By SYLVESTER MWALE –

THE Government has submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that it intends to spend US$50 billion by the year 2030 in mitigating the impact of climate change in the country.
Of the amount, $35 billion is expected to come from external sources while $15 billion would be mobilised from domestic sources.
This was contained in the country’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) sent to the UNFCCC secretariat in Germany.
The INDC presents the country’s intentions about its contributions to the 2015 Agreement on Climate Change.
This was in response to decisions adopted at the 19th and 20th sessions of the conference of the parties to the UNFCCC.
Lands Ministry Public relations officer Diniwe Zulu said in a statement yesterday that Zambia’s INDC presented mitigation and adaptation efforts based on the national circumstances and desire to become a high middle income and prosperous nation by 2030.
She said the successful implementation of Zambia’s INDC would result in an estimated emission reduction of 47 per cent against the 2010 baseline.
“In mitigating the impact of climate change, Zambia intends to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by implementing three programmes driven by the country’s climate response strategy and supported by national development policies,” she said.
This included energy, forest, agriculture, water, town and country planning, sanitation as well as transport.
The extent and magnitude of contribution to Zambia’s Green House Gas reduction will depend on the availability of resources from international efforts.
An INDC was a primary means for governments to communicate internationally, the steps to be taken to address climate change in their respective countries.