Name: Aurelius Chishimba Nkonde
Position: Senior Climate Change Officer-Mitigation
Organization: Ministry of Green Economy and Environment in Zambia
My name is Aurelius Chishimba Nkonde and I am from Zambia
In my country, climate change manifests itself through increases in temperature and reduced rainfall in the last few decades, with temperatures estimated to increase at 0.6oC every ten years. The frequency of occurrence of extreme events (drought, seasonal floods and flash floods, extreme temperatures and dry spells) are increasing.
The decreased precipitations experienced in the past few years has resulted in reduced water levels in our major water bodies. This has led to the energy deficit and subsequent load shedding through rationing power usage as the country depends largely on the hydropower. In order to address the energy deficit, the Government has mobilized resources and increased expenditure to the energy sector. Other climate actions are through the broad areas of sustainable Forestry Management, Sustainable Agriculture and Renewable Energy and Energy efficiency.
When did you start working in climate action? What motivated you?
I started to work in the area of climate change in 2008 just after graduating from University where I pursued a Bsc degree in Forestry. My main motivation to work in the Climate action space was when I joined the Climate Change and Natural Resources Management Department in 2018 where I got to participate in the preparation of Zambia’s First Biennial Update Report and the fourth National Communication. And also the updating of our NDC was quite an exciting experience.
What will be your role at the COP26?
As the NDC and the Enhanced Transparency Framework are at the heart of the Paris Agreement, my role at COP26 is to be able to monitor progress against the BTR guidelines to better help my country prepare for the Global Assessment. And also follow on issues on Climate Finance and the Article 6 as the country prepares to participate in international market mechanisms.
What are your expectations for COP26? What outcomes would you consider important for a successful COP?
Outcomes include the adoption of the “Enhanced Transparency Framework” procedures and guidelines under the PA, common tables for reporting national inventory emissions data, and the guidelines for the Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) and the national inventory.
The outcomes considered important are long-term funds, capacity building and common tools needed to meet reporting obligations, as well as a training program for reviewers (auditors) of these “Biennial Transparency Reports”.
Further I expect this COP26 to finalize the Paris Agreement Rule Book and deliver on the new goal/target for climate financing commensurate with what science and the development needs of our country
Why is south-south cooperation important to you and your country?
South-South cooperation is important because it facilitates capacity building and technology transfer.