By Buhera Residents Network Trust
buheraresidentsnetwork@gmail.com

The evening session was to unpack the climate change management bill from the perspective of young people as presented by the young legal practitioner⁨Praise⁨ Mlambo.
The Lawyer Praise Mlamboa is a legal practitioner and a youth climate change advocate based in Bulawayo. She was honored to be breaking down the Climate bill .
The panelist Lawyer Praise Mlambo raised that Zimbabwe is facing numerous climate issues like droughts,extreme temperatures( we have all felt the heat waves) and flooding.

Issues in Zimbabwe’s climate change regulations include fragmented institutional responsibilities, gaps in greenhouse gas emissions ,management and funding constraints for climate initiatives. That is why we now see climate change management bill being pushed to become an Act. The bill aims to address these by consolidating climate governance, regulating emissions, establishing a carbon trading framework via the Zimbabwe Carbon Registry, and mobilizing resources through the National Climate Fund, aligning with constitutional environmental rights and global climate commitments.

In terms of the objectives, the Bill will strengthen our approach to climate change through key areas like adaptation, mitigation and resource mobilization, seeking to balance environmental protection with national development needs in a changing climate context which means we will see climate change being mainstreamed into national and subnational development initiatives.

The Bill seeks to:
1.make provision for institutional frameworks that supervise all activities that are related to climate change
2. establish long term goals of the implementation of mitigation and adaptation programmes.
3. make provisions for low Green House Gas emissions
4 foster compliance

The trending issue of carbon credit registry is one of the essential things youths are interested in so that they understand what are the accountability strategies that the Bill is setting to ensure transparency. The registry tracks and verifies carbon credits to ensure transparency, to ensure that every carbon project must be registered, that’s number one, then checks will be done to ensure credits are genuine.
Also there will be regular updates on projects and of course there will be a committee which will manage and monitor the process making sure if the projects are not breaching set guidelines, because for a project to be registered it must certifies a number of key requirements.

One attendee questioned whether the setting up of the carbon structure will ensure access to climate finance by young people in Zimbabwe?
The response was that,”Setting up a carbon structure I believe is a step in a right direction. However Iam not entirely convinced that it will automatically give access to climate finance. On one hand the regulations require projects proponents to invest a certain percentage of their proceeds in local communities where the project is located, which may benefit the youth,”.

: However, there’s still a lot to be desired in terms of awareness and capacity building for young people to fully participate in this market. Many young people may not have the necessary skills, knowledge, or resources to develop bankable projects or navigate the complex regulatory framework. Therefore, the government needs to prioritize youth-focused initiatives, training programs, and capacity-building projects to ensure that young people can tap into the benefits of carbon credit trading.
The governing aspects of carbon trading and the Zimcarbon registry will be appointed by the Minister responsible for Climate Change Management which will include government officials in the Ministry, private sector and Climate experts.

It is commendable that there is inclusion of vulnerable people in the Bill.The youth would like to see provisions that prioritize youth inclusion, capacity building, and benefit sharing in the carbon credit framework. This could include dedicated funds or quotas for youth-led projects, training programs to build knowledge and skills in carbon markets, and clear guidelines for fair benefit sharing with local communities.Morever in this approach to ensure that there is transparency.
Young persons,want the Bill to include provisions for youth participation in decision-making, capacity building in climate resilience, carbon markets and benefit sharing from carbon credits, climate education integration, green job creation and support for youth-led climate innovation and community projects, which means proceeds from carbon credits, a certain percentage must be put aside as youth climate finance
These are enshrined in the carbon trading regulations S. I 48 of 2025.
There is the registration of carbon projects, the issuance of carbon projects. Monitoring and reporting.
The implications of Zimbabwe’s Climate Bill as a developing country are multifaceted. While it may attract foreign investment and generate revenue, the informal sector’s ability to comply with regulations could be a tremendous challenge. The Bill promotes sustainable development and environmental protection, but its success depends on building local capacity and ensuring fair benefit sharing.

Since Zimbabwe is largely depending on Agriculture in (terms of tobacco ,wheat and maize& livestock) as it the backbone of the economy as well as mining which are the biggest greenhouse gasses emitters. There is need for safe transition into eco- friendly diversification
: One of the objectives of the Bill is compliance. You will note that in the 2nd schedule there are penalties for liability. Once the bill is enacted and becomes law, it’s enforcement will automatically be possible.
In terms of institutions, we have the Environmental Management Agency that will work using the whole government approach to enhance compliance.

In the bill section 38 speaks on incentives for climate change initiatives. The minister may grant incentives to entities that reduce emissions, adopt renewable energy. One may argue that this a form of encouragement to these entities as well as extractive industries. By doing so, Zimbabwe will be reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, protect its natural resources, and create new economic opportunities