By BRIAN HATYOKA –

THE Zambian Government has taken deliberate steps to fight climate change by promoting the implementation of both adaptation and mitigation measures, Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister Harry Kalaba has said.
Mr Kalaba said while adaptation had been recognised as a priority for developing countries  such as Zambia which were experiencing adverse effects of climate change, the Government had resolved to promote the implementation of mitigation measures.
He said the mitigation measures were aimed at contributing to a climate resilient and low emission development pathway that was sustainable in the long run.
Mr Kalaba said this in Livingstone at Chrismar Hotel yesterday in a speech read for him by Livingstone District Commissioner Omar Munsanje yesterday.
This was during the official opening of United Nations collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) + National Forest Monitoring Systems and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) National Inventory Systems Regional workshop for Africa.
The purpose of the three-day meeting is to provide a forum to improve coordination and connection between the programmes, agencies and individuals responsible for national forest monitoring systems and greenhouse gas inventory development.
The connections are cornerstones of a country’s reporting obligations to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“As a party to UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol, Zambia has an obligation to contribute to the efforts aimed at combating global climate change,” Mr Kalaba said.
He said Zambia had been working towards the development of a national forestry monitoring system and a REDD+ information system which would consist of a national forest inventory, a satellite land monitoring system and a greenhouse gas inventory.
“This system is being complimented by the low emissions capacity building programme with the support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
“Currently, four National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAS) in the energy, agriculture, industrial processes and waste management sectors are being developed,” he said.
He said the NAMAS would be used to make a strong economic case for financing, investments and policy measures that significantly contributed to low carbon development in various sectors of the economy.
Speaking at the same function, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative George Okech thanked the Government of Zambia for taking the leadership role in addressing issues of climate change.
Mr Okech said the 20th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly held in Livingstone last year discussed a number of issues including linkages between climate change and tourism.
“Livingstone is indeed becoming a place for discussing and sharing ideas on national, regional and global issues of mutual concern such as climate change.
“Poverty and climate change are the two great challenges of the 21stcentury hence we need to respond to them,” he said.