UN, UNZA partner for climate change schooling

By Violet Mengo

A United Nations agency working in Zambia has partnered with the University of Zambia to address climate change by including climate change in human development studies. The joint venture has seen several activities being undertaken, among them a seminar for students of human development. For University of Zambia (UNZA) students, it was a great opportunity to learn more about climate change, the world’s most topical subject currently topping the agenda of most global meetings.   A short documentary on the impact of climate change was enough to trigger discussions on the effects of climate change, most of which have no immediate solutions.   The documentary filmed in December 2009 prior to the 15th session of the Conference of Parties, which took place in Denmark highlighted some of the problems Zambia is facing as a result of climate change. It made specific reference to Southern Province, once the country’s food basket, which has now become perpetually prone to drought, floods and deforestation. Virgin land, where trees can grow undisturbed alongside natural vegetation, is slowly being depleted and becoming bare, rivers are drying up and farmers face difficulties in growing crops because of constant changes in weather patterns. The documentary showed that changes in rainfall affect planting and harvesting periods and result in hunger and poverty, particularly among people who depend entirely on agriculture for their survival. It also depicted families directly affected by the disruptions in weather patterns and how they are adapting to the changes. As the students watched the documentary in silence, their faces were getting gloomier by the minute. There is no doubt that climate change has affected Zambia in so many ways. As the students focused on the documentary, lots of unanswered questions were flashing in their minds. This explained why one student, Given Mulenga’s mother had become bankrupt. A loan invested in a farm cannot be recouped because the rains kept washing away the crops. And Aaron Shawa, a student from Mwinilunga in North Western Province is not sure of completing his studies as his peasant farmer father can no longer support him financially. Income from farming has dwindled beyond comprehension. However, according to UNDP, not all hope is lost, hence the need to involve students in efforts to address climate change, with the hope that future generations might have a different tale for their children. The partnership between UNDP and UNZA is solely intended to ensure development and enhancement of preparedness for natural calamities. The partnership also aims at developing capacity among students, to empower them to make beneficial choices about their lives. UNZA Dean of Humanities Vincent Chanda said climate change threatens to erode human freedom and limit choices. Mr Chanda said poor people across the globe are already being forced to cope with the impact of climate change. “The effect of changes in weather patterns is preventing people from building a better life for themselves and their children, “he said. UNDP Country Director Viola Morgan said although most countries are off-track in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, a lot has been achieved by many others. She, however, said climate change is hampering efforts to deliver the MDGs promise. “Looking into the future, the danger is that it will halt and then reverse progress built up over generations, not just in cutting extreme poverty, but in health, nutrition, education and other areas,”she said. Ms Morgan said the effect of climate change will constrain Zambia’s ability to reach its development objectives under the MDGs. UNDP is the UN’s principle provider of development advice, advocacy and grant support to developing nations, including Zambia. With 166 country offices, the UNDP has long enjoyed the trust and confidence of governments and non-governmental organisations in many parts of the developing and developed world. Ms Morgan said the agency’s support for human development puts partnership at the centre of all aspects of its work. In 2006, UNDP introduced a course at UNZA to promote the human development paradigm. The objective of the course was to introduce the relevant issues of the human development model to students to help deepen and expand students’ understanding of and familiarity with the concept of sustainable human development, teaching students the theoretical foundations of human development and raising their awareness about how it relates to real life policy issues in the sphere. “Human development is a complex process, which requires the participation of many different players,” she said. Ms Morgan said UNDP recognises that universities harbour significant pools of knowledge and excellence, which can be tapped to promote the human development standard. The UN agency’s expectations are that in the long run, national policy dialogue on human development would increasingly involve more appropriately equipped participants who have benefitted from the course. “With this in mind, we are planning to extend this partnership to other higher learning institutions. Discussions have already begun with Mulungushi and Copperbelt universities,” she said. In 2008, UNDP adopted a climate change policy, which presents new approaches for supporting efforts of developing countries and vulnerable groups to scale up mitigation and adaptation action and successfully meet the challenges of climate change and attain MDGs. Ms Morgan said climate change is directly linked to human activity and everyone should adopt a Chinese proverb: One generation plants a tree, the next generation gets the shade. She said the manner in which climate is dealt with today has a great bearing on future generations and human development. “Climate change has become more and more visible to all of us, with its impact affecting human development. The importance of this seminar cannot be overemphasised,” she said. Ms Morgan said it was important that the students found time to learn and share information dealing with climate change. Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources Climate Change Facilitation Unit technical coordinator Professor Prem Jain said in his presentation of the science of climate change that the earth is warming up.