Mnangagwa blames West for climate change

via Mnangagwa blames West for climate change – DailyNews Live 20 November 2015

HARARE – Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday said the West is to blame for the climate change that is going to see countries like Zimbabwe receiving low rainfalls this season.

Speaking at the launch of the national climate change response strategy, Mnangagwa said the bulk of climate change issues emanated from Europe and America.

“Mwari akasika nyika ndokutipa nzizi, shiri, makomo nemiti zvose zvakanaka. Isu nokuda kunakigwa ndokutanga kugadzira zvunhu. Dzimotikari mafekitari kuita kuti hupenyu hwedu huite nani. Asi hatisisu takatanga. Zvakatanga kumhiri, vakatanga neindustrialisation. (God created the world the way he intended it to be but because man wanted a different life we started polluting the environment through making vehicles and constructing factories. But we did not start with is, it started in Europe through industrialisation).

“Asi vaingoburitsa utsi huchienda mudenga dzamara paita gumbeze reutsi zvinoita kuti kana zuva rabuda, harichasviki pasi pano patiri. Zvino ndozvokanganisa hurongwa hwaMwari nokuda kunakigwa kwedu.( Smoke was constantly being emitted into the atmosphere, creating a blanket of pollution which hinders the sun from shining on us. This is what ruined God’s creation – our desire to enjoy the good life).

Mnangagwa said the western world should fund development programmes across the globe since they are to blame for climate change and its resultant effects.

“Saka tichitaura the developed countries ndovakatanga nazvo ndovakakanganisa zvinhu zvaMwari. Ngavatipe mari yekuti tigadzirise zvibudirire. (So when we speak of the developed world, we say they ruined the world, therefore they should give us the money to redress what they damaged.)

Mnangagwa went on to plead with the developed world to assist developing countries to fight the effects of climate change, saying “this is a legitimate request even God will support our request”.

The vice president said the effects of climate change pose risks to the current strategies of tackling multi-sectoral challenges.

The world is currently experiencing recurrent droughts, floods and extreme temperatures.

“To this end, the impact of climate change is projected to impede economic growth, as it affects climate sensitive sectors such as water, agriculture, livestock, energy, health and environment as well as manufacturing, mining and transport sectors which are all critical,” he said.

Mnangagwa said because of the poor yields likely to be expected in the rural areas, government was in the process of distributing maize seed and fertiliser to over 300 000 vulnerable households.

He said as part of the medium to long-term strategies to stem the trend of reduced water availability caused by climate change, government was acquiring dam construction equipment from Egypt, China, Brazil and Belarus.

French Ambassador to Zimbabwe Laurent De Lahouse said the country’s carbon emissions only contribute 0,045 percent of the global emission.

“Zimbabwe suffers severely from the consequences of climate change – the change is wind patterns and the drought in Southern Africa has direct impact on the agricultural production in Zimbabwe,” he said.