Why Zimbabwe wants its cities in the global carbon market
Zimbabwe says its urban areas could generate “high integrity” carbon credits for global buyers, to unlock revenue, low-carbon development and infrastructure improvements.
Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu said at a carbon trading workshop in that cities and towns have largely missed out, despite carbon trading being implemented in Zimbabwe for years.
“Whilst carbon trading has been under implementation in Zimbabwe over the past two decades, urban local authorities have largely not been participating owing to limited awareness and capacity,” she is quoted by the Herald Online.
Ndlovu said climate change impacts were worsening, making it urgent for government institutions to integrate climate action into planning and budgets. She cited the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), launched on November 27, 2025, which calls for mitigation and adaptation across sectors, including energy, transport, industry, waste, agriculture and disaster management.
“Our urban environs have vast potential to supply the global carbon market with high integrity carbon credits and in turn benefit us in terms of low carbon development, infrastructure improvement and enhanced revenue inflows,” she said.
She said potential projects include methane capture from engineered landfills to generate electricity, producing biochar from sewage for agriculture, and waste-to-energy initiatives.
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