This journal article seeks to demonstrate how implementing the actions identified in Zimbabwe’s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement can achieve both greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and key development aims. The authors argue that the work in Zimbabwe illustrates how methods to assess priorities for both climate mitigation and economic development can be integrated within climate change mitigation target-setting assessments.
In 2021, Zimbabwe updated its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, moving from seeking to achieve a 33% reduction in per capita energy-sector emissions towards a more ambitious aim to achieve a 40% reduction from all sectors (compared to 2030 baseline emission scenarios).
This research paper details how implementing the actions identified in Zimbabwe’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) can achieve two aims: meeting the country’s updated target for greater reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and bringing about benefits for the country’s economic development. The authors show that taking priority actions can bring about quantifiable development benefits, helping to increase biodiversity, improve public health, expand sustainable energy use, and provide greater energy security for the country.
The authors model Zimbabwe’s greenhouse gas emissions both historically and in 2030, and examine the impacts of a set of 28 mitigation measures. They show that implementing these measures could achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, and could contribute to achieving selected Sustainable Development Goal targets.
The authors argue that more widespread adoption of similar, prospective, quantitative assessments of development benefits from climate change mitigation actions could provide further motivation for more ambitious climate change action. – SEI