by ARNOLD MULENGA
LUSAKA – ZAMBIA has since installed more than 200 automated weather stations as the government makes the most of technology to counter climate change.
These stations, a senior government official said, help improve forecasting for farmers and were also beneficial for energy planning and public health.
Fighting climate change has been a priority of the current government since it came to office in 2021.
Mike Mposha, Minister of Green Economy and Environment, disclosed the investments to tackle climate change as he officially opened the Global National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Expo in the capital Lusaka.
“Climate change is no longer a forecast but a reality affecting every corner of the globe and every community in Zambia,” he said at the event on Tuesday.
Mposha noted Zambia was one of the countries most impacted by climate change in the past.
In 2023/2024, it suffered its worst drought in four decades, impacting almost half of the country’s 21,9 million population.
Zambia intermittently suffers flooding, which besides being catastrophic, triggering water borne diseases like cholera.
Zambia intervened through the National Adaptation Plan, requiring an investment of over US$34 billion.
To boost energy stability, the plan also comprises adding solar power to the grid.
Technology is also key in the adoption of climate-smart agriculture.
– CAJ News
