Rethinking greening the earth on the road to COP28

Watmore Makokoba
Own Correspondent

THE United Nations Climate Change conference (COP28) set to be held in Dubai this year is one of the most critical convention that countries of the world cannot ignore, especially developing countries who are oftentimes on the receiving end from effects of climate change.
This conference also an opportunity to make a case for putting under control the drastic effects of global warming such spread of infectious diseases like dengue fever, frequent and stronger floods and droughts which have already brought more woes than anticipated to poor developing countries.
Besides calling for feasible actions to avert such problems, it is time to also advocate for nations to play a role, no matter how small towards reducing carbon emissions that cause global warming.
Some of these include, but not limited to, reducing more carbon emissions through shifting to cleaner renewable energy simply planting more trees
For countries like Zimbabwe, this is the opportune time to synchronize and fortify the recently rectified National Climate Change Policy, a key document that is expected to guide how the country will build resilience and cope with effects of climate change.
WeForest, an international environmental organisation which works with communities, local organisations and NGOs to develop scalable reforestation projects with the aim to reduce global warming, has challenged nations not only to focus on reducing emissions, but also to work towards drawing out carbon already in the atmosphere through planting more trees.
“The oceans have until now absorbed most of the extra carbon dioxide, however as oceans warm, their absorption capacity reduces. Seawater chemistry is also changing: over time the carbon in the oceans turns into carbonic acid, lowering pH levels and making the water more acidic, with consequences on corals for example,
The Organisation said during COP28, they will be calling for more pledges for companies to endorse the pledges towards reforestation.
“Healthy and growing forests are the best technology to remove the excess carbon from the atmosphere, therefore this week, at COP28 we will be calling for more pledges for companies to endorse this bold pledge”
The New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) endorsed by a few hundred organizations aims to halve the deforestation of natural forests globally and end it by 2030, restore 150 million hectares of degraded landscapes and forestlands with an additional 200 million hectares by 2030.
Surely, this is something that every nation, poor or rich can start to do.
One of the key objective of this conference is to give attention and retrospect progress in development of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) of governments, and how these can enhance the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and curbing climate change.
SDG number 7, in particular, which talks of promotion of “clean and affordable energy for all” will be on the spotlight as it provides an epitome for enhancing livelihoods and sustainable development in developing countries.
As the African Idiom goes: “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is now.”