The Sunday Mail
Victoria Ruzvidzo
March 3 was Africa Environment Day, but not many may have noticed or commemorated this day because, outside Government, environment experts and some media institutions, issues to do with the environment appear far-removed from bread and butter issues and may thus not be of much concern many. But the reverse is true.
Issues about the environment do affect our well-being on many fronts.
We are aware of climate change and other challenges arising from deliberate and inadvertent actions we have undertaken as individuals, communities and corporates.
Something as simple as how we dispose of litter, or the chemicals we you in agriculture have serious effects on the environment. A flagrant disregard of the effects has led to severe environmental damage, some of which may be corrected while others are irredeemable.
Picture this, a world suffocating from searing heat, where floods are common place, crops and vegetation have since wilted while those that remain are moribund. Picture again, desertification, rampant diseases, displaced populaces, unimaginable numbers of refugees globally. Ad to that, polluted air, scarcity of water.
The world as we know it, would have spectacularly changed for the worst. The ramifications are social, economic, political and threaten the longevity of the human race. This is a picture of a fast approaching reality, unless something gives and remedial action is taken.
Of course, these are issues playing out in the global arena where periodic meetings are held regarding environmental issues. The jury is still out on whether the talkshows are followed through with real action or it’s mere grandstanding.
The environment and climate change issues impel us to act, and act fast indeed in our various spheres.
The emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide and methane are causing damage to the atmosphere. The multiple causes of climate change are human-induced. We are spawning damage to the environment which sustains us all.
Reading around this topic over the past few weeks, it dawned on me that in some instances, the issues involved are so broad as to cause paralysis-some people just don’t know where to begin from.
Also, there are yawning information gaps which call for increased efforts in raising awareness. If one cares for the welfare of humanity in general, for our fellow brothers and sisters, for posterity, then, there is a need to act so that we avert a catastrophe. We have an obligation to bequeath to subsequent generations an earth that is sound, which nurtures humanity, not decimate it.
It is quite curious to note that for Africa, it causes the least damage but is the most vulnerable.
Climate change and environmental issues compound pre-existing conditions in Africa such as poverty, disease and under-development. It would seem humanity is inexorably sliding towards Armageddon.
Zimbabwe has multiple strategies and agencies which are entirely preoccupied with environmental and climate change issues. These include the Zimbabwe National Climate Change Response Strategy which states that climate change is the biggest threat to humanity. We also have bodies such as the Environmental Management Authority on the ground, raising awareness and enforcing compliance. The National Development Strategy 1 has salient features addressing the same.
Globally, since 2015, the National Determined Contributions(NDCs) and Paris Agreement are the main instruments of guiding policy response to climate change.
More than 70 percent of Africa prioritises this. More than 90 percent of African countries ratified the Paris Agreement as stated by UN Climate News of October 27 2020.
So it is then, that we applaud Government efforts in highlighting the importance of the environment and climate change. The monthly clean up campaigns are instructive and this should cascade to the generality of the populace.
Only a fortnight ago the President was in Chegutu, doing a clean up campaign and tree planting, emphasising the need to be environment-friendly, also replenishing trees as he does monthly in various national locations as he takes the message to all corners of this country. We must take a cue from leadership.
Furthermore, EMA’s efforts should be lauded, and more importantly, people should take to heart the messages driven, well-meant and prudent, literally affecting our existence.
What are the effects of climate change? Monique Walker wrote a piece entitled Economic Effects of Climate Change(August 25,2021) in which she touched on some of them. She notes that Africa has low adaptive capability and that the stakes are high because the majority earn their livelihoods from land.
Agriculture employs 60 percent of Africa’s population. The UN notes that the risks to agriculture include’.. reduced crop production associated with heat and drought stress, increased pest disease and floods impact on food system infrastructure adversely affecting food security and livelihoods.
Rapid urbanisation, entails urban infrastructure is poorly equipped to deal with the effects of climate change on biodiversity, food security, water access and migration.
Millet and sorghum have been found to be the most resilient crops with a yield loss of just 5 percent and 8 percent respectively compared to as high a loss of 21 percent for wheat by 2050.
There is also expected to be a surge in diseases such as malaria. In 2017 an estimated 93 percent of global malaria deaths occurred in Africa.
These are dire circumstances. To put this into context, with regards food security, Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO) notes that in Sub-Saharan African countries, the number of under-nourished people has increased by 45.6 percent since 2012.
An estimated 319 million people do not have access to clean and safe water. Deforestation, soil degradation, air pollution, climate change, y are all consequences of human activity.
It is then befitting that every year on the 3rd of March, Africa observes Environment Day day designed to amplify environmental issues, reflect on progress and work as a cohesive unit in addressing the challenges.
Inevitably, the question which begs an answer is what the solutions are.
What appears clear is to ramp up awareness through all forms of media activations. Chiefs and other traditional leaders need to play a key role in raising awareness while councillors and members of Parliament are obliged to play their part.
Other community leaders and all individual and corporate citizens need to play ball,
The importance of preserving our environment should be brought into focus as should the practices which promote it .
Additionally, those found in breach of our environmental laws should be brought to book.
lt is in human nature to act when aware of consequences of acting to the contrary of policies, regulations and legal instruments .
It has been noted in various publications that there is limited uptake and use of climate information in development planning and practice in Africa due to limited reliable and timely information.
Science-based climate information is the foundation of resilience as the UN Climate Change Secretariat notes.
There are substantive arguments for expanding access to energy, supporting green development, growing crops that tolerate more heat and less rain and prioritising local input in policy discussion and implementation. There is also a need to shift to low carbon energy and agreement on carbon emissions. High polluting industries must re-orient and recalibrate.
National Adaptation Plans must be formulated. Beyond that there should be clear actionable plans executed, monitored and periodically reviewed.
There is empirical evidence that value-addition in agriculture using efficient and clean energy sources is capable of ‘reducing poverty two to four times faster than growth in any other sector.
Furthermore, we can replace disposable items with reusable ones. Use of paper should be avoided.
lt is in this regard that we salute some local companies that have gone paperless or seldom using it and have embraced Information Communication Technology using the digital platforms for their purposes. Waste should also be recycled and natural resources should be conserved and replenished, consistently and periodically
Communities need to increase forest cover, restore grasses and boost use of agriculture cover crops to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.
Locally too, communities should proactively pursue the fire-guards route to avert disasters. Solar- powered micro-irrigation is reportedly increasing farm level incomes by fives to 10 times, improving yields by up to 300 percent and reducing water usage by up to 90 percent!
As a continent, we have glaring deficiencies in education, health, infrastructure and governance systems. These pose formidable challenges.
Climate Change threatens to worsen our circumstances as a continent. For instance, in Lagos, a sea level rise of one metre could displace 6.3 million people(Wikipedia). Africa’s voice needs to be heard. Industrialised and western nations have an obligation to provide support, they are more culpable for the damage to the environment yet we are the most vulnerable.
That said, we should play our part in taking measures that sustain our environment.
In God I Trust!
