Zambia

National Focal Point

• Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection

National Strategic Documents and Timeframe

• NDC: 2020-2030
• National Policy on Environment (NPE, 2007)
• National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS, 2010)
• National Forestry Policy of 2014
• National Energy Policy of 2008
• National Agriculture Policy of 2014 and Transport Policy of 2002
• National Strategy for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+, 2015)
• Second National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP2)
• National Adaptation Plan of Action on Climate Change (NAPA, 2007)
• Technology Needs Assessment (TNA, 2013)
• Second National Communication (SNC, 2015)
• Revised Sixth National Development Plan (RSDNP)
• Vision 2030

National Institutional Arrangements

The NDC explains that the programmes elaborated within it will be integrated in the Seventh National Development Plan (SeNDP) currently being developed. Efforts are being made to establish the National Climate Change Development Council for climate change coordination in the country as stipulated in the draft National Policy on Climate Change. The National Designated Authority (NDA) for the Green Climate Fund has been designated and is expected to play a key role of “clearing house or entity” for climate change projects to be funded from the GCF in Zambia. The process to select a National Implementing Entity (NIE) and establish a National Climate Change Fund (NCCF) is ongoing.

Priorities and Needs

The NDC describes that climate variability and change has become a major threat to sustainable development in Zambia. It provides that the country is already experiencing drought and dry spells, seasonal and flash floods and extreme temperatures. Droughts and floods, which have increased in frequency and intensity over the past few decades, have adversely impacted food and water security, water quality, energy and livelihoods of the people, especially in rural communities.

The NDC provides that future trends in the country are towards a higher average temperature, a possible decrease in total rainfall, and some indication of heavy events of rainfall, impacting key economic sectors including water, agriculture, forestry m wildlife, tourism, mining, energy, infrastructure and health.

The NDC identifies the following key socio-economic sectors as most vulnerable to climate change impacts: agriculture, water, forestry, energy, wildlife, infrastructure, and health.

Current and Planned Adaptation Efforts

The NDC provides that adaptation measures identified based on vulnerability assessment of seven key economic sectors (agriculture, water, forestry, energy, wildlife, infrastructure and health) comprise three goals/programs that have strong synergies with mitigation .The NDC outlines priority actions and the key activities for each of these programs.

1. Adaptation of strategic productive systems (agriculture, wildlife, water)

• Guaranteed food security through diversification and promotion of Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices for crop, livestock and fisheries production including conservation of germplasm for land races and their wild relatives
• Develop a National Wildlife Adaptation Strategy and ensure its implementation through supportive policies, local community, civil society and private sector participation
• Protection and conservation of water catchment areas and enhanced investment in water capture, storage and transfer (linked to agriculture, energy, ecological, industrial and domestic use purposes) in selected watersheds

2. Adaptation of strategic infrastructure and health systems

• Institutionalize integrated land use planning compatible with sustainable management of natural resources and infrastructure development
• Mainstream climate change in the National Health Policy, Environmental Health (EH) Policy, and Water and Sanitation Policy
• Enhance decentralized climate information services for early warning and long-term projections on the effects of climate change to support sustainable management of the production systems, infrastructure development and public health

3. Enhanced capacity building, research, technology transfer and finance

• Capacity building in Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), Sustainable Forest Management (SFA), Renewable Energy Technologies (RET), and Early Warning Systems (EWS), Change management and climate change planning
• Water technologies for savings, recycling, irrigation and sustainable management for household, agriculture and industrial purposes
• Development of an insurance market against climate change induced risks related to agriculture and infrastructure
• Mainstream climate change adaptation into country development plans and strategies

Requirements for Additional Planning, Financial and Technical Capacities

Zambia’s NDC provides that the country will require international support in the  form of finance, investment, technology development and transfer, and capacity-building to fully realize its intended contribution. Further analysis will be necessary to refine the required investment cost and determine the domestic support as more data and results of studies become available.

The NDC states that the total budget for implementing both mitigation and adaptation components is estimated at US$ 50 billion by the year 2030, out of this US$ 35 billion is expected to come from external sources.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The NDC explains that since it is a part of the national development and planning process for climate change issues, it will be monitored and evaluated according to the existing monitoring and evaluation frameworks