Climate change impacts in Zimbabwe are related to water supply and food security. The country is already prone to droughts, which have become more recurrent over the last two decades. The geographical location of Zimbabwe in the tropics makes it vulnerable to shifting rainfall patterns, and water resources availability. Zimbabwe is also vulnerable to climate driven health impacts from vector borne diseases such as malaria worsened by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Adaptation measures to address climate change impacts are thus required to reduce impact in key economic sectors, especially agriculture.
While Zimbabwe’s contribution to global emissions of GHG is very small, there is growing concern over the potential impacts of climate change on the country in the future. Given the heavy dependence of the country on rain-fed agriculture, absence of natural lakes, frequent occurrence of droughts in the region and a growing population, the potential social and economic impacts from climate change could be devastating.
When it comes to tackling climate change to prevent the impacts it causes in the different systems of the planet, CAN ZIM will apply two types of measures: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation measures are those actions that are taken to reduce and curb greenhouse gas emissions, while adaptation measures are based on reducing vulnerability to the effects of climate change.