By Thabisani Dube
HARARE — Zimbabwe’s transition from fossil fuels to clean energy must protect the livelihoods and human rights of workers and communities affected by the shift, Amnesty International Zimbabwe Campaigns Officer Tinashe Mujuru said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a Climate Justice Masterclass for Journalists in Harare, Mujuru said the transition to renewable energy should be guided by justice and human rights.
He said workers whose livelihoods depended on fossil-fuel industries should be provided with alternatives as countries moved towards cleaner sources of energy.
“A just transition” should ensure that people affected by the shift are not left without livelihoods and support, Mujuru said.
He said climate change was a global problem whose effects were not experienced equally, with women, persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, older people, migrants and other vulnerable groups facing disproportionate impacts.
Mujuru said climate justice required addressing structural inequalities that determined who was most exposed to climate-related risks and who had access to resources to respond.
He cited water shortages during droughts as an example, saying women in rural communities could face increased burdens when they have to travel longer distances to access water.
He said climate justice should also address the unequal responsibility for climate change and the resources available to countries facing climate-related disasters.
Countries that had contributed more to climate change should provide greater support to vulnerable nations dealing with loss and damage, Mujuru said, adding that financing for loss and damage should be an obligation rather than voluntary.
Mujuru said climate justice could be viewed through three questions: who caused the problem, who suffers most and who gets to decide the solutions.
He said human rights should remain central to climate policies and negotiations because climate-related disasters can affect people’s access to food, water, health, shelter and livelihoods.
Mujuru also challenged journalists to scrutinise climate policies and legislation and explain their implications to the public.
He questioned whether journalists had done enough to examine Zimbabwe’s Climate Change Bill and simplify its technical provisions for communities.
“There were a lot of issues that were there, a lot of technical issues that needed a lot of clarification and simplification,” Mujuru said.
He urged journalists to understand climate issues to provide informed reporting, examine how policies were implemented and give affected communities a voice in public discussions.
Mujuru also urged journalists and civil society organisations to maintain public scrutiny of governments and other powerful institutions over climate-related inequalities.
He said sustained reporting could help ensure that authorities responded to communities affected by climate change.
The Climate Justice Masterclass was organised by Amnesty International Zimbabwe to strengthen journalists’ understanding of climate justice, human rights and emerging climate-related issues in Zimbabwe and the region.
