10 Mar 2025

Botswana has partnered with Global Centre for Climate Mobility (GCCM), under the Africa Climate Mobility Initiative (ACMI), to develop and implement a project aimed at building knowledge and supporting the development of a policy blueprint to anticipate and plan for climate mobility in the country.
The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi disclosed this during a high-level breakfast meeting with government agencies and Members of Parliament, as part of the stakeholder consultations phase of the process.
Through this project, Mr Mmolotsi said the two parties sought to identify prospective climate mobility hotspots and dynamics in the country by leveraging the ACMI modelling projections and complementing them with national and local data and knowledge.
He said the high-level consultative meeting with government agencies, and MPs also formed part of the stakeholder consultations phase of the Botswana Climate Mobility Deep Dive consultation process, which aimed to discuss how the anticipation of climate mobility could support adaptation and climate resilient development by promoting a focus move, through vulnerable communities that require support and the most promising poles of investment, where a future demographic growth could fuel economic activity.
Mr Mmolotsi said the aim of the consultations, was to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities that climate mobility presented for Botswana and ensure alignment between climate mobility deep-dive and its forthcoming blueprint for action in Botswana’s climate Action priorities.
He sated that the consultations would also identify possible avenues for cooperation  to advance policy and thematic interventions for addressing climate risks and promoting climate resilient development in Botswana.
Conservation Parliamentary Caucus, as well as the Gaborone City leadership,” he added.
Minister Mmolotsi expressed concern that climate change posed several environmental challenges, ranging from human security, water scarcity, food shortage, land degradation, bio-diversity loss and health concerns.
“In essence, climate change presents complex adaptation challenges to eco-systems, people and industries,” he said.
He said given its arid to semi-arid nature, Botswana was vulnerable to the impact of climate change, affecting critical sectors, including agriculture, tourism and mining.
“Climate events, such as droughts, flood, extreme heat, storms and wild fires are particularly disruptive for the country’s wildlife and residents relying on arable and livestock farming for survival,” he pointed out.
Global Centre for Climate Mobility deputy managing director, Ms Sarah Rosengaertner said climate change was reshaping human mobility and impacting the livelihoods in the country. For that reason, Ms Rosengaertner said it was important to look into existing policies and see how best to improve the policies to mitigate the climate change challenges.
She said through the partnership, she said Global Centre for Climate Mobility was a global partnership to address climate-forced migration and displacement in the world’s most climate vulnerable regions. She explained that since its launch in 2021, the ACMI supported the African continent in addressing climate-forced displacement and migration, whilst harnessing climate mobility to advance its development agenda and further its economic and political integration.For his part, Parliamentary Committee on Wildlife, Tourism, Natural Resources and Climate Change chairperson, Mr Gabatsholwe Disho also shared the same sentiments that Botswana was extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which caused loss and damage, as well as affecting people’s lives, and critical sectors of our economy,”
“The recent flood, which displaced people, destroyed property and critical infrastructures is another reminder of the urgent need to take climate change seriously,”
To address this, he said Parliament was committed to developing and implementing laws that would help the country to meaningfully adapt to the climate crisis and mitigate its impact on communities.
He said Parliament was committed to ensuring businesses and critical sectors complied with the already existing laws, while also enabling and supporting efforts towards greener operations.
“We are aware that we need to fill major gaps on our policies and laws to advance our climate adaptation and development priorities and understand the urgency we need to invest in green initiatives and sustainable infrastructures that could help communities withstand the impact of climate change,” he stated.
Mr Disho expressed delight for the partnership, saying it would help Botswana in its national adaptation plan and the ability to anticipate and plan for climate mobility, which he said was delayed by insufficient data and lack of comprehensive policy to guide actions to be taken. ENDS