The negative transmission from climate crisis is instant and encompassing, thus requiring a broader template and response.
It is no longer water for agriculture only; it is now water for power generation, which means water for all sectors.
We have seen many leading economies reneging on global commitments to ending thermal power. This should teach us a lesson; we cannot be sentimental about coal while our industries die from power shortages, and when no support to clean energy transition is coming from those most to blame for destroying the global climate. We have abundant coal; it must be harnessed to meet our energy needs.
A broader national response to the ensuing energy crisis means all hands on the deck, including the private sector.
The Government and the private sector must now begin a conversation on what, together, we need to do to step up investments in renewables. We have enough sunshine; we have enough land for solar farms. We must now move together, in concert, so we step up investments in energy. We now all know and appreciate the costs that come with power shortages.
We have a blueprint which targets households to run on solar, so we remove them from the national grid. In Government, we are already incorporating solar systems in packages which public servants enjoy. Such employer-assisted interventions, across the sectors, will see us speedily migrating more households to solar.
I, thus, call upon both public and private sectors to take this on board as a condition of service. Where an employer does that, some kind of carbon credit must redound to him by way of tax rebates. This, surely, can be worked out by our fiscal authorities. After all, this is far cheaper than importing more power, including for use by households.
The Guruve-Muzarabani oil and gas project could not have come at a better time. Nor can it progress fast enough for our economy. We need it in our overall energy matrix. Of course, I know this is a complex investigation and operation; still it does not stop me from wishing all those involved God’s speed!
Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo. No problem is beyond solution where there is strong national resolve. We will overcome the temporary energy challenge we currently face.
By President Emmerson Mnangagwa for the Sunday Mail
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