Namibia needs N$202bn to meet climate goals

The country will need N$202 billion in international financing to meet its climate goals.

Speaking at the launch of Namibia’s third nationally determined contribution (NDC 3.0) under the Paris Agreement on Friday, minister of environment, forestry and tourism Indileni Daniel said the country requires US$14.07 billion (N$230 billion) to implement its climate action plan.

NDCs are self-defined five-year action plans to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adopted by countries that signed on to the Paris Agreement.

“Ambition has a price. The estimated investment required to implement NDC 3.0 is approximately US$14.07 billion.

Approximately 88% [of that] is conditional upon international climate finance, technology transfer and capacity-building support,” Daniel said.

The plan includes actions to mitigate climate change, including in the energy and agriculture sectors, as well as actions to adapt to climate change.
“Conditional does not mean optional.

It means Namibia has identified what more can be achieved when international support matches our national ambition.

Our task now is, therefore, to move beyond talking about climate finance to mobilising climate finance,” Daniel said.

In total, the government is committing to 226 actions that will help Namibia remain a net carbon sink, as well as adapt to changing environmental conditions.

According to Daniel, these climate actions are also intended to promote development.

The action plan includes support for renewable energy, green hydrogen, energy efficiency and low-carbon industrialisation.

“Our people will not judge our climate action by the number of documents we launch.

They will judge it by whether there is water when drought comes, food security when rainfall fails, resilient infrastructure when disasters strike, reliable energy, productive land, protected ecosystems, decent jobs and opportunities for our young people,” Daniel said.

United Nations Development Programme representative Amanda Serumaga said at Friday’s launch that Namibia must take financing the NDC 3.0 seriously.

“And for the government, the NDC must speak directly to the national budget in the upcoming years.

Climate priorities that are not reflected in public expenditure and investment decisions will remain aspirations rather than implementation,” Serumaga said.

Each investment in climate change mitigation and adaptation must serve a dual purpose of supporting Namibian development, she said.
“NDC 3.0 is, therefore, more than a climate document.

It is an investment framework for Namibia’s future,” she said.

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