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Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (Senior Green Economy Officer Philippa Hamakasu assured campaigners that government will effectively regulate the banking, finance, fossil fuels, and industrial agriculture sectors to curb fossil fuel expansion including ensuring mandatory development of climate transition plans consistently with a 1.5 degrees Celsius climate goals. -Picture by Zambian Children Young People and Women in Development (ZCYPWD) Kwilanzi Newspaper Zambia (KNZ).
By Derrick Sinjela
ActionAid Zambia Country Acting Director Andrew Chikowore says the existing climate crisis must be overcome through investment in clean energy.
United Party for National Development (UPND) Mwandi Member of Parliament (MP) Sibeso Kakoma Sefulo in the Western Province and her Patriotic Front (PF) Kasama Central peer Sinongile Mwamba in the Northern Province participated launch held at the University of Zambia (UNZA) Great East Road Campus, preceded by a March past from Manda Hill Shopping Mall.
Not to be left out, a poet, drama group, and artistes; Brian Bwembya (BFlow) and Ms. Mwiza Zulu song to a receptive croud.
And officiating at the Climate Justice Campaign launch, dubbed: ‘Fund Our Future’, Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (Senior Green Economy Officer Philippa Hamakasu assured campaigners that government will effectively regulate the banking, finance, fossil fuels, and industrial agriculture sectors to curb fossil fuel expansion including ensuring mandatory development of climate transition plans consistently with a 1.5 degrees Celsius climate goals.
Social Accountability project Coordinator Geofrey Sizala, Action Aid Zambia Director Andrew Chikowore and Bob Sianjalika in action in Lusaka on Tuesday, 26th September, 2023. – Picture by Zambian Children Young People and Women in Development (ZCYPWD) Kwilanzi Newspaper Zambia (KNZ).
Ms Hamakasu reiterated government vow to redirect harmful fossil fuel and industrial agriculture subsidies, scale up support, and planning for just transition to real solutions such as renewable energy and agroecology by financing the just transition through scaled up climate finance tax justice and debt relief.
Ms Hamakasu alluded to research by ActionAid Zambia which shows that bank financing provided to the fossil fuel industry in the global south reached an estimated US$3.2 trillion in the seven years since the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
“Bank financing provided to the largest industrial agriculture companies operating in the global south also amounted to US$ 70 billion over the period, ” Ms Hamakasu noted.
Ms Hamakasu says government is encouraging stakeholders such as banks to develop policies and ensure that financial investment into sustainable solutions such as clean energy and agroecology is promoted.
She restated that the United Party for National Development (UPND) New Dawn Administration left by President Hakainde Hichilema created the ministry of Green Economy and Environment with the principal to focus and ensure environment sustainability as enshrined in the Eigth National Development Plans on guaranteed domestic financing, especially on adaptation and climate finance on clean energy solutions.
“Government is already promoting a green economy through green investment and also development of ggs which will serve as a blue print as Zambia transitions into a green economy. We recognize agriculture as a key economic anchor. Government is urging everyone to support a smart investment in the clean energy and adopt agroecology as answer to the climate crisis,” advised Ms. Hamakasu.
Social Accountability project Coordinator Geofrey Sizala (Left) with ActionAid Zambia team at UNZA Chapel in Lusaka on Tuesday, 26th September, 2023. – Picture by Zambian Children Young People and Women in Development (ZCYPWD) Kwilanzi Newspaper Zambia (KNZ).
Earlier, ActionAid Zambia Country Acting Director, Mr. Chikowore equally backed investment in agroecology as a way to sustain the agriculture sector.
“A transformation of food systems is needed to address the climate crisis and meet the world’s food and livelihood needs, and agroecological farming is increasingly recognised as a viable alternative to industrialised agriculture. We also call for a stop in green washing as it is not helping us in any way. After a deep reflection, we have realized that financial institutions like banks must be held accountable for the climate damage in Zambia and elsewhere. We are saying no to being a ‘Fossil Monster’. Let’s move the money away from fossil fuels into agroecology, agroecology has proved to be more sustainable and is answering to the future of the people. We demand that Government must effectively regulate the banking, finance, fossil fuel and industrial agriculture sectors to stop fossil fuel Expansion, including ensuring mandatory development of climate transition plans consistent with a 1.5°C (915 degrees celsius) climate goal. The government must redirect harmful fossil fuel and industrial agricultural subsidies; Scale up support and planning for just transitions to real solutions such as renewable energy and agroecology. The government should also instead finance just transitions through scaled up climate finance, tax justice and debt relief,” played Chikowore.
Mwiza Zulu with Brian Bwembya at UNZA Chapel- Tuesday 26th September, 2023. – Picture by Zambian Children Young People and Women in Development (ZCYPWD) Kwilanzi Newspaper Zambia (KNZ).
Chikowore noted that new research by actionaid shows that bank financing provided to the fossil fuel industry in the global south had reached an estimated US$3.2 trillion in the seven years since the paris agreement on climate change was adopted.
Social Accountability Project Coordinator Geoffrey Sizala with governance manager Musonda Kabinga Sept 2023
Sadly, bank financing provided to the largest industrial agriculture companies operating in the global south amounted to US$370 billion over period since international community met in Paris, France.
“Banks provided an annual average of 20 times more financing to fossil fuels and agriculture activities in the global south than global north governments have provided as climate finance to countries on the front lines of the climate crisis. With such revelations and in a bid to protect our climate and seek justice, banks must stop financing fossil fuels, put an immediate stop to project and corporate financing of fossil fuel expansion and all coal activities, and develop rapid exit strategies from oil and gas; they must stop financing of deforestation and other harmful industrial agriculture activities: stop project and corporate financing of deforestation and other harmful industrial agriculture activities, and develop robust red lines to guide exit strategies; banks must protect rights of communities: strengthen polices against human rights abuse and deforestation, and ensure Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), robust safeguards and effective disclosure and redress mechanisms;colleagues these banks must work to bring emissions down to ‘Real Zero’: Set Real and ambitious targets to bring financing portfolio emissions down to as close to zero as possible, without offsets, and covering the entirety of the emissions arising from their loans and underwriting, and the scope 1-3 emissions of their clients they should strengthen transparency and tools for verification: enhance measures to ensure accountability of project and corporate financing, including through reporting made publicly-available on online databases on policies, practices and performance indicators in emissions targets, safeguards and human rights standards.conclusion, I am aware that this is a hot day and the weather is not favorable,” recollected Chikowore.
However, Chikowore says “Fund Our Future) Campaign signifies for equal concern to climate justice and safeguarding our future.
“We must push for climate justice,” prayed Andrew Chikowore, ActionAid Zambia Acting Director.
ActionAid Zambia Country Acting Director, Mr. Chikowore (Left), Patriotic Front (PF) Kasama Central peer Sinongile Mwamba in the Northern Province (Centre) and United Party for National Development (UPND) Mwandi Member of Parliament (MP) Sibeso Kakoma Sefulo in the Western Province (Right) at UNZA Chapel in Lusaka. – Tuesday 26th September, 2023. – Picture by Zambian Children Young People and Women in Development (ZCYPWD) Kwilanzi Newspaper Zambia (KNZ).
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