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Climate change could have positive implications for Africa. Apparently, the rich countries are desperate. They cannot escape because mother earth is angry and will swallow them first if they do nothing about it. At the top of the guilt list are the US, China, Russia, and their sisters Britain and Germany, among other countries. Their reckless economic ambitions have opened the atmospheric blanket to heat from the sun, causing ice at both the south and north poles to melt. This phenomenon is threatening to create unrest in Europe and America, as winters and summers become severe to the point of threatening human survival.
Africa and the rest of continents in the poor southern hemisphere have their share, notably in drought. For the largely agrarian African economies, the absence of rain brings famine and when rain comes, floods. The western media machine has therefore picked upon this undoing to create panic among the poor countries.
In the past, the United Nations has organised world summits on environmental protection. Among them were summits in Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2002, in Rio, Brazil in 1992 and in Stockholm in 1972. The aim of these discussions was to draw attention to environmental action to safeguard the future of the planet. But because the danger had not yet knocked at the doors of the rich brothers, some countries inevitably failed the spirit of the summits.
Now that it is the rich on the hot seat, without fear of contradiction, we need to get a real deal now or never. The rich are good at changing goal posts, and we cannot wait for them to create alternatives, as they did when the slave trade needed to be abolished. The point is that if they are willing to pay the south to protect the forests, then it is us who should set the conditions, not them. They must provide three things: universal irrigation, energy and technology.
Climate change is not Africa’s doing, neither is it her responsibility to stop it. As things stand, the rich have to shut down some industries or ask the poor countries in the southern hemisphere to protect their forests. With a global economic crisis in sight, no rich country wants to throw its economy off balance.
To ensure that natural resources such as forests, swamps and water bodies are well protected, the rich countries must provide universal technology, irrigation and energy in exchange for the sacrifices we make in preserving the environment. The technology gap must go if the west doesn’t want us to encroach on the forests. They must ensure that technology is not among luxury goods in this part of the world. They should also provide alternative energy to our poor who largely depend on the forests for their survival.
Universal solar energy for every household should be financed to reduce the need for wood. And for solar power to operate efficiently, strong iron sheet roofed houses must be put in place for every household. This will give every home in Uganda and Africa decency. But that’s not yet the deal. Our economy is more than 75 per cent agriculture-based. And because we have to protect our means of survival, a countrywide irrigation system, must be put in place. This will ensure that forests are not invaded because the available land will be well-watered.
Africa can do its part, but, can the rich nations for once pay for the environmental crimes that they have committed?
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Mike
Mike Ssegawa
ssegy2001@yahoo.com
A Journalist with Daily Monitor, Uganda. I have a passion for development, especially for the youth.
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