A Call to Climate Action
Within a year, the world has witnessed a number of catastrophic events that will potentially shape the climate discourse forever. However, whether the climate discourse is gaining momentum at the rate it aught to be, considering the gravity of the climate crisis, is yet to be seen. Amongst the catastrophes, two events in their gravity, uniqueness and similarities deserve to grab meaningful attention in the climate change conversation, and if they won’t, then the fight against climate change runs the risk of being lost.
1. Cyclone Idai
In the beginning of March 2019 and before, predictions and signals that a cyclone was highly likely to hit the coastal areas of Mozambique were made, and not much was done. Like all doomsday type of predictions, many took it as just one of those empty messages. Communities continued with their businesses as usual, and all was normal. Young men and women in a bustling locality within the Port City of Beira, partied their fishing revenues throughout the night. Then the fifteenth day of March arrived, and the cyclone hit. In the aftermath, more than a thousand people were left dead in Mozambique and surrounding areas of Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Reflection:
The climate change crisis is real and action has to be taken urgently. Even though Africa is the least contributor to Causes of Climate Change, the impacts of Climate Change are so severe on her. The reality that Africa is the least developed continent in the world and harbours the majority of the world’s poorest in economic terms exacerbates the adverse impacts of climate change. The fight against climate change should therefore not be led only from the western hemisphere, but from Africa as well. There is also a great need to equip grassroots rural communities with the capacity to tackle the impacts of climate change on their livelihoods.
2. Australia Bushfires
There is no amount of explanation that can describe the extent of damage that the Australia bushfires have done to wildlife, the ecosystem, surrounding communities, and the nation at large. With a billion animals expected to have saccumbed to the fires and several human fatalities, the magnitude of this catastrophy is beyond alarming. Experts have already warned that as a result of these fires, there is a great possibility of extinctions.
Reflection:
The Australian government should consider urgently taking the climate change issue seriously and take this catastrophic event as a wake up call. Strong policies that steer the country away from fossil fuels and towards being carbon neutral are needed now more than ever. In the meantime, Australia is amongst the world’s top four coal producing countries. This places it at a very undesirable state in the fight against global warming, and should be the area where meaningful action has to be taken. A massive reduction in coal production & consumption through the adoption of cleaner and renewable energy sources is the starting point in the journey of climate action.
While the Australian communities are still undergoing this grievous period, they should utilise the time to come together in the fight against climate change.
Article Written by:
Eric Morgen Moyo (Founder & Director of Community Climate Action Trust). Email: ericmoyoza@gmail.com
Community Climate Action Trust (CCAT) is a communities based nongovernmental organisation registered in Zimbabwe. Its main focus is mobilising & supporting communities in the fight against climate change and assisting those affected by the climate change impacts such as floods, drought, and fires.
Contact us at : ccatrust.org@gmail.com
Twitter: @cca_trust
Community Climate Action Trust 