Malawi takes up the fight against climate change

Daily Times (Malawi): Malawi is joining the rest of the world to seriously to find ways and means to counter the effects of climate change in the world. Climate change is one of the global challenges of the 21st Century that has mostly affected developing countries like Malawi, which lack adaptive measures to respond to climate change effects like droughts, floods and storms.

In showing its commitment to deal with the problem, Malawi through President Bingu wa Mutharika will next Monday launch the 2007/08 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report (HDR) titled “Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World”. At the same event in Lilongwe, the President would also unveil Malawi’s intervention plans in addressing climate change--the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (Napa)--which would be implemented under Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

Briefing the press in Lilongwe Thursday, officials from Ministry of Natural Resources and UNDP said developing countries like Malawi have contributed the least to the problem of climate change but “unfortunately it is the developing countries that bear most of the consequences of this catastrophe”.

Director of Environmental Affairs at Ministry of Lands Raphael Kabwaza said it was thus imperative that Malawi addresses the problem. Kabwaza said his ministry came up with Napa, which is a plan of action that has five priority areas in dealing with climate change effects. Napa aims at improving community resilience to climate change through development of sustainable rural livelihoods and restoration of forests in the upper, middle and lower Shire Valley catchment area. It also aims at reducing siltation and associated water flow problems.

Apart from these, the plan also aims at improving agricultural production under erratic and changing climatic conditions, improving Malawi’s preparedness to cope with droughts and floods and to improve climate monitoring to enhance Malawi’s early warning capability and decision making for the sustainable utilisation of Lake Malawi and lakeshore area resources.