By Evans Dakwa
As the country grapples with the impact of climate change and its effects on vulnerable communities, a call has been made for concerted efforts to be channeled toward conversations around climate change in all its facets are prioritised.
The call emerged during a webinar hosted by the youth led organisation, All for Climate Action (AFCA) where seasoned journalist and climate writer Shepherd Masunda and Development specialist Tinotenda Chikwanha made presentations on Climate Democracy.
“Let us make climate related discussionsa jingle, more awareness campaigns should be done, more awareness campaigns should be done. But I’m sure with the drought currently in our country people are coming to our direction (of climate inclusivity). Let’s push together for climate information to reach all corners, said Shepherd Masunda.
The All for Climate Action (AFCA) online engagement highlighted the critical need for climate democracy in addressing the climate crisis. Climate democracy emphasizes people-centered and inclusive decision-making processes, ensuring that diverse perspectives and experiences shape climate policies and practices.
“Climate democracy in Zimbabwe is doing okay, especially when it comes to gender and youth inclusion, the unfortunate thing is that we could have sectors where climate democracy is strong and other areas where it is weak. Farmers could be well educated and they can participate in projects and processes that promote sustainability and resilience, and still have the worst impact,” said Tinotenda Chikwanha.
“What needs to happen is other sectors need to be targeted, especially those in the private sector who normally have less regard for climate change. A shift needs to happen so that all sectors of the economy and country are more environmentally conscious. This stops the already negatively impacted sectors from getting worse,” she added.
Presenters and participants alike stressed the importance of accessibility and participatory processes, involving marginalized communities and industries which are significant greenhouse gas emitters. Experts emphasized the need for policies supporting innovation and technology development to reduce pollution.
“The other thing that needs to happen is that the farmers who are in a vulnerable position could be supported with more resources to alleviate the negative impact. This is the equity aspect of climate democracy. They could also be taught new skills and have farming practices adapted so they can still farm.”
Climate literacy and education were identified as major challenges, particularly in grassroots communities reliant on agricultural livelihoods. These communities are often excluded from climate justice platforms, underscoring the need for inclusive climate democracy.
The AFCA online engagement demonstrated the urgency for climate democracy, emphasizing inclusive decision-making, accessibility, innovation, climate literacy, and as key elements in ensuring no one is left behind in the climate discussions and solutions.