Based on the outcomes of the TNA, a large-scale project has been launched to support the Government of Zambia’s renewable energy feed-in tariff (REFIT) policy. With funding from the Green Climate Find, it will provide technical assistance, support local financial institutions and build the capacity for rural electrification. The project has a lifespan of 23 years, and it is anticipated that emissions of 4,000,000 tCO2e will be avoided.
Zambia is a large and landlocked country located in the centre of southern Africa. Agriculture is the backbone of Zambia’s economy, with approximately 70% of the population engaged in agricultural livelihoods, nearly all being subsistence farmers. Highly variable rainfall patterns and occasional floods and droughts make these livelihoods extremely vulnerable to climate change. Currently approximately 48,000,000 ha of land in Zambia is suitable for agriculture. Unless action is taken, the area suitable for growing staple crops is likely to decline by 80% by 2100. This would directly affect small-scale farmers in Zambia, most of whom rely on rain-fed systems.
Zambia completed its TNA in 2013. The TNA highlighted three technologies in the water sector. The Technology Action Plan proposes to establish a Pilot Project on Climate Change and Water Access. This project aims to install fifteen small dams, two hundred boreholes and tube wells and 10,000 wells. These measures are intended to safeguard Zambians who are affected by drought, seasonal floods and a lack of access to clean water, and they will provide a better access to water for both consumption and agriculture.
Energy generation in Zambia relies almost entirely on hydro-power (nearly 90% of total capacity). Facing serious electricity supply deficits from recent droughts, the TNA has led to a framework proposal being issued by the Zambian government. This will promote small-scale, renewable and decentralized energy projects to fast-track the country’s electrification efforts with a diversified mix. Apart from working as an adaptation measure, together the development of small-scale renewables and rural electrification have the potential to reduce the population’s dependence on charcoal and firewood, thereby reducing emissions from land use, one of the major sources of carbon emissions in Zambia.
The outcomes from the TNA have contributed to the development of the NDC by being used to determine the NDC’s objectives.
Zambia’s TNA contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals:
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Photo credit: Axel Fassioa, CIFOR / Flickr.
