Books by Innocent Chirisa

Climate change is the topic of the century. It is a subject of discussion by sceptics, heretics and those that have immersed in it as a serious debate for engagement. In this volume, the matter is localised to the plateau bordered by the great rivers of Limpopo to the south and Zambezi to the north. Evidence has it that climate change is inducing immense environmental change hitherto unknown including water stress and droughts, heat waves and flooding. The effects span across all sectors - agriculture, forestry, engineering, construction and other socio-economic dimensions of life. When an issue becomes such topical, it becomes political but also courts policy debate. The thrust of this volume is to explore into climate change as an environmental concern begging government attention and requiring prioritisation as a shaper of our future, whether we set to put mitigation or adaptation measures in place, or we choose to do nothing about it, as sceptics would perhaps suggest.The book explores climate change as a theoretical, policy, technical and practical debate as it affects sectors and rural and urban spatialities in Zimbabwe. Contributions explore such themes as regional research, gender, disaster preparedness, policymaking, resilience, governance, urban planning, risk management, environmental law, and the food-water-health-energy-climate change nexus.

Humanity has extensively exploited natural and physical resources, since the Industrial Revolution in Europe. A geological era, now called the Anthropocene, has been coined in environmental and developmental circles, to mark the increased domination of humanity on Earth and its resources. Today, the ecological footprint on the fragile planet continues to increase. Mass industrialisation, like what China is doing and pushing for, is one of the drivers for increased urbanisation that results in increased demand for land. It is also the stimulus behind increased deforestation, overfishing, and pollution. As the fragility of the Earth increases, global bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are pushing to reduce the Earth's temperature. Human efforts to manage the problem cascade from a global to a regional, to a national, as well as to much localised scales. Missing though are nuanced contributions at national and community levels, which this book is an attempt to bridge. The nagging sense of responsibility is what this book explores under the label of "sustainability ethic". As a case study, the book examines the use of sustainability ethic in the management of the physical, infrastructural and natural resources of Zimbabwe. This ethic is built on pillars that include participation of people (households) in their pursuit for sustainable livelihoods, appropriate technology, tools and techniques for environmental protection. It also hinges on stewardship and structures, institutions, policies and processes of governance and sustainability. There are also the aspects of ethics, laws and indigenous technical knowledge for sustainability, capacity building and education plans and programmes for sustainability and population and demographic determinants, processes and outcomes for sustainability. The book is a timely contribution to an urgent global concern and climate change debate.

This book examines the activities of urban women in the informal sector in selected areas in Harare in the period before Operation Murambatsvina in Zimbabwe, in 2005. Gender, Spatiality and Urban Informality argues that despite efforts by the Government in Zimbabwe to empower women through policies, programmes and legal reforms, the generality of them remain in a state of abject poverty which they strive, yet with difficulties, to extricate themselves from it. Trading in low-profile goods, i.e. least rewarding goods, is an avenue that most poor women have identified to empower themselves yet it is really a ¿long walk to freedom¿. Unlike a sizeable number of men, who have made staid inroads into high profile ventures in micro-finance, construction, manufacturing, trade, transport, information and communication technologies, to name but a few, women are still struggling with the smallest things including subsistence-making. This book, which is the outcome of a study in 2003 and 2004, has revealed that policy and practice still lag in Zimbabwe to adequately address challenges encountered by women in, probably not only urban environments but the rural sector alike. Women in the informa

This book describes how urban design has to factor in a number of social, economic and institutional parameters in optimisation for sustainable urban design. It is a story about Zimbabwe's urban design. It puts into perspective a high-density (low-income) residential suburb in Harare called Sunningdale. This is located adjacent to Graniteside Light Industrial Site, southeast of the Central Business District (CBD) of the city of harare.