THE EDITORIAL NEWS

  ZAMBIA REGISTERS FIRST EVER GREEN BOND .... a programme  that will accelerate the actualisation of country's ambitions to generate aleast 200MW of renewable energy. By Alfonso Kasongo Zambia has for the first time registered Green Bond since government's intention to broaden climate financing to bridge the finance source gap through emerging financing instruments such as green bonds and carbon credits among others. The  announcement by the Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) PLC, a private electricity firm ,that it has registered its green bond with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during the sidelines of the COP 28 Climate Summit in United Arab Emirates makes it the first ever green bond to be registered in the country. Since the development of Green Bond Guidelines in 2019, no green Bond was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The registration means that CEC will now issue securities such as shares, bonds on the capital market to ...

COP28 CONCLUDES, PARTIES AGREE TO DELIVER A NEW ERA OF CLIMATE ACTION By Alfonso Kasongo Parties at the 2023 United Nations Conference Of Parties on Climate Change  (COP28) have agreed a landmark text dubbed The UAE Consensus, that sets out an ambitious climate agenda to keep 1.5°C  global within reach.  The UAE Consensus calls on Parties to transition away from fossil fuels to reach net zero, encourages them to submit economy-wide Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), includes a new specific target to triple renewables and double energy efficiency by 2030, and builds momentum towards a new architecture for climate finance. COP28 has since mobilized over $85 billion in funding for climate action, secured a historic agreement on Loss and Damage, advanced the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and overseen breakthrough agreements on the energy transition. This has been considered as the most inclusive COP to-date, ensuring all voices could participate in the process. ...

  By Alfonso Kasongo An alliance of over 20 Civil Society Organizations championing the fight against climate change in Zambia has encouraged traditional leaders especially the  Royal Highnesses across the country to take a leading role in the carbon market and trading conversations. Zambia Climate Change Network (ZCCN) Board Chairperson Mutamba  observes that some chiefdoms have been approached by entities dealing in carbon credits business hence expressing fear that some traditional leaders may have no capacity to provide precise direction with regards to carbon market and trade. Speaking during an engagement meeting with the house of Chiefs on Carbon Market and Trading in Lusaka, Mr. Mutamba says the resources that the network is fighting to be conserved are in the custodian of the traditional leaders hence an opportunity for the network to heighten the conversations to bridge the information gaps  that exist in the carbon credit business. ZCCN Board Chairperson M...

CLIMATE CHANGE TO TRIGGER HUNGER ,OVER 28 MILLION AFRICANS IN CENTRAL, SOUTHERN REGIONS TO BE AFFECTED ...But reducing agricultural research, innovation investment gap by $15.2 Bln annually could reverse this by achieving key ambitions of the SDGs and Climate action. By Alfonso Kasongo Projections from IMPACT model Analysis using IMPACT estimates that global food production by 2050 could be 8 percentage points lower as a result of climate change, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Research Impact analysis has highlighted. As part of this analysis, IMPACT modeling also shows that, comparing a “no further climate change” baseline with a scenario of strong emissions  growth, about 70 million more people will be at risk of hunger globally in 2050 due to climate change. However, more than 28 million people   in East and Southern Africa will be at risk of hunger in 2050 given the same scenarios, the impact analysis further disclosed. Making agriculture part of a 2°...