Common Sense for Building Climate Resilient Food Security

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