NEW: “Zimbabwe proposed Climate Change Management Bill should also regulate the built environment”

Moses Magadza in MARONDERAZIMBABWE’S draft Climate Change Management Bill must only recognise and regulate the built environment, which is one of the country’s biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, the Green Building Council of Zimbabwe (GBC) has said.Presenting an analysis of the Bill before a joint parliamentary committee during a public hearing funded by Sweden through the SADC Parliamentary Forum in Marondera, Ms Clara Mapokotera, who heads the GBC Secretariat, said the proposed legislation was “structurally sound but under-specified”, especially when it comes to emissions linked to buildings and construction.While the Bill broadly covers mitigation and adaptation across sectors, she said, it does not explicitly mention buildings, yet they account for a significant share of national emissions.“The Bill is capable, but it never expressly names the built environment as a priority emissions sector.

Without clear legal hooks, Zimbabwe risks missing low-cost, high-impact mitigation opportunities in buildings, energy use and construction,” she said.Ms Mapokotera also said the Bill fails to directly target energy efficiency in buildings, building codes, carbon accounting and disclosure obligations.She warned that without specific provisions, climate obligations might remain “too general to enforce” and allow high-emitting building practices to continue unchecked.To remedy this, she suggested that Parliament must consider formally recognising the built environment as a major source of emissions in the Bill’s objectives; introducing definitions of “built environment” and “green building”; mandating energy and carbon performance standards for buildings; requiring Environmental Impact Assessments for buildings to include carbon assessments; compelling public institutions to disclose annual emissions from public buildings; empowering local authorities to introduce green building by-laws; and imposing annual reporting duties on large private property owners.Climate incentives that include tax allowances, concessional finance and rebates for green buildings and retrofits, she added, should also be considered.“Zimbabwe needs a recognised national body to develop standards, certify compliance and build capacity.

Every successful green transition has such an institution. The Bill must seat the Green Building Council in the statutory framework,” she said.Ms Mapokotera said recognising the building sector would align Zimbabwe with global climate finance trends.She noted that more than 30 percent of green funding on the continent now targets energy efficiency and climate-smart construction.Public hearings on the Climate Change Management Bill are continuing across the country.Leave a ReplyCancel reply

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