19 Mar 2020

Parliament has learnt that Climate Change Policy has been re-submitted to Parliament for consideration during the June sitting.

Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Ms Beauty Manake said she was hopeful that the policy would be discussed during this session of Parliament.

She said efforts to address climate change required both adaptation and mitigation, hence the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism found it imperative to include the use of renewable energy covering among others solar, as part of the Climate Change Policy.

“This will also enable the country to reduce greenhouse gases and greening of operations that’s lowering carbon footprint,” she said.

She said the ministry had further committed resources for implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.

 She further said she was optimistic that Botswana would achieve Sustainable Development Goal No:13, which addressed development of climate change strategy and action plan which would operationalise the Climate Change Policy

She was responding to a question asked by Jwaneng- Mabutsane MP, Mr Mephato Reatile who wanted the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism to update Parliament as to when the Climate Change Policy would be tabled in Parliament as promised by President during the State-of-Nation Address in 2019.

He wanted to know if its tabling would include the use of solar and other clean energy technologies .

the MP further wanted to know if the ministry would commit to stating whether Botswana would achieve the SDG Goal No: 13 to take agent action to combat climate change and its impact. Ends