Climate change is a very complex issue that is intricately woven into the environmental, social, political, religious and economic fabric of states. This can be overwhelming, especially for developing countries like Zimbabwe, where climate change discourse is relatively new, while the country is already grappling with its impacts. For us in the developing world, a prosperous future is inextricably linked to the achievement of climate justice – a framework that places equity and human rights at the center of climate action. Climate justice can only be achieved through a collaborative effort across sectors and stakeholders.

Accountability Lab Zimbabwe recently held a quarterly review meeting for the “New Narratives for Accountability in Zimbabwe” project, using the gathering to deepen our project’s understanding of climate change and climate justice. This learning session will inform our efforts to advocate for climate justice, part Accountability Lab version 3.0, which prioritizes climate justice as a strategic theme.

During the workshop, our presenter, Byron Zamasiya from the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) helped us to understand the complex science behind climate change and its roots in the fossil fuel-fired industrial revolution by developed countries. He highlighted how the human activity, such as heavy industry, intensive commercial agriculture and mining, has contributed to the climate crisis. The effects of climate change are highly visible through increasing global temperatures, rising sea levels, increasing desertification, and more frequent extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones and storms. He pointed out that the effects of climate change are not homogeneous, affecting regions and people differently, and leaving developing nations to suffer the vagaries of unpredictable and extreme climate impacts.

General Effects of Climate Change

The average atmospheric and ocean temperatures across the Earth are rising due to climate change and there are widespread fears that with a business-as-usual approach, the temperatures may breach the Paris rise of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. This will cause widespread melting of snow and ice at the poles. The melting ice will cause sea levels to rise threatening the existence of coastal towns, and cities, triggering a boom in waterborne diseases and igniting severe changes to weather patterns across the planet. Extreme events, including storms, droughts, and floods, will be more frequent. In Zimbabwe, climate change will cause average temperatures to rise by about 3°C before the end of this century (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung:2015). Annual rainfall could decline by between 5% and 18%, especially in the southern region of the country. Rainfall will become more variable, threatening rain-fed agricultural production which supports the livelihoods of over 70% of the population. There will be an increase in droughts, floods, and storms.

Most areas in Zimbabwe have been affected by drought during the past thirty years, with varying levels of severity and frequency. Severe drought episodes have been observed in 1991–1992, 1994–1995, 2002–2003, 2015–2016, and 2018–2019. These droughts decimate household productive assets and exert pressure on the country’s fiscal expenditures.  Drought, vulnerability, and exposure vary substantially in the country, with the southwestern provinces of Matabeleland North and South showing particularly high levels. (World Bank:2020) Drought (Meteorological and Agricultural) is the most common and high-impact natural hazard occurring in Zimbabwe, both in terms of frequency of occurrence and the number of people affected, accounting for 7 out of the 10 top major natural hazards recorded since 1990. The impacts of droughts are predicted to increase, with the World Bank Group Climate Change Knowledge Portal, predicting the annual likelihood of Zimbabwe encountering severe drought will increase by 21% in in the period 2040 to 2059, and by 47% from 2080 to 2099, compared to the baseline period of 1986 to 2005 (World Bank Country Climate Risk Profile:2021). Nationally droughts often result in crop failure, loss of livestock and wildlife, and long power outages. In the current 2023/24 season, the country experiences an El Nino-induced drought, which has had adverse effects on rain-fed agricultural production such as low outputs.

Zimbabwe has also been affected by floods which have killed and displaced thousands of people. Cyclones are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity, resulting in increased incidences of flooding. In 2019, Cyclone Idai destroyed major infrastructure in four provinces namely, Manicaland, Masvingo, Midlands, and Mashonaland East. Idai affected more than 270 000 people leaving 341 dead and many others missing, over 17 608 households were left homeless, 12 health facilities were damaged, water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure were damaged, 139 schools were affected, 33 primary schools and 10 secondary schools were temporarily closed, and 9 084 learners were affected.

In the agricultural sector, more than 50% of land under maize crops, banana plantations, and tubers like yams were wiped away, 18 irrigation schemes were affected, at least 362 cattle and 514 goats and sheep, 17 000 chickens were lost. while 86 dipping facilities were damaged. Road infrastructure was grossly damaged with above 90% of road networks in Chimanimani and Chipinge damaged and 584 km of roads being damaged by landslides. Bridges were also swept away. These effects demonstrate the cost of climate change on nations that contributed least to the greenhouse gases and why we need Climate Justice.

Climate change hits women hardest

Women and girls experience the greatest impacts of climate change, which amplifies existing gender inequalities and poses unique threats to their livelihoods, health, and safety. As climate impacts intensify, women’s burden of unpaid care labour and vulnerability to exploitation increases. Severe weather disruptions caused by climate change exacerbate social inequalities like poverty and access to livelihoods. Droughts and floods, amplified by a changing climate, exacerbate social tensions like poverty and resource competition. This “threat multiplier” effect leaves women more susceptible to marginalization, and their voices are often silenced in the struggle for basic needs.  Climate-induced health risks will also disproportionately impact women. Contaminated water sources, increased heat stress, and limited access to quality health services constitute a perfect storm against their well-being. Education suffers too, as girls are pulled out of school to help with household chores and income generation, further limiting their future opportunities. Women’s inability to access education impedes their life outcomes, resulting in generational cycles of poverty. This is deepened by the harmful practice of marrying underage girls to mostly older men from wealthy/food-secure families to reduce the number of mouths to feed or in exchange for food. Unfortunately, these practices are rife in areas that are highly vulnerable to climate change.

Climate change as a governance and accountability issue: A call to action.

• The government of Zimbabwe should allocate more resources for climate adaptation which entails minimizing the impacts of climate change on livelihoods. Key action points should include supporting innovation in developing drought-resistant crops, community awareness raising, and research for the development of context-specific adaptations. The first step could be using the carbon-tax as a guarantor or contributor to climate projects.
• The government should provide resources for climate mitigation. This can be done through partnerships with the private sector, or using tax incentives/holidays to fund such projects. This entails the adoption of strategies that reduce or stop the emission of greenhouse gases e.g. electronic vehicles, renewable energy, and afforestation/reforestation. The resources should target young people and community members through innovation hubs.
• Government and civil society organizations should disseminate information to citizens on international agreements and treaties on climate change through various media. Citizens should be able to hold their governments accountable for the implementation of international agreements such as the Paris Agreement, Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans.
• The government of Zimbabwe and civil society organizations have a responsibility to educate citizens about national blueprints and strategies for addressing climate change.
• Parliament’s oversight role is critical to holding the Executive accountable for all contracts, grants, and loans acquired to address climate change.
• Citizens’ voices should be at the center of developing policies and climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

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Alois Nyamazana is the Monitoring Learning and Evaluation Manager at Accountability Lab Zimbabwe