Zambia has experienced a number of climatic hazards over several decades. The most serious have been drought, seasonal floods and flush floods, extreme temperatures and dry spells. Some of these, especially droughts and floods have increased in frequency, intensity and magnitude over the last two decades and have adversely impacted on food and water security, water quality, energy and the sustainable livelihoods of rural communities.

Zambia has developed its NAPA by evaluating the impacts of climate change on the relevant sectors and using Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA), has ranked the identified most urgent needs to prioritize ten immediate adaptation interventions. The sectors that were analyzed are agriculture and food security (livestock, fisheries and crops), energy and water, human health, natural resources and wildlife.

As a party to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Zambia recognizes that it has limited resources to effectively respond to the threats posed by climate change. It has therefore taken appropriate steps by responding to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) initiatives, to which it’s a party, and devised strategies against climate change through this National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and other programmes.