Botswana is a negligible emitter of GHG and therefore contributed minimally to the changing climate. However, it is disproportionately afflicted – and is already suffering average temperatures that are twice as high as global averages. Botswana targets to reduce its emissions by 15% by 2030 relative to 2010 as base year with focus on energy and transport sectors. Under adaptation Botswana priorities cover agriculture, water and health but with target to achieve economy wide resilience. These NDC priorities are anchored at high level policy through the climate change policy and institutional framework to make them a key development priority for the country.

The climate change conference titled 3^rd International Research Conference themed: Climate Change & The Built Environment, which was hosted by the Faculty of Built Environment, Arts and Science at BA ISAGO University in Gaborone, Botswana provides a timely moment to seize unfolding opportunities in combating the changing climate challenges.

The conference touched on profitability maximisation in the built environment sector which will not only succeed optimally by increasing prices of products & services, but rather by better cost management, while enhancing quality and effectiveness of solutions with the focus being on going green as a better pathway to take. Ecosystems-Based Adaptation techniques – like planting mangroves to break storm water energy - over traditional hard infrastructure like storm culverts, is not only more effective, but cheaper. The aspect of policy harmonization was also discussed with emphasis on driving such enterprise actions, calls for a break from policy silos. Policies in the agriculture sector to be synchronise with clean energy to ensure adequate incentives for decentralising clean power for value addition. It also needs to synchronise with transport to ensure roads investments prioritise networks linking produce to markets and collection points. Just as an example, while 80% of food in Africa is produced in rural areas, less than 50% have access to paved roads. This means that under heavy rains, whose intensity will worsen under the changing climate, produce cannot be linked to markets, leading to losses. Roads development policies must take this into account to unlock inclusive wealth that will drive demand for better housing and create sustainable markets for the built environment sector in Botswana and Africa as a whole.

Skills retooling was also addressed and the need to implement it to achieve climate action. While discussions to accelerate Africa’s, transformation have traditionally dwelt on material, the real focus should be on building a skilled people – and especially the youth. And this should be tagged at unlocking enterprise opportunities in Africa’s areas of comparative advantage. The primary motivation must be solutions development – not self-fulfilment. This is the essence of Innovative Volunteerism a new development model where structured guidance is provided to the youth to invest in retooling their skills for climate action enterprises. The initiative is supported by EBAFOSA which is an ecosystem-based assembly that is facilitated by UNEP and endorsed by more than 40 African countries to spearhead sustainable development in the agro sector through the most natural and sustainable pathways to help preserve the environment.

As climate change affects key impacts in agriculture, water etc., this make climate vulnerability a socioeconomic threat where it erodes the resource base of key economic sectors the country needs for accelerating growth. For Botswana to ensure climate action accelerates socioeconomic development; climate action in meeting Botswana’s commitments needs to align with trajectories that accelerate realization of socioeconomic aims. 

Botswana’s mitigation aims need to be aligned to complement adaptation and resilience building efforts by powering adaptation. Specifically, efforts to enhance clean energy in the country’s energy mix, which is a mitigation measure, needs to align with powering value added actions in its agro-value chains that prioritize use of nature-based ecosystems enhancing approaches. These are approaches like agro-forestry that will enhance pollinators, improve ground water recharge, improve soil fertility etc. Decentralizing clean energy to power value addition in farms that use such nature approaches like agro-forestry will enhance incomes and incentivize further use of these approaches that are key to improving ecosystems and services like fertile soils, pollinators, water etc., key to enhancing biophysical resilience.To ensure longevity in the above calls for market incentives. Where these measures are integrated into national standards in Botswana to ensure uptake by enterprises. Resilient approaches key to driving both NDC commitments and socioeconomic priorities can be scaled up from a market approach that ensures longevity. UNEP is already supporting establishment of such market incentives across Africa with successes in Uganda and Nigeria.  

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