“Formation of renewable energy green fund critical for Africa” Hivos

Climate Tracker Director Chris Wright addressing Zimbabwean journalist on renewable energy reporting

By Lungelo Ndhlovu CONSCIOUS of the negative effects of fossil fuels on the climate and public health, the world is generally going green.

On the 24^th of August 2017, Zimbabwe ratified its climate change commitment to the Cop 21 Paris Agreement, to switch to green energy and shy away from dirty.

Many developed countries such as Germany and the United States of America, are decommissioning thermal energy generating plants that belch out dirty fumes into the air. Those that are not shutting down theirs, are mordenising them so that they do not produce as much particulate pollution as before.

Natural gas usage is coming up worldwide and it is an emerging source, particularly in Southern Africa, but since it is carbon based like coal, governments seem to understand adverse long term environmental impacts.

Hivos Southern Africa Hub, renewable energy specialist, Reginald Mapfumo is of the view that creation of renewable energy green fund, is critical for Africa, to fight climate change.

“Africa produces less carbon to the atmosphere and therefore big countries, which are heavy polluters must create a green fund to finance health projects that are targeted at mitigating against the adverse impacts of climate change caused by global warm,” said Mapfumo.

He said Africa is at the receiving end of the impacts of climate change.

“Droughts and floods are prone in Africa. The continent needs strong systems in place, to deal with the outbreak of disease or the destruction of infrastructure that happens as a result of such tragedies, due to climate change,” said Mapfumo.

Zimbabwean health experts have condemned the use of firewood as similar to smoking 1000 cigarettes for each time spent in the kitchen cooking with fire.

“Cooking using wood fire is very dangerous because it produces a lot of smoke that can affect lungs. We are recording quite a number of lung related diseases caused by inhaling smoke from open fires,” said Tapiwa Mugomezi, from the Ministry of Health, Tuberculosis Department office.

The vast majority of households in low-income countries cook with firewood, which is known to produce various airborne toxins.

“We examined whether cooking with firewood results in poorer respiratory health by using a unique household survey that collected direct measures of lung capacity. We found that individuals living in households that cook with firewood have 9.4 per cent lower lung capacity than those that cook with cleaner fuels,” said Mugomezi.

This impact is larger for women and children than for men. The results strongly support the international policy focus on facilitating households to switch to cooking with cleaner fuels.

Instead, focus is shifting to solar, wind and biomass energy sources in addition to the more traditional hydro, that are just as effective, cleaner and hazardous to the environment.

Zimbabwe refuses to be left behind.

The country is blessed with renewable energy resources, that if well harnessed can supply 10 thousand gigawatts hours of energy per year, said the Minister of Energy and Power Development, Dr Samuel Undenge.