President Mnangagwa warns against complacency on environmental damage

Harare (New Ziana)-President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday warned the world against being complacent towards environmental degradation as the effects have far reaching consequences.

President Mnangagwa was invited to attend the United Nations 26th Conference of Parties meeting in Glasgow, Scotlands where he is expected to lead the Zimbabwean delegation and present the country’s mitigation measures and adaptation strategies against the effects of climate change.

Posting on his Facebook page ahead of the COP26 meeting to be held at the end of October, President Mnangagwa said the world leaders should collectively take a stand against environmental degradation.

“If the world does not step up, we will see jobs lost, livelihoods destroyed, and people will lose their lives. That is something we must avoid and why Zimbabwe is coming to the table with ambitious plans to tackle climate change.

President Mnangagwa expressed optimism that the COP26 discussion would find solutions to climate change effects adding that Zimbabwe feels the impact of climate change more than others.

“The discussions at COP26 are going to be an important step in agreeing a collective way forward. For Zimbabwe we feel the impact of climate change more than others. Our temperatures have risen by approximately 2°C over the past century. In the past two decades alone, we have had to deal with 10 droughts,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe has taken steps towards preserving the environment such as reduction of emissions.

“Zimbabwe has now committed to reducing emissions by 40 percent before 2030. The time for words is over – we must act now.

“While we will offer to hasten our economic transformation, we do need to remain alive to the shocks of drought and the impact of climate change through necessary social safety nets.

“I will be appealing for multilateral support to supplement our efforts. Zimbabwe has come a long way over the past three years, I hope our presence at COP26 and our commitment to the global fight against climate change will be recognised as part of our ongoing re-engagement campaign,” he said.

New Ziana