By Nesia Mhaka
Government has called on the Industries and Product use sectors to adopt renewable energy sources as a way of surviving the climate onslaught, while positively contributing to emissions reduction which is the number one driver of global warming and climate change.
This was said by Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Permanent Secretary, Mr Munesushe Munodawafa at the Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU) sector capacity building workshop on low emissions development strategies on green house gas emissions in Kadoma yesterday.
The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Environment in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the support towards implementing Zimbabwe’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement on climate change project from 2018 to 2020.
The collaborative project seeks to achieve three broad objectives which are, develop the Low Emission development Strategy (LEDS), develop the Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Framework for the LEDS as well as catalysing low emission investments in the country.
As claimed by the Zimbabwe Third Nation Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change, industry alone produces six percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere and globally the sector emits 21percent of emissions.
The Low Emission Development Strategy has forecast that emissions from industry will reach the equivalent of 1,7 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO2e) by 2030 and to 2,5 metric tonnes (MtCO2e) in 2050 due to the projected increases in industrial activity and associated emissions from the sector.
Shifting to renewable energy sources such as biomass will assist the nation in halting carbon emissions as it (biomass) prevents a substantial carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, by contributing more than 16 percent of the world energy demand and their potential for expansion is considerable. Growing more biomass can play an immediate role in absorbing excess carbon dioxide at relatively low cost.
Of the ‘new’ renewable sources, solar techniques have great energy conservation potential. Wind power is the cheapest source of electricity and solar PV offers good possibilities to replace a substantial amount of fossil fuels in the long term.
Mr Munodawafa said that renewable energy and other smart technologies seem to be a sensible thing to turn to in achieving sustainable cut of emissions in the industrial sector.
He said Government has embarked on an experts training from various key sectors which produce emissions as a way of preparing for a future which will be anchored on clean and smart energy.
“The industrial sector’s main contribution to green house gases (GHGs) is through energy consumption where industries that produce GHGs are energy production and manufacturing, including, but not limited to cement production, fertilizer production and processes in mining such as iron and steel manufacture and ferro-alloy production.
“In 2015, GHG emissions resulting from energy use in the manufacturing industries were estimated at 6% of the total GHG emissions and are expected to increase steadily between now and 2050 as Zimbabwe’s economy continues to grow.
“There is, therefore, a large potential for the Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU) sector to reduce its direct contribution to the country’s emissions through investments in cleaner energy as well as resource-efficient production processes,” he said.
Mr Munodawafa said that renewable energy collected from renewable resources such as sunlight, wind and naturals gases are some of the options the industrial sector can harness as a strategy of cutting emissions.
“There is a variety of mitigation measures available for the Industrial sector to reduce its emissions such as alternative sources of energy like the use of natural gas (the cleanest of all fossil fuels), solar lighting and other forms of renewable energy, clinker substitution in cement manufacture and nitrous oxide abatement technologies as well as circular economy practices including waste to energy conversions.
There is also a general need to move from the end of pipe technologies to technologies that enhance the efficiency and environmental performance of the full production process from raw material to the marketing of products.
Industries should be encouraged to promote source separation of waste and to apply the “cradle to grave” principle in their manufacturing practices.
Mr Munodawafa added that Government is committed to taking urgent action to mitigate the effects of climate change.
“Zimbabwe, as a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), seeks to contribute to the ambitious global goal of limiting temperature rise to 1,5°C above pre-industrial levels as agreed under the Paris Agreement.
As such, the government of Zimbabwe has developed the long-term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategy (LEDS), for the period 2020-2050 in response to the global climate change crisis.
“Zimbabwe’s Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) is based on the government’s economic planning up to 2050 and covers mitigation measures across the four intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) sectors, that is, Energy, Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU), Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) and waste,” he said.
