernmental panel on climate change, which is the scientific body. So, some of the jargon that may be used can be too broad and young people may get confused or fail to understand. So, platforms like this one are actually good, because when we are speaking, we are on the same level as young people and we can easily switch to local languages like iSiNdebele, Shona, and many other languages best understood.
Another thing, is that young people are not interested in these long documents with lots of text. Young people relate better with creative information which is more simplified and engaging, as well as that which is on social media platforms such as twitter.
Participant: How can we get hold of these policies?
Elizabeth: These policies are available online you can for example just google “climate change strategy Zimbabwe”, Climate Change Policy Zimbabwe,” and/or “Climate Smart Manual Zimbabwe”. I will also try to share in this platform some of these policies and give you a link to get them.
Participant: I believe climate change must not be a stand alone focus. Like we are doing with gender, let us have it as a mainstream issue in each and every policy framework, and country strategy. Young people with all the energy can drive this agenda of ensuring Mainstreaming of climate action.
Elizabeth: You are right. Our national policies should speak to strategies that we have in as far as climate change is concerned. Not only climate change, but they should also speak to sectorial policies and strategies. So, you’ll find out that some of the national documents do not have specific thematic areas such as on environmental management and climate change simply because the people who might have compiled these documents might not have done proper consultations. I am however glad that the National Development Strategy (NDS1) has a thematic area on environmental management and climate change, which is where we come in as young people.
Participant: What are some of the mitigation methods or measures that can be taken to mitigate all these effects of climate change and all these environmental issues? I mean the simple measures that can be understood by an ordinary person.
Elizabeth: The first step is talking about climate change and the measures that can be taken to mitigate its impacts. An informed community is a resilient community. For a community to value the need to plant a lot of trees, to mitigate climate change, to protect our wetlands, and so forth, they need the knowledge. Once the community has the knowledge, they value those wetlands, the trees that they have, and they will find information on the measures that they can do to protect the environment. It also includes coming up with smart agricultural practices that improve productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Participant’s Comments

“Very true, awareness about climate change should be done in our communities. They say charity begins at home, and so we can start sharing information wit our families.” Rejoice.

“Thank you for such an enlightening session and presentation Elizabeth.” Senzile

“Thanks a lot Elizabeth. We learnt a lot in a short space of time .” Arnold

“Thanks a lot Elizabeth. I indeed benefited a lot from the information you shared.” Patience

“Thanks. This came at a good time and it’s high time as youths we did our part and start building a climate-smart future.” Dube

“Knowledge is power. I feel like our communities need to be empowered and educated about these things.” Ndabezinhle

If you are interested in participating in these sessions as a facilitator, an expert, or a participant, you can reach CCAT through the following details:

Email: ccatrust.org@gmail.com or simply WhatsApp +263 784105844

We welcome all diverse experiences and expertise in different areas aimed at addressing climate change and climate justice issues