Youth Groups Reject Foreign Climate Solutions Push

Chido Nyarawata, founder and director of Flames and Lele’s Climate Initiative

Rutendo Mazhindu - ZimNow Reporter

Youth climate justice organisations in Zimbabwe have criticised the growing push by developed countries to promote imported climate change solutions on the continent, arguing they are unsuitable, misleading, and deepen dependency.

Speaking during the Harare Solidarity Gathering held in the capital and co-hosted by Africa Climate Alliance, Sisonke Climate Justice, and Flames and Lele’s Climate Initiative, youth leaders called for the adoption of Afro centric strategies tailored to local realities.

“There is a rise in climate disinformation, especially from developed countries,” said Trustee Chikodzo, founder of *Sisonke Climate Justice*. “Solutions like LNG liquefied natural gas are being sold to us as clean alternatives, but LNG is still a fossil fuel.”

Chikodzo said the purpose of the gathering was to bring young people together to interrogate the current environmental narrative and counter foreign driven policies that do not benefit African communities.

“These strategies are marketed as transitions from coal and oil, but they end up benefiting Western countries,” he said. “We don’t even use the gas it’s exported, refined abroad, and returns to us as debt.”

He also warned against promoting unproven technologies like carbon capture, labelling them “false solutions” that distract from more practical and inclusive local approaches.

“There’s a lot of misinformation being spread, and Africans are left worse off,” said Chikodzo. “Young people need to be informed and alert to what’s happening.”

Chikodzo noted that many external interventions lack community consultation and overlook African social, economic, and environmental contexts.

Chido Nyarawata, founder and director of Flames and Lele’s Climate Initiative , said her organisation focuses on empowering adolescent girls and young women through climate education and community based action.

“At Flames and Lele’s, we equip young women with knowledge and tools to design solutions that are relevant to their communities,” she said. “This includes tree planting, climate workshops, and developing girl-focused disaster response strategies.”

She said the link between climate change and girls' access to education was a key focus area for their work.

“We’re creating safe spaces for girls to grow into climate leaders,” Nyarawata said. “Some of our past programme participants are now engaging in national dialogue on climate policy.”

The youth led gathering brought together participants from various parts of Zimbabwe to discuss misinformation, local resilience, and how to build African centred approaches to climate justice.

They said similar gatherings would be held in other regions to strengthen youth advocacy and grassroots action against climate change.