Home Environment Zimbabwe At An Advantage To Create More ‘Green Jobs’

Zimbabwe At An Advantage To Create More ‘Green Jobs’

by Bustop TV News

By Jermaine Ndlovu

With the whole world economy pushing for the green revolution, prioritizing climate change as a non-negotiable issue to tackle, Zimbabwe has been urged to take advantage of its climate to create a sustainable green economy.

Zimbabwe’s climate which receives relative sunlight annually and a short cool season during May and September is at an advantage to come up with a proper solar powered industry and households.

Zimbabweans have been subjected to long nights of darkness after the local energy supplier has failed to serve the nation and the country is indebted to other countries for energy source.

In 2020, the United Kingdom government set out its Ten-Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. This pushy document outlines support for the low carbon sector via the creation of 250,000 new green jobs and via direct industry investment.

It’s anticipated that the bulk of the earmarked funding will go towards electrical vehicle manufacture, construction and installation of offshore wind farms around the coast, and the retrofitting of homes across the country.

As part of the Ten-Point Plan, the government also announced the creation of the Green Jobs Taskforce. This new body is responsible for identifying and directing action around the job market as the country and the whole world transition to a high-skill, low carbon economy.

With the high unemployment rate in Zimbabwe and a struggling economy and industry that is backed by a crippled energy system, Zimbabwe by now should have adopted the use of solar energy and other forms of renewable sources.

Youths in Zimbabwe have been urged to adopt the green economy and create more green energy to curb the high unemployment rate in the country.

Elizabeth Gulugulu Machache of African Youth Initiative on Climate Change Zim (AYICC) said there are opportunities of generating income through green jobs that come with the shift to the use of renewable energy and recycling waste.

“Citizens should be encouraged to keep the environment clean and safe from degradation. There is a lot of contamination and pollution happening from air, water and land. In that fight against pollution we should note that there is an opportunity to make money in that sector through recycling.

In other countries young people are generating income through recycling, in Zimbabwe we do have people doing that but if we compare the youth population in the country which constitutes a greater share but it’s a few who are taking up these opportunities,” she said.

She went on to say that information on green jobs has not been well communicated locally.

“Youths should not cry about jobs when there are such opportunities to recycle waste for a living, young people can recycle paper, glass and bottles.

What I feel is lacking is the dissemination of information about green jobs and the green industry in our country. Green jobs are jobs that are not contributing to environmental degradation and in line with Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement,” she said.

Machache added that due to the sunlight, Zimbabwe was at an advantage of creating a safe green industry.

“Zimbabwe has an advantage due to our climate, we are ready for the use of renewable energy. What’s needed is to invest in solar energy projects. The green industry comes in with safe, cheap and clean energy sources. The adoption of green energy means the closure of the air and land polluting coal mining firms and shift to a clean green engineering sector.

“This will bring about solar panel skills development centers, green entrepreneurship, and solar panel sales.

“Women who are always left out of the energy circle and regarded as the end-users of energy for instance; using firewood, will also be included in the matrix, this source of clean energy is inclusive of females, males, and children. These are sustainable green jobs in a green industry,” she said. 

‘This article was produced with the financial support of WAN-IFRA Media Freedom. Its contents are the sole responsibility of <BustopTV> and do not necessarily reflect the views of the WAN-IFRA Media Freedom,WAN-IFRA FR, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.’

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