Climate change disastrous

Namibia's economy is highly dependent on climate-change-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, livestock ranching, crop production and fishing. Therefore, climate change impacts can be catastrophic for the country. This is according to environment deputy minister Bernadette Jagger, who was speaking at a World Environment Day event at Karasburg on Wednesday.Jagger said scientific projections indicate that Namibia will become hotter, with estimated temperature increases of one to 3.5 degrees Celsius in summer and one to four degrees Celsius in winter by the year 2046.“Rainfall in Namibia is projected to become more intense and even more variable. This year we once again experienced a severe drought linked to climate change. In other years, Namibia has experienced localised windstorms and flooding, cold and heat waves in different parts of the country. We can link these destabilising events directly to climate variability.”She said climate change will affect Namibia's ecosystems, which provide vital services to Namibia's production systems. “Wetlands are likely to provide reduced ecosystem services such as water rendition, flood attenuation and water purification. Namibia's dominant grassy savannah vegetation is likely to disappear and give way to more desert and shrubland with projected increases in bush encroachment.”Jagger said climate change poses a challenge to both food security in rural households and to sustainable development in Namibia at large, with a projected decline in GDP in the absence of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.In order to respond to this threat, the ministry developed the National Climate Change Policy of 2011, which provides the framework for resource mobilisation for the country to embark upon adaptation and mitigation measures.The policy calls for the transfer of technologies, capacity building and the provision of financial resources while promoting and enhancing synergies among stakeholders through the intersectoral National Committee on Climate change. Another important document is the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) which was approved by Cabinet in 2015. “Namibia's NDC is one of the most ambitious of all countries and targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 89% by 2030 compared to the business as usual scenario,” said Jagger. This will involve increasing the share of renewables in electricity production to 70% by 2030; reducing energy consumption by about 10% through an energy efficiency programme and implementing a mass transport system in Windhoek as well as other measures to reduce emissions from transport by some 1 300 gigatonnes.According to Jagger the agriculture, forest and land use sectors are major emitters of greenhouse gases in Namibia. “In this sector we pledge amongst others to reduce the deforestation rate by 75 %, reforest 20 000 hectares annually from 2018, restore 15 million hectares of grassland by 2030, practice conservation agriculture on 80 000 hectares by 2030 and implement agro-forestry systems on 5 000 hectares of land commencing in 2018.”Jagger further said that while air pollution might not be considered as a priority problem in Namibia for now, the ministry remains concerned about a number of air pollution sources which may become more severe as the country industrialises and develops. “It is now time for us to put in place alternative approaches and technologies to both avoid and mitigate adverse impacts from these activities.”She said the process of burning waste by towns, settlements and villages results in the emission of a lot of smoke and other chemical substances into the atmosphere.“This is not a good practice and we need to take measures to ensure that no waste is burned at any dumpsite in Namibia. We are currently in the process of developing the National Waste Management Regulations in terms of the Environmental Management Act that will address this concern as well as others linked to waste management.”The burning of medical waste is also a major concern to the ministry. According to Jagger the incineration of medical waste in out-dated incinerators causes the release of dioxins, mercury and other harmful substances. “These substances are linked to a wide range of health problems including cancer, immune system damage, reproductive and developmental problems. Medical waste is often highly hazardous and there is an urgent need for us to improve on how we manage and dispose of this type of waste.”Power generation stations and the production of electricity through the burning of fossil fuels are also of concern to the ministry. Jagger said examples include the Van Eck coal-fired plant in Windhoek, the Paratus diesel-powered plant in Walvis Bay and the diesel-powered plant at Katima Mulilo.“As the environment ministry we are advocating for a much greater shift to renewable energy sources. We have some of the best regimes for solar and wind energy in the world and need to make a transformational shift to these types of energy to ensure energy security and access to energy, especially in the rural areas.”Jagger said mining and smelting operations can also be a major source of air pollution. She said the ministry is carefully monitoring and working with these companies to ensure that they are operating to the highest standards so that the health of workers health and the health of residents are not adversely affected.“Another significant source of air pollution in Namibia is smoke from cooking fires, which is mainly a concern in rural areas and in informal settlements in urban areas where cooking with fire wood is most common.” Smoke from cooking fires in Namibia can cause respiratory and eye problems and women generally bear the brunt of these ill effects. Jagger pointed out that new forms of technology are available for to reduce dependence on cooking over fires. She further said that transport is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country as Namibians are heavily reliant on private cars for transportation and on trucks to transport goods on the road network. “Slowly but surely, we are seeing increasing traffic in our cities and along our road network, which puts strain on our infrastructure, reduces quality of life and increases emissions. We need to look at new solutions such as expanding the rail network and public transportation systems.”To commemorate the day, 150 seedlings donated by the Indian High Commission to Namibia were planted at schools in Karasburg. The day was hosted together with the United Nations in Namibia.ELLANIE SMIT

Climate change disastrous

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-14

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Climate change disastrous

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-14

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