The paper addresses the relationship between national economic and soc
ial development objectives and climate change mitigation, with nationa
l studies for Tanzania and Zimbabwe as the starting point. The main ac
tivities driving GHG emissions in these countries are evaluated in ord
er to identify key options and polity areas where there may be synergi
stic effects between climate change mitigation and national developmen
t objectives, The country study for Tanzania has identified forestry a
nd land use activities and the agricultural sectors as some of the mai
n drivers in the future growth of greenhouse gas emissions, Forestry,
land use and agriculture are at the same time key economic and social
development areas, This means that options leading to improved perform
ance of these activities can reduce future greenhouse gas emissions an
d imply increasing welfare, A potential for win-win options has simila
rly been assessed in the country study for Zimbabwe, The options inclu
de in particular efficiency improvements in industrial plants and in t
he energy sector, A new methodological issue in the country study for
Zimbabwe is the comparable assessment of greenhouse gas reductions opt
ions for multiple emission sources and gases. The paper reports the re
sult of the integrated assessment of CO2 and CH4 reduction options for
energy, agriculture, forestry and waste management for Zimbabwe, This
leads up to a final discussion on methodological issues involved in c
ross-sectoral mitigation assessment. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Sc
ience Ltd.