The Institute for Global Health and Development
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/9
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item Climate justice and the politics of extraction in Africa: the case of Zimbabwe(Taylor and Francis Group, 2025-04-23) Nyamwanza, Admire; Bhatasara, SandraThis practice note links climate justice with the politics of extraction in Africa, using the case of lithium mining in Zimbabwe. The note emanates from a critical review of how current activities in key sectors at the centre of extractive politics in Africa, particularly mining, expose political rhetoric in as far as the move to and benefits of green transition in Africa are concerned. As the global demand for minerals important in climate change mitigation like cobalt and lithium rises, it appears the extraction patterns from colonial times are continuing and local communities directly impacted by extraction of these minerals are not meaningfully benefiting. Concerns have been raised around poor safety standards, unsafe working conditions, unfair displacement measures, environmental damage, and low wages for the workers. The practice note advances recommendations for a just green transition particularly as it involves the mining sector and implications of mining activities in Africa.Item Sustainability: a missing dimension in climate change adaptation discourse in Africa?(Taylor and Francis Group, 2018-04-25) Bhatasara, Sandra; Nyamwanza, AdmireThe climate change adaptation field has evolved considerably in recent years. Important contributions have been made, with scholars developing methods for assessing vulnerability in different countries and communities, documenting broad strategies for adaptation and identifying opportunities for and barriers to adaptation as well as ways to enhance adaptive capacity. Issues of sustainability are, however, not readily argued and embraced. Predominantly, our analysis exposes that current adaptation discourse, particularly in Africa, offers a narrow conceptualisation of sustainability. The paper argues for a clear framework of sustainability in adaptation discourse which encompasses awareness to contextual aspects in responding to climate variability and change as well as resilience aspects. The paper also calls for an expansion of the knowledge base around the concept of ‘climate-smart agriculture’ towards effectively incorporating sustainability aspects in climate change adaptation discourse.Item Narratives of climate adaptation and linkages to psychosocial and nutritional health in a Zimbabwean rural community(Elsevier, 2025-02-04) Bhatasara, Sandra; Nwosu, Chijoke; Macheka, Lesley; Nyamwanza, AdmireIn the face of unprecedented climate change, adaptation has emerged as important for communities and nations to deal with the devastating effects of the phenomenon. It is inevitable that communities must adapt, although evidence in several regions, including Zimbabwe also point towards maladaptation. A plethora of studies have been developed to understand adaptation practices and processes, including the impacts of various adaptive strategies. However, this approach has been limited to particular fields such as livelihoods studies, with clear evidence in Zimbabwe that heath issues vis-à-vis adaptation outcomes have not been taken into consideration at policy, development and research levels. Our study is therefore breaking new research frontiers by exploring the nexus between adaptation strategies and psychosocial and nutritional health outcomes. As an important learning research process into a field where virtually no literature exists in the country, the results are both complex and intriguing. This qualitative study shows positive nutrition benefits such as improved dietary diversity and boost in self –esteem and, improved stress level over food availability as psychosocial health benefits.