Abstract
There is unequivocal evidence that climate change is happening and requires immediate attention, especially in developing countries where consequences are likely to be dire. In southern Africa, slow onset and rapid and sudden climate change-induced events continue to bring unprecedented challenges. Such events include increases in heatwaves, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, floods, wildfires, frost, hailstorms, pests, diseases, and droughts. These impact the livelihoods of vulnerable populations. While there is a call for developed countries to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fulfill their financial and technical obligation, developing countries also must demonstrate their contributions. The countries under study endorsed the Paris Agreement in 2017, obliging them to submit their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), outlining their commitment to mitigating climate change and lowering global temperature increases to ‘well below 2 °C (United Nations in 2015). This study adopts a qualitative systematic literature review approach augmented by technical reports to synthesize the climate change mitigation policy landscape focusing on challenges and opportunities in Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The results demonstrate that climate change mitigation interventions remain weak, while policy frameworks remain high on a political agenda. The policy implementation gap is marred by fragmented policies, limited resources, a lack of expertise, and heavy reliance on consultancy when formulating policies. Therefore, the study proposes a framework to improve the implementation of climate change mitigation policies.
Presenters
Admire DzvenePostdoc, Science and Agriculture, University of Fort Hare, Eastern Cape, South Africa Leocadia Zhou
Research Director, Geography, University of Fort Hare, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Human Impacts and Responsibility
KEYWORDS
Climate change; Mitigation policy; Greenhouse gas emissions, Southern Africa
