Theme: A just energy transition: Unlocking community potential and participation

Introduction

The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), and Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) will co-host the 12th edition of the Zimbabwe Alternative Mining Indaba (ZAMI). ZAMI will take place from the 16th to the 20th of October 2023 in Bulawayo, running under the theme “A Just Energy Transition: Unlocking Community Potential and Participation.” The Indaba will provide a platform for dialogue amongst various stakeholders in the natural resources sector, including people from resource-rich areas like mining host communities, parliamentarians, representatives from government ministries, development partners, mining companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations, faith-based organizations, and other stakeholders, to deliberate on mining-related issues in Zimbabwe. Guided by the principle of inclusivity, ZAMI is dedicated to amplifying community voices, giving them an opportunity to effectively advocate for reforms and hold duty-bearers to account.

ZAMI is part of the initiatives of the Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI) platforms that have been facilitated by various organizations across the globe. At the local level, ZAMI is a build-up event from the Ward Alternative Mining Indabas, Constituency Alternative Indabas, District Alternative Mining Indabas (DAMIs), and Provincial Alternative Mining Indabas (PAMIs) held in different parts of the country. This year, ward-level alternative mining indabas (WAMIs) were held in Mutoko and Buhera; district-level AMIs (DAMIs) were conducted in Gwanda, Penhalonga, and Zvishavane; and provincial AMIs (PAMIs) were held in the Great Dyke Province.

Context

This 12th edition of ZAMI comes at a time when the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) obligations of mining companies are in the spotlight and the globe is advocating for a just transition in all facets of operations. A broad range of ESG issues, such as the impacts of mining on climate change, water use, labor rights, health, safety, and corporate governance, have become critical in the quest to ensure natural resource wealth delivers socio-economic justice and better outcomes for all. This conversation also comes at a point where global economics is addressing issues of energy transition in the various aspects of an economy. A just energy transition seeks to ensure that the substantial benefits of a green economy transition are shared widely while also supporting those who stand to lose economically, be they countries, regions, industries, communities, workers, or consumers. A just transition is an integral part of many of the global commitments adopted by countries, Zimbabwe included. Different definitions are used for the just transition, but a key feature is that no one is left behind when changes are made to energy and economic systems to mitigate climate change. That involves sharing the costs and benefits of the changes fairly, supporting workers with new jobs or retraining, and supporting communities through broader economic changes. Crucial to a just transition is preventing further societal fragmentation and inequality along wealth, race, age, and gender lines. [1]

A “just transition” is an integrated approach to sustainable development that brings together social progress, environmental protection, and economic success into a framework of democratic governance and institutional resilience. Effective “just transition” strategies require local, bottom-up engagement of all affected stakeholders and commitment by governments to guarantee their buy-in and provide planning security. [2] The lack of transparency and meaningful consultation, dialogue, and engagement contributes to greenwashing.

This year’s ZAMI edition seeks to probe discussions on just transition with a focus on the following areas:

Energy transition and critical minerals: Energy transition, as a strategy to mitigate climate change, has attracted considerable attention from both academics and policymakers; hence, there is a need to understand the transition, its governance, and its associated issues of justice. [3] The supply of critical minerals is a key enabler of the world’s path to net zero emissions. While Zimbabwe is one of the countries that has huge deposits of coal and lithium—a critical mineral—which are necessary for our energy supply now (coal) and in the future (lithium), there are considerable effects that are both positive and negative. The decarbonization process must start taking the people working to mine the coal and the metals into consideration. The threats they are encountering are too often overlooked. In addition to the above, it is without doubt that Zimbabwe faces an energy and power crisis, and the need to balance the transition from coal mining to clean energy needs to be carefully handled lest it create more challenges.

Extractives, Debt, and Inequality: Despite ranking highly in terms of mineral resource endowments, the level of social and economic development in Zimbabwe does not match the corresponding mineral resource endowments. Zimbabwe remains afflicted by entrenched debt, poverty, inequality, and deprivation, worse still in the mining host communities, which are not deriving any meaningful benefit from the resources extracted in their areas. Mining activities have repeatedly triggered a myriad of problems, such as livelihood shifts, displacements from ancestral land, and insidious social, economic, cultural, and environmental changes. Instead of realizing social and economic justice from mining activities in their areas, mining host communities are left with ecological debt, entrenched poverty, and inequalities in various forms. Mining host communities are facing the realities of the natural resource curse’ as there is no significant development outcome attached to the revenues that are generated from the vast resources. Most of these mining host communities are either not road-linked or have poor roads, a dire challenge, especially during the rainy season when people will have to cross full-flowing river streams. Access to schools, water, and health care remains problematic as communities, including young children and women, are walking unbearable distances.

Electrifying citizen participation in the just energy transition model The long history of plunder of resources in Zimbabwe increased the risk that Zimbabwe`s most sought-after ‘transition mineral resources’ may not free the majority of Zimbabweans from the pangs of growing poverty and inequality. More than ever, bolstering community demand for improved mineral resource governance—transparency, citizen participation, and accountability—has become critical to the achievement of transformative development outcomes from mining.

Mining contributes to economic growth; however, this comes at the cost of environmental degradation. A just transition in the mining sector must go beyond the focus on labor-related concerns and also consider the lives of people in the mineral host community at large. It is without a doubt that mining operations cause economic, social, and cultural disruptions in communities. Traditional cultures may have difficulty coping with vast industrial operations and the influx of outsiders. A growing appreciation of the intrinsic value of traditional cultures has heightened awareness of these issues. [4] All these trends have significantly changed the balance of costs and benefits at the community level and have contributed to a rethinking of mine-community relations. In addition to this, there is a need to consider the transition of mine closures as well and how the communities will be affected. History shows that when a mining transition is not well managed, the impacts on the environment, economy, and social fabric of former mining regions can be catastrophic. It is important for mining companies to make closure and post-closure plans together with local authorities, trade unions, and community members to manage the risks associated with closure. [5]

Service delivery is also affected by climate change, as is local governance in general. There is division among scholars on how best to approach a just transition, either top-down, bottom-up, or mid-way. This conceptual division in approach has also led to varying just-energy transition practices. However, what is now accepted is that a just transition must include grass-roots communities, and this places local authorities in a strategic and very instrumental position. It is critical to note that without a reliable energy supply, some of the critical services, such as health facilities, cannot function optimally. Waste management, water supply, and community services are other examples that could benefit from energy security. An example in Zimbabwe is how the Bulawayo City Council has had challenges supplying water to its residents due to drastic power cuts to some of its pumps. These are just examples of some services that are hampered by the absence of reliable energy sources.

Carbon credits are measurable, verifiable emission reductions from certified climate action projects. They are an important tool to facilitate an equitable and just energy transition for at-risk communities in emerging and frontier markets. Most importantly, carbon credits can help subsidize the cost of clean energy alternatives and make them more affordable for low-income households. Zimbabwe stands to benefit from opportunity. Additionally, projects that generate carbon credits in the developing world, if executed successfully, would typically be associated with co-benefits supporting the local community. For example, clean cooking stove projects are usually associated with upskilling and improving the cooking conditions of women, who take on the domestic role in many families in Zimbabwe. However, despite the significant potential that comes from carbon offsets, Africa remains marginalized in the global carbon market trade. [6] Zimbabwe has taken a bold step to deal with carbon credits within Zimbabwe through the National Carbon Credit Framework [7]. This is subsequent to the Glasgow COP26 negotiations at the summit in November 2021, which inked a deal encouraging the implementation of Article 6 of the 2015 Paris Agreement and allowing nations to work toward their climate targets by buying offset credits that represent emission reductions by other countries. The hope is that the agreement encourages governments to invest in initiatives and technology that protect forests and build renewable energy technology infrastructure to combat climate change. [8] There is a need to involve the communities in the decision-making process or in coming up with carbon credit agreements.

ESG and responsible sourcing Undoubtedly, the process of just transition brings with it transitional challenges for workers, communities, and countries as this shift takes place. To address this, businesses need to tackle the growing threat of climate change and incorporate the full range of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions of responsible investment. Investors can make an important contribution to achieving a just transition as stewards of assets, allocators of capital, and influential voices in public policy. For investors, the just transition provides the framework for connecting climate action with the need for an inclusive economy and sustainable development. [9] The integration of environmental, social, and governance dimensions in all decision-making is necessary to achieve a just transition. There is a need to strike a balance in focusing on both the environmental and social effects of the transition.

Laws and Policies It is conspicuous to map and have a discourse on just transition without the legal framework, which stands as the foundation of the transition itself. While it is appreciated that Zimbabwe has a national climate policy and a climate change response strategy, it is without a doubt that both documents need to be reviewed and reflect the current climate conversation, including carbon markets. Zimbabwe has done well to promulgate the Carbon Credits Regulations (albeit as a temporary legal instrument), but there is a need to have a Climate Change Act that is all-encompassing and explores in detail issues of just transition, as highlighted above. In the same conversation, there is a need to amend the Environmental Management Act to strengthen community voices in environmental impact assessments. There is a need for coherence among the laws in Zimbabwe, inclusive of mineral extraction laws, labor laws, and investment laws, among others.

Mining and Devolution: Mining communities are administered by lower levels of government and are thus affected by the devolution process. The devolution process acknowledges existing devolution structures, but there has been no commitment to support and establish more in mining communities, and no mechanisms for value addition and beneficiation exist to provide additional benefits to the communities, including labor. The implementation of devolution in natural resource management appears to be more of a rhetorical concept than a practical one. It is characterized by a significant level of persistent central government management, particularly by the executive branch, and regulation of natural resources, rather than an authentic delegation of authority to the local populace. In certain mining communities, the process of devolution has not yielded the desired outcomes of heightened public accountability, environmental sustainability, or the empowerment of impoverished and marginalized demographics. It is critical to develop a shared framework that takes into account people’s right to self-determination and local livelihood requirements, particularly in mining communities. Locals with strong political capital and organizational capacity produce better results because it empowers them to mobilize resources and negotiate for better conditions.

The overall objective of the ZAMI is to create a space for communities and citizens to engage with stakeholders—government, industry, and Parliament—on how natural resources can deliver sustainable national development that benefits all people at all levels. ZAMI facilitates an engaged Zimbabwean citizenry that uses its voice and agency to call for policy reforms, transparency, accountability, and responsible supply chains in the natural resources sector for the benefit of current and future generations.

The 2023 ZAMI through dialogue and capacity-building sessions will focus on a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with energy transition and the critical mineral rush, the environmental and social governance issues and responsible sourcing obligations of industry, as well as climate change and the emerging carbon credits discourse and the just energy transition justice for Africa’s mining communities.