The world seem to be outraged by growing challenges of climate change.
That is true. But very little has been acknowledged about how these challenges
affect us. our environment and why the effects may result to more disasters.
One significant threat that we face is our refused to accept that we
are the authors of these problems. Everybody wants to go to heaven but no
one wants to die..... That is a common dilemma that needs nothing much
but sheer common sense. But is common sense common?
Much is known about climate change but
little is being done to avert its consequences on human life. Its effects range from new forms of
epidemic diseases, food shortages resulting to poverty and malnutrition, and
water crises most often experienced through increased drought, the melting of
the icecaps resulting to ocean rise, salinity and floods. Global temperatures
have already risen by 0.85 degrees since 188 according to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
When droughts occur, the results are obvious. Crops can't grow and
animals wouldn't have grass or water to drink. They all die and the humans who
depend on these crops and animals for livelihood either die also as a result of
hunger or become helplessly malnourished, or get sick. One devastating impact
of climate change resulting from human recklessness is desertification. With
lots of masses of lands losing its green nature and biodiversity to fast
encroachment of deserts, arable lands become barren and lack vitality for
farming or human habitation. The results is displacement of the populations.
This state often leads to irresponsible and misguided migration patterns.If
migrant populations are not lucky they risk competing over limited fertile and
arable land and the limited resources that are found on it. The Royal Society expects foresee that if the planet warms by 2C by 2100,
they will be bleaching of all coral reefs, an increase in water stress for
410million people and a third of the world’s currently-cultivated agricultural
land will disappear,.
As the icecaps of the Antarctica are increasingly melting and causing
fast rise of the ocean water levels, the resultant effects, one of which is
flooding, destroys human settlements, devastate crops and animals and cause
humanitarian crises which often leads to reverse of development in affected
areas. It also puts financial and economic burden on the affected communities
and those communities which are rendering help to them.
Apart from naturally occurring disasters, man made disasters are
devastating our world at an unprecedented scale. And the causes are self
inflicted. Our sea level will rise of up to two metres, and about 40% of the
world’s species will be extinct as droughts and wildfires ravage the globe We
are too quick to cry out loud blaming politics and heaven for our predicaments.
When we burn the bushes to farm in assumption that burnt grass produces more
fertility than organic manure - we simplify common sense that if we are patient
enough to clear our grass and allow it to decompose organically, we stand to
reap not only the benefits of eating fresh organic food that but also we avert
the risk of making the land unusable farming and at the same time averting
release of carbon into our air. It has been reported that carbon released from
one hectare of burnt land equal carbon released by six thousand cars.
What happens here is you robe John this year to pay Peter next year.
We can effectively reverse climate change and enhance resilience through
getting the right knowledge and practice. It starts from our homes, offices and
streets. Parents must teach children how to plant trees like my father thought
me how to plant flowers and food tress. From the age of seven till date, I have
been able to plant over 1000 trees most of them fruit trees. The common sense
here is that since humans are too passionate about protecting personal
belongings processes of greening our planet must avoid the tragedies of
commons. Personalize and individualize climate change mitigation processes by
giving every child a tree to plant and highlighting the significance of having
that tree as the child's first pride of life. Assign trees and forest areas to
individuals - they will protect it with passion. That is one common sense you
can take home. “International Trade Union Confederation’s secretary-general
Sharan Burrow says, our industries must face the challenge of massive
decarbonisation,” but I say not only our industries but our homes, offices,
schools, hospitals, and places of worship must bow to decarbonization.
With this little knowledge, we can build resilience for climate change,
adaptation, management and achieve sustainability in resources management and
food security albeit differently with - simple common sense of life.
Thank you
Tabi H. Joda
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