2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires— Interpretation “adaptation” means a response to global warming or an adjustment to actual or expected climate change and the impacts of climate change; “adaptive capacity” means the ability of systems, institutions, human beings or other organisms to adjust to potential damage, take advantage of opportunities or respond to any other consequence of climate change; 284 No. 18 of 2024] Green Economy and Climate Change “additionality” means the effects of a project activity to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions below the level that would have occurred in the absence of the project activity; “appropriate authority” means the Minister responsible for, or a public body, entity or person having, climate change duties or related activities, and includes a public or statutory office, body or institution under the following: Act No. 14 of 2015 Act No. 28 of 1997 Act No. 12 of 2011 Act No. 5 of 2016 Act No. 12 of 2002 Act No. 11 of 2002 Cap. 321 Cap. 322 Cap. 323 Cap. 173 Cap. 184 Cap. 185 Act No. 14 of 2024 Act No. 22 of 2011 Act No. 4 of 2015 Act No. 21 of 2011 Act No. 10 of 2007 Cap. 466 Cap. 295 Act No. 4 of 2017 Act No. 2 of 2019 Act No. 13 of 2010 (a) the Zambia Wildlife Act, 2015; (b) the Water Supply and Sanitation Act, 1997; (c) the Environmental Management Act, 2011; (d) the Civil Aviation Act, 2016; (e) the Public Roads Act, 2002; (f) the Road Traffic Act, 2002; (g) the Zambia Revenue Authority Act; (h) the Customs and Excise Act; (i) (j) the Income Tax Act; the National Heritage Conservation Commission Act; (k) the Lands Act; (l) the Lands and Deeds Registry Act; (m) the Minerals Regulation Commission Act, 2024; (n) the Fisheries Act, 2011; (o) the Forests Act, 2015; (p) the Water Resources Management Act, 2011; (q) the Biosafety Act, 2007; (r) (s) (t) the Inland Waters Shipping Act; the Public Health Act; the Standards Act, 2017; (u) the Local Government Act, 2019; (v) the Disaster Management Act, 2010; Green Economy and Climate Change [No. 18 of 2024 285 Act No. 9 of 2006 Act No. 17 of 2022 Act No. 18 of 2023 Act No. 13 of 2015 Act No. 12 of 2019 Act No. 20 of 2018 Act No. 16 of 2005 Cap. 188 Act No. 3 of 2015 Act No. 22 of 2015 Cap. 187 Cap. 195 Act No. 27 of 2010 Act No. 3 of 2012 (w) the Citizens Economic Empowerment Act, 2006; (x) (y) (z) the Zambia Development Agency Act, 2022; the Public-Private Partnership Act, 2023; the Tourism and Hospitality Act, 2015; (aa) the Energy Regulation Act, 2019; (bb) the Solid Waste Regulation and Management Act, 2018; (cc) the Ionising Radiation Protection Act, 2005; (dd) the Land Survey Act; (ee) the Urban and Regional Planning Act, 2015; (ff) the Gender Equity and Equality Act, 2015; (gg) the Agricultural Lands Act; (hh) the National Housing Authority Act; (ii) the Animal Health Act, 2010; and (kk) any other law related to climate change; “associate” has the meaning assigned to the word in the Anti- Corruption Act, 2012; “authorised officer” means the Director, a climate change officer or a public officer designated as an authorised officer under section 5; “beneficiaries” means persons or a community that is involved in, or is affected by, a project approved under this Act; “carbon” means the equivalent of greenhouse gases arising from a process or activity that emits a greenhouse gas, an aerosol or a precursor of a greenhouse gas into the atmosphere; “carbon credits” means the saleable verified emissions reduction or removal credit, or any other carbon mitigation measure recognised under the standards of the international carbon market regimes which is equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide or its equivalent which can be counted towards an individual’s, organisation’s, a company’s or country’s greenhouse gas mitigation target; “carbon market” means a system through, or platform on, which units of carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gases are traded to meet emission reduction targets; 286 No. 18 of 2024] Green Economy and Climate Change “carbon verification” means the process of evaluating calculations of the actual amount of greenhouse gas emissions that have been avoided or sequestered through the implementation of a project; “certificate of authorisation” means a certificate issued under section 24, authorising a person to trade in carbon credits; “certificate of registration” means a certificate issued under section 30; “climate change” means a change in climatic conditions attributed directly or indirectly to human activities that alter the composition of the global atmosphere which is additional to natural variability and observed over comparable periods of time; “climate change mitigation” means efforts that seek to prevent or slow down the increase of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations by limiting current and future emissions and enhancing potential sinks for greenhouse gases; “climate change officer” means a person appointed as a climate change officer under section 5; “Climate Change Register” means the Climate Change Register kept and maintained under section 39; “climate resilience” means the ability of a system and the system’s component parts to anticipate, absorb, accommodate or recover from the impacts of climate change in a timely and efficient manner; “climate variability” means variations in the mean state and other statistics of the climate on temporal and spatial scales beyond that of individual weather events largely due to natural internal processes within the climate system; “community development and benefit sharing agreement” means an agreement that is signed between a project developer and beneficiaries under section 21(7); “Convention” means the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change signed by Zambia on 11th June, 1992, and ratified on 28th May, 1993; “Council” means the Council of Ministers established under section 6; “Department” means the Department of Green Economy and Climate Change responsible for the administration of the Act as provided under section 4; “Designated National Authority” means the entity or organisation granted the responsibility to authorise and approve participation in projects under the international carbon market regimes; Green Economy and Climate Change [No. 18 of 2024 287 “Director” means a person appointed as Director of green economy and climate change under section 5; “double counting” means a scenario under which a singular greenhouse gas emission reduction or removal is reported or monetised separately by two different entities or where a greenhouse gas emission reduction or removal is sold to multiple buyers; “ecosystems” means a living functional system which contains all organisms, including human beings, their environment and the relationship that exists between them; “emission” means the release of greenhouse gases or their precursors into the atmosphere; “Emoluments Commission” means the Emoluments Commission established by the Constitution; Cap. 1 “Fund” means the Climate Change Fund established under section 34; “green economy” means an economy that allows for low carbon emission, resource efficiency and social inclusiveness resulting in an improved human wellbeing and social equity while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities; “greenhouse gases” means the gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and human induced, that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation; “Greenhouse Gas Inventory Management System” means the system established under section 14; “green investments” means activities aligned with economic growth while reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, minimising waste and improving efficiency in the use of natural resources; “Integrated Measuring Reporting and Verification System” means the system established under section 18; “National Adaptation Plan” means a comprehensive medium to long term climate adaptation plan that fosters climate resilience; “National Mitigation Plan” means a comprehensive medium to long term climate mitigation plan that fosters low carbon development and emission reduction; 288 No. 18 of 2024] Green Economy and Climate Change “Nationally Determined Contributions” means national plans and pledges made by a Party to the Paris Agreement to meet the universal goal of maintaining global temperatures to well below two degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels, while aiming for one point five degrees celsius to avoid the worst impacts of climate change; “Paris Agreement” means the legally binding international treaty on climate change adopted in Paris on 12th December, 2015, and which entered into force on 4th November, 2016, signed by Zambia on 20th September, 2016, and any successor agreement; “precautionary principle” has the meaning assigned to the words in the Environmental Management Act, 2011; “private body” means a private entity or a non-state actor that emits greenhouse gases; “project developer” means a person who proposes to undertake a project that requires approval under this Act; “public body” has the meaning assigned to the words in the Public Finance Management Act, 2018; “relative” has the meaning assigned to the word in the Anti- Corruption Act, 2012; “sector emission target” means a science-based target for a given sector used to provide a clearly defined pathway for a person to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; “Technical Committee” means the Committee established under section 8; “verifier” means a person registered as a verifier under section 30 and who has the capability, qualifications and expertise to inspect a carbon programme or project and ensure the programme or project meets internationally agreed standards governing the carbon market; “vulnerability” means the degree of susceptibility to the negative effects of climate change; “vulnerable groups” means groups that are more susceptible than others to impacts of climate change either due to their location or socio-economic status; and “Zambia Environmental Management Agency” means the Zambia Environmental Management Agency established under the Environmental Management Act, 2011. Act No. 12 of 2011 Act No.1 of 2018 Act No. 3 of 2012 Act No. 12 of 2011 Green Economy and Climate Change [No. 18 of 2024 289
