07 Jun 2022

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has pledged to continue to support Botswana towards improved environmental sustainability and improved resilience to climate change.

 Speaking during a commemoration of the International World Environment Day held in Tsabong on Monday, UNDP resident representative, Mr Balazs Horvath said its focus of intervention in Botswana for the next five years would be on four priority areas.

The international organ shall implement appropriate climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, drive implementation of innovative and sustainable range and land management strategies, employ effective management of biodiversity and wildlife resources in line with international conventions, and effectively implement sustainable and fully integrated environmental management policies and strategies.

Mr Horvath said that the  theme Only One Earth,  explains that earth was a finite resource and the only habitat for biodiversity and humanity hence the need for each individual to rise up, take responsibility to protect it as nature was threatened by inappropriate environmentally unfriendly human actions.

“Nature is in emergency mode, we must celebrate the planet through collective environmental action with a focus on living sustainably in harmony with nature,” he said.

This year’s theme he said, was a slogan which was used during the 1972 Stockholm conference which had brought together the civil society, businesses and policy makers, recognising the inextricable links between the planet, human well-being and economic growth, pollution and waste.

He said the United Nations secretary general, Mr Antonio Guterres has warned that the triple crisis was humanity’s number one existential threat.

“Now 50 years later, we reflect upon half a century of global environmental action and look forward,” he and added that unsustainable patterns of consumption and production fueled the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature, and biodiversity loss.

For her part, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, acting deputy permanent secretary, Ms Kenaleone Maselesele said this year’s world environment day theme challenged humanity to live sustainably in harmony with nature by bringing transformative changes through policies and choices, promotion of moving towards cleaner, greener lifestyles and a circular economy.

She called for a need for humanity to protect the environment.

The effects of climate change are evident and being felt all over the world as we now experience heat waves, very low winter temperatures and flash floods, stated Ms Maselesele.

Meanwhile, Ms Maselesele said Botswana was in the process of developing a state of environment and outlook report which would give a reflection on the country’s current environmental status and what needed to be done going forward. Ms Maselesele said Kgalagadi District faced environmental challenges such as prolonged droughts, desertification, climate change, and land degradation.

The challenges she noted, were inevitable outcomes of both the changing forces of nature as well as human influences.

She said the national environmental fund continued to provide financial assistance to environment related projects and activities that aimed at conservation, protection and management across all districts in Botswana.

So far, she said the facility funded projects in Kgalagadi, that benefitted communities and they include, KOINAPHU Trust tannery at Phuduhudu, NGWAKHOBEXEYA Trust campsites project at KD/1, the BORAVAST trust charcoal and a fodder production project in Bokspits funded under UNDP.

Ms Maselesele said the uptake was low and encouraged more to apply for funding, to conserve natural resources in the area.

Champs Botswana executive director, Mr Geof Khwarae said the company, based in Pilane used hazardous waste to create useable products because to them, waste was a resource.

He said according United Nations, about 2.01 billion tonnes of hazardous waste was generated globally in 2016 and projections reflected that it was expected to reach 2.6 billion tonnes and 3.5 billion tonnes by 2030 and 2050 respectively.

He said Sub-Saharan African nations would triple their waste production in the next 30 years, currently producing just under 200 million tonnes of waste per annum.

Thus he said, at Champs Botswana they do not see waste as something to be discarded, “we offer this alternative description of waste synthetic resources that have become obsolete to their originally intended purpose.

Our Pilane facility currently operates an Integrated Waste Management Plant, which is a three line waste to energy or hazardous waste recycling plant capable of processing over 15 metric tonnes of waste per day,” he said.

Mr Khwarae said the company operated the plant by using a pyrolysis process where they used fire and separation to thermally decompose the matter at elevated temperatures in an inert environment.

“We can recycle used up tyres to create something useful, stated Mr Khwarae.

The company also uses a distillation process of separating components of a liquid mixture based on their respective boiling points.

The event which was sponsored by Speed light Game Ranch, Phirima Bartrek, Modisa Wildlife Camp, Kgalagadi Pharmacy, Furnmart, Kgalagadi South Member of Parliament’s office, Ms De Cock Investments, Mr Tshipietsile Mothelesi and Mr Sidney Baitsile attracted exhibitors from small, medium and micro enterprises who created products out of waste as well as government departments, community trusts and banks who showcased and sold their products from across Kgalagadi district. ENDs