Climate Change a Tool for oppression?

The struggle for supremacy in the 19^th Century led to the colonisation of Africa. The final event that led the occupation of Africa was the Berlin Conference of 1884 and 1885. There was serious competition among super powers for opportunities for raw materials and investment that Africa could provide for Europe’s industrialization. Africa was affected by this struggle for power in Europe. Its resources –coal, rubber, timber, crude oil, gold etc. were looted to support the growing industries in Europe. Industrialisation caused the emission of CO2-carborn dioxide leading to too much concentration of green house gases into the atmosphere. The IPCC (group of scientist) they have made us to believe that human and animal life is under threat of Global warming. They have sited industrialisation in Europe as the major cause and Africa (source of raw materials) as the most affected. Who benefited from African resources then and who is benefiting now? Is the struggle for supremacy over? Is the IPCC serving the political interest of their nations? Slogan “Beware the Chinese are coming” Is Climate Change a political game meat to prevent other nations from developing? When will Africa benefit from its God given natural resources? We thought time is now, but the scientific findings suggest that 75% of fossil oil should remain underground. This mean Africa should reduce the exploitation of underground resources for its development and wait for ……debt funds. Is Climate Change meant to keep Africa dependant from the West?  We need to accept Climate Change as an environmental catastrophe with low level of political interest. Is this another form of colonisation of Africa? The focus is now on the Climate Debt for adaptation and mitigation strategies for the developing countries. China, India and United States of America-USA have not made their position clear about climate debt payment. May be they don’t see much political benefit on this game.  

Back home, are there groups of people in society benefiting from the effects of Climate Change on the expense of the ordinary citizens? African nations are not failing to develop strategies for sustainable development, but the political leaders especially during election period use Climate Change effects –hunger (food) to coerce people to vote for a particular political party. Poor people in the village, struggle with their lives for four years and the fifty year will be election year, politician will use the food to force people to vote for them.  Vote for political party A or else you die of hunger. They will make sure that those who receive food aid are the supporters of their political party. It is true that climate Change effects are most felt by the women and children in the village and they are the main target of the politicians. They take advantage of the poverty prevailing to exploit members of the community.   The liberation parties in some countries in Africa have survived the elections by buying votes using grain-food. Political parties have used poverty caused by climate change to remain in power for ever. Aid, loans, grants have been used by developed countries to nature and assist to power puppet leaders in Africa. Some developed countries would like to rule Africa using remote controls. The climate debt should help Africa develop and move from dependent from the developed nations. Africa’s voice is important in the decision making regarding issues that affect Africa. Hope Climate Debt will be given with no strings attached. The direct beneficiaries of the aid should be the ailing members of the community not greedy politicians who feed from poor man’s blood.

Pay the debt-No puppet leaders No exploitation of the weak.

Agro -Based Economy

We used to enjoy learning about Zimbabwe source of economy during our primary education. Zimbabwe is an Agro-based Economic Country, and this was a song for all primary students during our time. We were made to believe that agriculture is the back bone of our economy and as such, anything that is related to agriculture/production of food must be cherished. This included land, rivers, water, implements, cattle and even our granaries. We were not supposed to work or go out in the open when it was raining. We respected the rain, we respected the hail storm though it brought joy to kids who will snick out of the kitchen to pick up some small ice. We enjoyed life. We knew that come 15^th October, that is the beginning of the planting season and all members of the community go out in the field to plant their early crops. Here I am taking about subsistence farming. The commercial farmers, this is the time when the maize will be reaching the tussling stage. For the commercial farmers, their season start in August. They will irrigate their crops until October, they will then disconnect and dismantle their irrigation pipes and take them to the agricultural sheds for safe keeping. It was certain that the rainy season has started, it has come during the right time and it will be enough and ensured bumper harvest. The rains start early to mid October and end in March to early April. The commercial farmers grow especially maize and beans twice per year. The first crops will be ready by November to December, they harvest and plant new crops that will mature in March to April. The subsistence farmers, their crops will mature in January and will be ready for harvesting in April to May. This was Zimbabwe then, before the uninvited guest Climate Change. The Peasant farmers produced enough to feed their families until the next harvest. When the maize reach a certain stage, and looking at the weather/rainfall patterns, families will start disposing last year’s products. They will start giving a lot of maize to the chickens, crush it to make stock feed or give them to needy families and relatives in towns.

Commercial farming produced mainly for export and to feed the urban dwellers. Zimbabwe was the “Bread Basket of Southern Africa”. We were producing with the nation and the region at heart. The country prospered and the families grew, and there was joy in all families. When you have food at home, the welcome for visitors is great, so it was Zimbabwe. What went wrong? Zimbabwe today is totally the opposite of the above. Because I have no experience on how the other nations are hit by climate Change, and will say Zimbabwe is the worst affected country in the region. Today we are eating rice and maize from Malawi and Mozambique, we are buying mealie meal from Botswana and South Africa. Who can afford the foreign products; I will leave you to guess. Now it is no longer the question of when is the rain coming, but it is the question of is it going to come? Now the planting season have changed. The rains comes end of November or early December and end in February. When it comes, it will be either too little or too heavy causing leaching and stunted growth. Agriculture deals with crop production and animal husbandry. Climate Change does not only affect production of crops, but animals as well. The peasant farmers use the animal power and ox drawn machines, and in the event of draught, their animals are also affected. If you want to kill peasant farmers, simply separate them from their domestic animals. This is exactly what Climate Change has done. I feel sorry for the rural poor, whose voices that are never heard or listened to? They have nothing but their thin and ailing beast that can only fetch USD 200 on the local market.                                

Commercial farming is nothing to talk about in Zimbabwe. The Land Reform Programme took all productive land from the white commercial farmers. The politician commercial farmers were also not spared by the Climate Change. Commercial farming relies on water from the dams and rivers for their irrigation. It is either the dams and rivers are empty because of little rainfall or too much rainfall leading to floods causing the dams and rivers to burst and siltation.

Africa a passive victim of Climate Change?

Adaptation is not a new term in human history. The scientists who suggested the theory of Evolution used the term to explain the way how plants and animals responded to the changing environment. Adaptation. People and plants adapt to hot, cold, sandy, floods and humid climates. In the case of animals, adaptation is by way of developing thick skin, sharp eyes, sticky feet and sensitive hearing. This will help them get to the food that was not at first easily reachable or discover new varieties of food. New ideas and survival skill develop leading to competition for food, space, shelter. Failure to adapt leads to extinction. What does this mean to Africa? Is Africa a passive victim of Climate Change? Pay Climate dept for Africa to adapt. Adaptation is an inborn device to respond to changes for continuity of life. If animals, people and plants are faced by tough situations that threaten their survival, they change actions and study their environment and find ways of survival. During this struggle for survival no one cares about the future reserves, next person and environment.   Therefore Africa is not a passive victim of Climate Change. All what Africa needs is the support to develop a thick skin, sticky feet to get to the food that was not easily reachable before, develop new ideas and diversity in terms of food production and add a variety of food in their diet.eg more green

The Bread basket of Southern Africa

ZIMBABWE THE BREAD BASKET OF SOUTHERN AFRICA.

I will deliberately choose not to talk about good things that my country experienced during the colonial rule. I will choose to be patriotic instead and say good things only came after independence. Zimbabwe got her independence from Britain in 1980. From 1980 to about early 1990, Zimbabwe was called the “Bread Basket of Southern Africa”. What does this mean? What went wrong? Life has changed totally for the ordinary citizen of Zimbabwe, from bread basket of southern Africa to beggars. Zimbabwe was able to maintain the state of being self sufficient in terms of food for more than 30 years before independence, but after independence it only lasted for less than 15 years. She was the hub of Southern Africa’s economy. Politicians will attribute this to Mugabe’s regime, which has failed to run the country. I totally agree with them, but can they also think outside the box and explore other factors. Politics played its part (Land Reform Policy-60%) for the failure of the Zimbabwe’s economy and the other 40% by climate change. Zimbabwe has experienced series of drought since 1992 caused by shortage of rains, rain coming rather late causing short agriculture season or excessive rains. Some parts of the country experienced floods and people were evacuated from their homes to safer places. Crops were affected by the floods and leaching. Artificial manure –fertilizers are mostly used to replace the lost nutrients. I need to reminded if Zimbabwe is still producing fertilizer. If nutrients are not replenished, the crops are likely to fail the following year as well. Still this does not rule out the poor governance of the state by Mugabe. Climate Change issues cannot be separated from politics. When you are isolated from the global world, you feel the impact of climate change more than when you are a united region. There are some rural communities that survived the last part of the year 2008 ngomusa wenkosi-through God’s grace. Supermarkets and vegetable markets are flooded with products from Botswana and South Africa. What went wrong? Thanks to South Africa and Botswana. Siyahlonipha.

The Political side of Climate Change

Is Climate Change a Political issue? The IPCC and their computers are talking about the scientific side of the Climate Change, could there be a political side of it? They have said what they want us to know-causes, effectes and solutions to the climate change, what about the polical side of it?  America, India and China should also come foward and put the figure on the table. Pay Climate Change Debt!! Is climate Change a social construction game with political biases? The IPCC should inform the world the political side of climate change. The Global Warming and Climate Change is the IPCC scientific findings which should be addressed within the same scientific environment. Why bringing in Politicians?

Education is key to Climate Change

Global Warming and Climate Change  -

What does it mean?

Who is affected by it?

What is the Long term impact?

What are possible mitigation Strategies including policies?

Everyone if affected by Climate change, but the understanding of the causes and solutions are limited to certain individual classes of people in societies. The public-poor rural Africa, the rich, black, white, coloured and POLITICAL LEADERS meeting in Copenhagen in December need information.

Global Warming A Danger to Society

You have lived your life, what about the children? Save the Children of Africa and the World.

 Global Warming and Climate Change- Act Now 

Children and Climate Change

How can communities adapt to climate change?
The ability by communities to adapt to climate change is determined by their level of development, their access to resources and their experience and knowledge of their environment. The adaptation also depends on the impact of Climate Change varying from community by community. Some may have been affected by long dry spell, some by floods, storm, cyclones resulting water shortages, destruction of crops, drought . Adaptation can take different forms, such as community education on sustainable agriculture, training and awareness of climate change and introduction of drought-resistant seeds and education on storage and preservation of  food.

Youth, Climate Change and Adaptation

Climate Change and Global Warming is a world threat to life for people, animals and plants. Everyone if affected by Climate change and means to adapt by different groups of people in society does not care about the environment, animals and next person. Climate Change has no class, religion, sex, race and level of business ventures. Yes it is true that it affects us on different levels, but all of us feel the pinch to some extent. Africa is most hard hit by Climate Change when they pollute less the climate than the developed countries (except South Africa).  The rural youth in particular are at the receiving end of Climate Change. They are at the prime stage of their lives, trying to put plans together of starting families, pursue their studies and enter the competition of shrinking job market.