02 Dec 2018

 Botswana intends to revisit the Paris Agreement, which has come up with a lot of strategies that governments can put in place to address issues relating to climate change.

The Paris Agreement is a landmark agreement to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future.

Speaking from  Krakow, about 80km from Katowice-Poland where the 24^th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) summit is ongoing, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism Mr Thato Raphaka said to reach the ambitious target set out on the agreement, Botswana was to revisit strategies to operationalise the efforts.

“Now the rule book has been developed and it is simply saying, ‘how do we operationalise issues relating to finance and transparency in terms of negotiating with developed partners. We are currently negotiating financing for developmental activities that could assist in the mitigation of climate change problems,” he said.

The Paris Rule Book demonstrates political will and commitment on the part of the parties to embark on an effective work plan. This would engender a collective effort towards realising the ambitions of the UNFCCC beyond 2020.

Mr Raphaka said Botswana as a developing partner was to be assisted in in its ability to deal with the impacts of climate change, making finance flows consistent with low greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilient pathways. 

He admitted that to reach the ambitious tasks appropriate mobilisation and provision of financial resources, a new technological framework and enhanced capacity building were to be put in place.

For his part, acting director in the the Department of Meteorological Services, Mr Balisi Gopolang said climate change had not sparred Botswana from its devastations. “We have seen such temperature increase in Botswana and rainfall becoming less reliable both on the onset and quantities. Onset of rainfall has shifted from the traditional late September to early January and we now believe that it is a result of global warming and climate change,” he added. ENDS