Takeaways for Tanzania to intensify climate change mitigation

Dar es Salaam. The government stated on June 14, 2024 that the protection of water sources, forests and living things should be prioritised in order to strengthen the country's climate change mitigation efforts.

Deputy minister of State in the Vice President’s Office Khamis Hamza Khamis during the Climate Change Forum organised by Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL), themed "Journey to a Greener and Sustainable Future.

During his opening speech, Mr Khamis said that when discussing environmental issues, the Kenyan widely known environmentalist Wangari Maathai focused on three core points; water, forests, and living things.

“We should conserve water sources and therefore the environment by prohibiting human activities close to water sources. Every stakeholder should actively take part in the tree planting and councils should meet the target of planting 1.5 million annually and ensure planted trees progress well to maturity,” he said.

“We oversee the enforcement of the laws, policies, and guidelines and advertise the energy transition policy to clean energy. Solutions for environmental degradation should come from this forum,” he added.

 Furthermore, Mr Khamis said climate change mitigation requires collective measures among stakeholders including the government, civil society organisations, the private sector, colleges, and universities, noting that they are supposed to work together to realise the common and sustainable goal.

 He outlined some of the avenues that could be used for climate change mitigation including technological innovation, public education, and comprehensive formulation of policies.

"Some Tanzanians know only tree cutting could support their daily lives without understanding that climate change was a challenge nowadays as the use of firewood affects the environment and that every Tanzanian has the responsibility to find solutions," he said

Mr Khamis said the government has prepared different policies, laws, and strategies to curb the impacts of climate change, emphasising that stakeholder’s participation was paramount.

He said, currently, many rivers and lakes have started drying up due to increased human activities such as agriculture, adding that the government spends a lot of money to protect water sources.

Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) Managing Director Bakari Machumu highlighted two key initiatives undertaken by the company in support of the country’s climate change mitigation measures.

“In our endeavour to contribute sustainably to our country and the world, MCL has undergone internal structural changes through the establishment of the Department of Relations and Sustainable Development, which is tasked with overseeing production practices to minimise environmental impacts,” he said.

Traditionally, he said newspaper printing processes involve the use of plates requiring inks and substantial chemicals, noting however that MCL has transitioned to chemical-free plates to reduce the company’s environmental footprints.

Furthermore, he said MCL has collaborated with various stakeholders to make innovative environmental conservation efforts, including partnering with small and emerging companies to leverage the company’s network and reach a wider audience.

“One of our initiatives involves producing notebooks from unsold newspapers and developing pens wrapped in recycled newspaper material, which, when planted, can become trees,” he said.

Reported by Gadiosa Lamtey, Jacob Mosenda, Ramadhan Ismail and Emilie Authier