‘Put green issues on your agenda’

NAMIBIANS in rural areas will be hardest hit by the effects of climate change because they depend on agriculture.

This was said by the local representative of the United Nations Development Programme, Simon Nhongo, at the recent launch in Windhoek of a series of information booklets on climate change. Nhongo said it was found during an earlier public awareness campaign that the level of awareness and understanding of climate change issues in Namibia was limited.He said the booklets, available in four local languages, would be valuable in educating rural communities on climate change.The booklets have been translated into Oshiwambo, Afrikaans, Nama-Damara and Otjiherero.Sem Shikongo, the Chief Development Planner in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, said the booklets would be distributed to schools and institutes of higher learning.Environment and Tourism Minister Willem Konjore said global climate change would affect many ecosystems in Namibia, greatly affecting the wildlife and vegetation and consequently the tourism sector.”All these impacts have considerable socio-economic consequences, threatening our goals towards sustainable development and Vision 2030,” said Konjore.He said the arid environment, recurrent droughts and desertification and the fragile ecosystem made Namibia one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.Considering the country’s natural-resource-based economy and its limited technical and financial resources to adapt to climate change, it could become one of the most significant and costly issues that affected national development.He said Namibia’s Second National Communication to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) would address the potential impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable sectors and the national capacity for addressing climate change.This information will be reported to the UNFCCC and will be used to prepare strategies and action plans that can fit into national development plants such as the Third National Development Plan (NPD 3) and Vision 2030.Anticipated climate change impacts on Namibia include droughts, seawater inundation of ports and reduced food security.Nhongo said it was found during an earlier public awareness campaign that the level of awareness and understanding of climate change issues in Namibia was limited.He said the booklets, available in four local languages, would be valuable in educating rural communities on climate change.The booklets have been translated into Oshiwambo, Afrikaans, Nama-Damara and Otjiherero.Sem Shikongo, the Chief Development Planner in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, said the booklets would be distributed to schools and institutes of higher learning.Environment and Tourism Minister Willem Konjore said global climate change would affect many ecosystems in Namibia, greatly affecting the wildlife and vegetation and consequently the tourism sector.”All these impacts have considerable socio-economic consequences, threatening our goals towards sustainable development and Vision 2030,” said Konjore.He said the arid environment, recurrent droughts and desertification and the fragile ecosystem made Namibia one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.Considering the country’s natural-resource-based economy and its limited technical and financial resources to adapt to climate change, it could become one of the most significant and costly issues that affected national development.He said Namibia’s Second National Communication to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) would address the potential impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable sectors and the national capacity for addressing climate change.This information will be reported to the UNFCCC and will be used to prepare strategies and action plans that can fit into national development plants such as the Third National Development Plan (NPD 3) and Vision 2030.Anticipated climate change impacts on Namibia include droughts, seawater inundation of ports and reduced food security.