LocationsZambia’s Collaborative Model for the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) has Led to surpassing climate change mitigation and adaptation targets towards building resilience of communities amidst growing global uncertainties
All Hands on Deck: How Zambia’s Whole-of-Society Approach is Accelerating Climate Action
September 30, 2025
Zambia has surpassed its Paris Agreement climate targets five years early, cutting emissions through renewable energy, sustainable forestry, and climate-smart agriculture. By uniting government, communities, civil society, private sector, and partners like UNDP, Zambia’s whole-of-society approach is accelerating climate action, building resilience, and positioning the country as a global leader ahead of COP30.
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
While much of the continent and the globe at large wrestles with the implementation bottlenecks and shifting donor priorities, Zambia’s quiet, methodical approach to its climate commitments offers a rare example of collective action with measurable results. Impressively, the nation has surpassed Paris Agreement targets five years early by partnering with a broad cast of actors, from ministry policy makers, experts, international partners to rural women’s cooperatives and youth-led initiatives at the grassroot level. This process has shaped the sustainable development of the country for current and future generations.
Zambia’s initial Nationally Determined Contribute (NDC) set out to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 38,000 Gg CO2 equivalent by 2030. On its own and for the time, this goal was considered ambitious given the country’s rapidly evolving development needs and the fact that climate concerns were only becoming more urgent. Like other Least Developing Countries (LDCs), Zambia has faced intensifying droughts, erratic rainfall, and energy crises that have repeatedly tested national resilience and threatened to derail progress. Against this backdrop of mounting climate shocks and rising global expectations, Zambia’s early commitment stood out for its boldness and scope.
The achievements made thus far comes a full five years ahead of the Paris Agreement’s 2030 timeline, positioning Zambia as a true climate frontrunner. The national emissions reduction was driven by a diverse range of mitigation actions, leading to impressive results including:
- The deployment of renewable energy for industrial and domestic use accounted for a notable 27% of emission reductions through clean cooking, electric mobility and energy efficiency measures including like shifting from traditional incandescent bulbs to Light Emitting Diode (LED).
- 66% reduction in total emissions all thanks to efforts made to implement sustainable forest management, assisted natural regeneration, and community-led initiatives.
- Agriculture also made a significant 7% reduction to total emissions especially the reduction of methane from the livestock sector with investments in climate-smart farming and agroforestry programs.
Photo by: Preston Mwila/UNDP Zambia
This progress was only possible through a whole-of-society approach. While the Government of Zambia, through key Ministries like the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Agriculture deserves credit for steering the ship, shaping policy, convening partners, and wrangling scarce climate finance to fuel this accelerated progress, the engine for Zambia’s climate gains has been more diffused. In the Western Province, for example, the emergence of dozens of community forest management groups has meant 691,000 hectares now fall under local fire management, an outcome as much the result of grassroots stewardship as it is due to top-down direction. Civil society, too, has played its part, finding practical ways to link climate action to livelihoods: think mushroom farming, beekeeping, and small livestock management, reaching well over 200,000 people through the likes of the USAID Community Forests Program. Meanwhile, development partners such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have helped keep the process technical and transparent, leading on the climate stocktake and helping to scale up adaptation projects. Even the private sector has made a noticeable entrance, not least through large-scale solar investments like in Bangweulu and Ngonye which together now churn out more than 120,000 MWh of clean energy a year, marking a rare instance of successful public-private coordination in Zambia’s recent history. The impact has been real and felt throughout Zambia’s 10 provinces.
UNDP Zambia has played a key role in supporting Zambia’s climate ambition through providing financial and technical support, and directly engaging global partners interested in fanning the flames of this progress. Projects like the Strengthening Climate Resilience of Agricultural Livelihoods in Agro-Ecological Regions I and II in Zambia project – supported by the Green Climate Fund, and the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) have further driven emissions down through local actions at rural, urban and peri-urban level.
Additionally, in rural areas, electrification reduced household reliance on firewood and use of kerosene supporting cleaner air and economic growth. Conservation farming improved yields and food security, even in the face of severe droughts that have affected over a million hectares of maize fields.
On the heels of the National Adaptation Plans Expo held in August 2025 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Lusaka, Zambia’s adaptation efforts were spotlighted as a sterling example for emulation by countries across the global south, proving that her commitment to climate action extends to adaptation. Solar mini-grids and hydro-power projects are delivering power to off-grid communities. Climate-resilient roads and improved water infrastructure are strengthening regions vulnerable to extreme weather. Conservation agriculture and agroforestry are building resilience among smallholder farmers, ensuring that the fight against climate change is also a fight for development, equity, and opportunity.
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
Despite these impressive gains, Zambia’s climate journey is far from over. The country remains highly vulnerable to climate shocks exemplified by the 2024 drought, the resulting energy crisis, and erratic rainfall patterns which as are shown to be growing in frequency and severity (read more in the National Human Development Report), threatening food security and livelihoods. The 2024 drought was Zambia’s worst drought in decades, affecting 84 out of 116 districts and leaving over 20% of the population facing serious food insecurity. If anything, the last twelve months have been a stark reminder that climate ambition alone does not insulate a country from climate change reality.
Energy poverty also continues to persist, charcoal is the dominant household energy source in urban Zambia. Over 75% of peri-urban and urban households rely on charcoal for cooking, regardless of income level. At the national level, 49.3% of households gather firewood as their primary cooking energy source. Despite its relatively high cost in urban areas, charcoal remains a culturally preferred fuel due to its accessibility. This high demand drives rapid growth in charcoal production, particularly in rural areas, resulting in the over-exploitation of Zambia's biodiverse forests. Charcoal production is responsible for nearly 25% of deforestation and forest degradation, posing significant environmental threats (FAO Alternatives to Charcoal Project in Zambia, 2021).
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
While forestry and community management have delivered significant emissions reductions, rising demand for charcoal and pressures on natural resources remain. Financing gaps, limited access to technology, shrinking climate financing, and the need for greater private sector involvement are challenges that will require sustained effort, innovation, and international support.
Still, recent history suggests that such challenges need not be destiny. The nation’s ability to unite government, communities, civil society, and development partners has translated technical ambition into concrete results. The inclusive, evidence-based approach exemplified by the national NDC stocktake supported by UNDP, offers a model for countries everywhere. Progress in this space looks like incremental but tangible change: a household connected to solar power, a stretch of degraded forest brought back under community management, or a young person drawn into the business of adaptation. It may not be a silver bullet, but it is much needed movement in the right direction.
As the world looks ahead to COP30 in Brazil, the country is already developing an even more ambitious climate roadmap with a focus on deepening partnerships, mobilising climate finance, and expanding innovation to reach every Zambian, no matter how remote. With all hands are on deck, even the most daunting climate challenges can be resolved, and emissions reduction targets can be met and surpassed. As Zambia continues to lead, inspire, and innovate, the world will be watching its journey to reflect not only national priorities but also align with international climate goals, ensuring that the country continues to contribute meaningfully to global efforts to combat climate change, proving that whole-of-society climate action is the proven path to real and sustainable development.
Related
content
content
