| Overview : Botswana has developed a draft Climate Change Response Policy which will be supported by a Strategy and Action Plan to operationalize the Policy. Climate change and climate variability already affect physical processes in Botswana, leading to changes in temperature, rainfall patterns, increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather events like droughts and floods. Furthermore, climate change is threatening a broad range of sectors, which include food production systems and therefore the livelihoods and food security of the Batswana. The country’s social and economic development objectives are at risk if climate change is not addressed. Botswana is a country of large geographical extent with different agro-ecological zones and different economic activities. These will be affected by climate change in different ways, while different economic sectors also have different contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. At the policy level, Botswana is committed to a sustainable development and resilient pathway, being signatory to global conventions such as the UNFCCC, CBD, Agenda 21 and others. Recently, Botswana has also been leading African initiatives on sustainability, such as the African Sustainability Summit of 2012, and has endorsed the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative. In its pursuit of national development, the country emphasizes economic diversification, broadening the base for its development and poverty reduction efforts. Attainment of these goals and aspirations depend, among other things, on the country’s ability to respond adequately to the challenge of climate change, which will involve a wide range of players and sectors in the country. Significant responses to climate change will be guided by a policy and action framework informed by climate change information, socio-economic and development trajectories, local experiences as well as existing policies, plans and institutional frameworks. In order to enhance investment that aims to reduce vulnerability and build the resilience of society and in line with the provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its implementing instrument – the Kyoto Protocol, the Government of Botswana is desirous of developing a Comprehensive National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (NCCSAP) to implement the Policy. The Government of Botswana represented by Department of Meteorological Services (DMS) with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is seeking for teams of consultants, firms or consortiums to undertake the task of developing the NCCSAP. |
