Zambia’s relentless quest for climate insulation as amplified by its US$10.1 million-National Green Growth Strategy (NGGS) has been hyped to another level with the country courting global experts to strategise joint and permanent solutions to the climate impasse.

Under the 2024-2030 strategy application period, Zambia has mooted a state of the art model seeking to transitioning to a low-carbon, climate-resilient, and socially inclusive economy.

The blueprint envisioning to create 4 million green jobs by 2040-while ensuring drastic reduction emission of Green House Gases (GHGs), focuses on among other areas of interest, agriculture, energy, and water.

The strategy seeks to boost GDP by the end of the decade and forms part of the country’s growth agenda-the 8th National Development Plan.

Zambia, one of the interested parties-as signed under the Paris Agreement-ensuring the country and the planet being devoid of climatic effects is mooting a cross cutting strategy to heave off climate change impact through a proposed US$20 million funding-with help from donors.

An indaba-dubbed: the 8th Eighth Board Meeting of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, is on the drawing board, set for planning on how to counter climate change effect in Zambia, Africa and beyond on a shared value basis as part of the global climate governance.

The meeting, planned for April 22-24 to be hosted in the Zambian tourism capital, Livingstone and making the Southern African state-the first on the continent, has been selected to host a Board meeting of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage and is expected to host reputed climate experts.

Arguably, Zambia’s selection was based on merit-adduced from its sustained fight against climate related impacts as envision in various anti-climate strategies.

This gesture-reflects growing international confidence in the country’s capacity to host major global engagements and contribute meaningfully to climate action.

The event, analysts say provides a change for Zambia to showcase its leadership, hospitality, and commitment to global climate action, while amplifying Africa’s call for accessible and adequate climate financing, which has eluded Africa despite the continent emitting paltry 4 percent of the total GHGs emitted globally.

Minister of Green Economy and Enviroment-Mike Mposha-through his permanent Secretary, Dr. Douty Chibamba commended the financiers for the climatic related actions for helping countries, faced with traumatic climatic effects-Zambia included.

The funds if accessed, will help Zambia and other Least Developed Countries, sustain its fight against climate change-chiefly responding to the long envisaged Loss and Damage.

Dr. Chibamba noting Zambia’s vulnerability to among other climate induced effects- droughts, floods, and extreme weather conditions that have impacted livelihoods, food security, and the national economy reiterated the country’s preparedness to withstand the impact with and if the US$20 million is secured.

Zambia extended its appreciation to the donor community, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and GIZ, among other key partners for their unwavering support in climate-related initiatives.

The authorities in Zambia have since constituted a multi-sectoral local organising committee to coordinate preparations and ensure the successful hosting of the meeting.

United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres had in 2024 during the COP 29 in Baku (November called for immediate increase contributions to the Loss and Damage Fund.

He poured scorn on the meagre contributions from the developed countries towards climate mitigation, describing it, capitalisation “inadequate” and a “pitiful” US$700 million compared to the destruction caused by climate change.

He called for Financial Justice, retorting that that the $700 million extended was, comparable to top footballers’ earnings, stating the gesture was “pitiful”-failing to address the damage faced by vulnerable nations.

He challenged polluters-The US, Japan, India and Russia, among others to pay for the unabated pollution of the environment, which has in turn affected wet lands among others.

He demanded that “polluters must pay” and urged developed nations to “write cheques to match” the actual scale of climate destruction.

He argued that a voluntary aid is insufficient, and instead suggested for innovative solutions. He suggested levies on shipping, aviation sectors, and fossil fuels. He demanded, a fair price on carbon, and increased lending capacity for multilateral development banks.

Guterres asserted that financing loss and damage is a necessity in the face of accelerating disasters, urging a shift from rhetoric to action.

Climate experts project that Africa needs more than is being extended, overall to fight climate change to meet needs of various affected countries suffering from induced GHGs. Recent research show that the continent requires between US$ 290 billion to US$ 440 billion in expenditure to cover this decade.

The funding-widely utilized and accounted for will help address climate-related loss and damage. Annual costs are potentially expected to swell in hundreds ds of billions.

Despite contributing minimally to global emissions, the continent faces severe climate shocks, with economic damages from climate-related disasters causing losses exceeding $8.5 billion in 2022 alone, according to Zero Carbon Analytics and ECDPM.