Malawi Position to COP 22

in Marrakesh, Morocco
C

finance in key investment areas

on climate change management.
Government has embarked on a
process to develop a Climate Change
Management Act.

limate change effects have

been exacerbated over the
past years by emission of
green house gases coupled with poor
environment management. This has
led to among other things increased
warming, floods and unpredictable
weather patterns leading to loss of
life and property in some cases.

Challenges experienced
The country has met a number of
challenges in addressing climate
change. The key ones have been lack
of a national policy on management of
climate change (but now Government
has approved a National Climate
Change
Management
Policy);
inadequate
financing;
reliance
on funding from development
partners; uncoordinated formulation,
implementation and monitoring of
the response actions; and inadequate
capacity and skills in climate change
management.

Last
year
Malawi
attended
Conference of Parties (COP 21) in
Paris, France. To date, the country
has signed the Paris Agreement and
is yet to ratify it.
On 20th October, 2016 the Civil
Society Network on Climate Change
(CISONECC) in conjunction with
the Ministry of Natural Resources,
Energy and Mining conducted a
stakeholders dialogue meeting in
Lilongwe ahead of COP 22 to be
held in Marrakesh, Morocco. The
gathering also provided the platform
for domestication of the Paris
Agreement adopted at COP 21.
The meeting was designed to
provide a platform for stakeholders
to dialogue on the countrys
preferred position and also input
into the process of domesticating
the Paris Agreement. The workshop
was presided over by the Director of
Environmental Affairs Department
Taonga Mbale Luka.

Paris Agreement

Tawonga Mbale Luka: Director of Environmental Affairs

Julius Ngoma: CISONECC National Coordinator

Currently, the Paris Agreement

has 180 signatories. Of the 180
signatories, 28 have deposited their
instrument of ratification. The Paris
Agreement will enter into force
30 days after at least 55 countries,
accounting for 55 per cent of global
greenhouse gas emissions.

Below is the abridged version of the

Malawi position as presented at the
stakeholders consultative meeting in
Lilongwe:

Malawi position

Malawis current and future

vulnerability to climate change
Malawi faces a number of hazards,
both natural and human-made, which
include floods, drought, stormy rains,
strong winds, hailstorms, landslides,
earthquakes, pest infestations, and
diseases outbreaks. The intensity,
duration and frequency of the
disasters have been increasing. Some
of the disasters have manifested
themselves as a result of climate
change. In 2015, more than one
million people were affected by
floods. The disaster recovery and
reconstruction cost for the affected
sectors was estimated at US$335
million (equivalent to approximately
5.0 percent of GDP) and US$494
million
respectively.
Country
Vulnerability and Assessments studies
conducted at Bvumbwe (Thyolo),
Lunyangwa (Mzuzu), Makoka (Zomba)
and Ngabu (Chikwawa) research
stations for the First and Second
National Communications (2003,
2011) suggest that in future, a greater
part of the country will experience a
reduction in rainfall, and conversely,
most areas will experience an
increase in temperatures. These are
climate change projections for the
period 2010 - 2075 (GoM).
Rainfall projection: The general
trend is that both mean monthly
and annual rainfall will decrease
with time. The highest percentage
decrease is predicted for the year
2020. The highest percentage rise is
for the year 2075.
Temperature
projection: Mean
growing-season temperatures show
increases throughout the country
from its baseline values (21.7-26.50
C), most markedly around Ngabu
(22.5-24.70 C) and Bvumbwe (24.6-

The Agreements central aim is to

strengthen the global response to the
threat of climate change by keeping
a global temperature rise this well
below two degrees Celsius above
pre-industrial levels and to pursue
efforts to limit temperature increase
even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Participants that attended the meeting at Capital Hotel in Lilongwe

low income.

26.50 C) between the period 2010

and 2075. The variability of mean
temperature increases over most of
Malawi by up to 2.70 C by 2075.

Human health increased

incidences of water-borne
diseases,
presence
of
mosquitoes in previously cool
areas.

Gender women, youth and

the disadvantaged affected in
terms of water and firewood
collection.

Sectors affected

Crops - low production and

productivity, low crop yields.

Livestock low meat and milk

production, animal health
affected due to diseases and
pests, forage for grazing.

Energy low hydro power

generated, increased use of
biomass as source of energy.

Forestry and land use low

biomass produced from trees,
increased bush fires, change
of species composition, loss of
biodiversity.

Water resources low water

levels in lakes and rivers, low
hydro
power
generation,
water transportation affected,
insufficient water for irrigation.

Wildlife - habitats affected,

animals compete with humans
for food and water, migration
of animal species.

Fisheries low fish catches,

Socio-economic cost

Using the result from economic

models, if Malawi does not act now,
the direct overall costs due to climate
change will be equivalent to losing at
least 5% of the GDP each year. On
average, USD 12.5 million or 1%
of the GDP, and USD9 million or
0.7% of the GDP is the annual cost
of addressing droughts and floods
respectively. Taken together, the
direct cost of droughts and floods is
about 1.7% of Malawis GDP every
year.
The consequent food shortages elicit
demand for resource reallocation
for food security response at the
expense of other productive sectors.
The prices of other food stuffs
will also increase fuelling inflation
with knock on effects on interest

rates, macroeconomic outlook, and

distorting the business environment.
Climate shocks indirectly affect
other economic sectors and nonfarm households through price
and production linkages. In 2015,
the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
growth was revised from a projected
5.1% to 3.1% on account of floods.
Malawi Vision on Climate Change
Malawis
long-term
goal
for
climate change management is the
reduction in the socio-economic
impact of adverse effects of
climatic change. The medium term
outcome is improved community
resilience to climate change through
the development of sustainable
livelihoods and reduced emissions of
Green House Gases.
Policy framework
Malawi has developed a National
Climate Change Management Policy,
to guide coordination, planning,
formulation,
implementation,
monitoring, reporting and evaluation
and financing of climate actions in
the country. In addition, Government
has developed a National Climate
Change Investment Plan, a tool for
mobilizing and disbursing climate

Parties
should
honour
commitments and obligations
contained
in
the
Paris
Agreement
regarding
nationally
determined
contributions,
mitigation,
adaptation, and the provision
of climate finance, technology
and capacity building as a
means of implementation.

Parties should honour and

respect differentiation in terms
of fulfilling their commitments/
contributions/actions.

Developed country Parties

should
provide
adequate
support
to
developing
countries to enable them
fully and effectively fulfill their
obligations.

Global stock take Malawi

supports the need to conduct
a global stock take in order
to assess the collective efforts
towards meeting the 1.5
degrees Celsius ambition,
and that the stock take will be
informed by science.

Transparency it is important
to demonstrate transparency
for both action and the support
provided.

Adaptation
Adaptation is a priority for Malawi.
Adaptation is a set of actions
and policies designed to help
communities prepare for and respond
to unavoidable climate impacts.
Adaptation to the adverse effects
of climate change is vital in order to
respond to the impacts of climate
change that are already happening,
while at the same time prepare for
future impacts.

In solidarity for a climate resilient Malawi