State of Climate Action and the Scope for a Just Transition in Malawi

The report examines the 'just transition' in Malawi, focusing on agriculture and forestry. While Malawi's climate policies do not explicitly mention 'just transition', some elements of the NDC and Malawi 2063 align with it. However, risks exist, such as the potential for agricultural mechanisation and commercialisation to marginalise smallholders without secure land tenure. In forestry, efforts to curb illegal charcoal production may cause energy poverty and livelihood loss for the poor if alternative energy and income sources are not provided. The report emphasizes that external support is critical, as 78% of the NDC's emissions reductions are conditional.

• Malawi's national climate and development policies, including the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and Malawi 2063, do not explicitly use the term 'just transition', although some strategies align with its principles, such as increasing youth participation in climate-smart agriculture and improving community seed bank management.
• Agricultural commercialisation and mechanisation targets in Malawi 2063—aiming for commercial agriculture to cover 40% of land by 2030 and 80% by 2063—risk marginalising smallholder farmers, particularly women, if secure land tenure and minimum wage laws are not enforced.
• The forestry sector is a primary source of emissions, with Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) accounting for approximately 60% of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2015, driven by significant forest cover loss from 57% in 1975 to 23% in 2019.
• Strict enforcement of laws against illegal charcoal production to protect forests may exacerbate energy poverty and threaten livelihoods for the poor, as 97% of households rely on biomass for cooking and heating and lack affordable alternatives.
• Malawi's energy sector is projected to contribute 19.8 million tons of CO2e by 2040 under a Business As Usual scenario, partly because the government intends to utilize its 1 billion metric tons of probable coal reserves for industrialisation.
• The achievement of Malawi's updated NDC targets is heavily dependent on international assistance, with 78% of the estimated emissions reductions being conditional on external support.

APA

Mwalukomo, H., Majiga-Kamoto, G., & Kambwiri, A. (2022). State of Climate Action and the Scope for a Just Transition in Malawi. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/State-of-Climate-Action-and-the-Scope-for-a-Just-Transition-in-Malawi.pdf

Chicago

Mwalukomo, Herbert, Gloria Majiga-Kamoto, and Alfred Kambwiri. State of Climate Action and the Scope for a Just Transition in Malawi. Climate Strategies, 2022. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/State-of-Climate-Action-and-the-Scope-for-a-Just-Transition-in-Malawi.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mwalukomo |first1=Herbert |last2=Majiga-Kamoto |first2=Gloria |last3=Kambwiri |first3=Alfred |title=State of Climate Action and the Scope for a Just Transition in Malawi |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=2022 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/State-of-Climate-Action-and-the-Scope-for-a-Just-Transition-in-Malawi.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mwalukomo2022state, author = {Mwalukomo, Herbert and Majiga-Kamoto, Gloria and Kambwiri, Alfred}, title = {{State of Climate Action and the Scope for a Just Transition in Malawi}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2022}, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/State-of-Climate-Action-and-the-Scope-for-a-Just-Transition-in-Malawi.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }