Mutsvangwa calls for climate change mitigation strategy

Harare (New Ziana) – All stakeholders should implement climate mitigation strategies to reduce further damage to the ecosystem, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Monica Mutswangwa said on Thursday.

In remarks on her behalf at the launch of a book on media perceptions of climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa, she said climate change was a global catastrophe which threatens to alter the natural environment, disrupt the well-being of society, and hinder economic development.

It had, therefore, become imperative to pursue climate mitigatory strategies vigorously to prevent further deterioration in the ecosystem, Mutsvangwa said.

She said government, in conjunction with other stakeholders, was up-scaling efforts to combat climate change in the country.

“Through the collaboration of numerous ministries like the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry and the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, the government is up-scaling efforts to combat climate change, which is now in our midst and threatens Zimbabwe’s and the world’s socio-economic well-being,” she said.

As minister responsible for information, Mutsvangwa said she was proud of the book, and engagement with global and regional stakeholders.

She said the book was testimony of the critical role the media can play in shaping global understanding of one of the most significant challenges facing humankind and, in particular, our part of the world.

“Climate change is an existential threat to our planet and communities, particularly in Southern Africa, where small-scale agriculture, wildlife conservation, and tourism are essential economic activities,” she said.
Mutsvangwa, however, decried the low coverage of climate change issues in Sub-Saharan Africa, owing largely to various challenges confronting governments in the region which they are trying to solve.

“This is precisely why this book and books like this are so vital,” she said.

“The book offers a detailed and nuanced analysis of the challenges that Southern African media face in covering climate change, including incentives for reporting on climate change, factors influencing media coverage of climate change, perception, media functions and the climate emergency and dominant frames of climate change in the African media.”

New Ziana