Investment in a green economy crucial � Molatlhegi

Baboki Kayawe | Friday December 12, 2014 13:37

 

In response to the State of the Nation Address this week, Molatlhegi, who is also Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly told parliamentarians that engaging in environmentally friendly practices would go a long way in ensuring natural resources conservation for posterity and future developmental projects. 

Molatlhegi argued that green agricultural practices such as the use of organic fertilisers as opposed to their artificial and chemicals loaded counterparts, coupled with irrigation would help the country be food sufficient.

“Modern farming technologies would boast food sufficiency in the country, in addition to addressing the issue of agricultural land shortage because under these technologies, not much land is needed yet the yield is greater relative to when traditional techniques are used,” he said.

Molatlhegi noted that injecting capital to transform the economy into a clean one would help to create industries such as waste management, which in the US for instance, was a billion Dollar business.

He added that revolutionising the transport system would greatly reduce emissions of green house gases, especially from the avalanche of second hand imported motor vehicles, whose entry in the country was not strictly regulated. He called for the revision of laws for effective regulation of this trade.

In his view, the introduction of electric trains and empowering small enterprises to shift from the current mini-bus public transportation model to invest in buses with more carrying capacity would reduce traffic and subsequently emissions. Moreover, he urged citizens to embrace non-motorised modes of transport.

“Non motorised transport such as bicycles would go a long way in preserving the environment. Bicycle rental businesses run by young people through youth empowerment programmes would emerge,” he said.

Molatlhegi said the country needed to diversify its sources of power to supplement the already strained electricity supply.

Opting not to address the rather artificial power crisis due to infrastructure defects, he said utilising solar energy, wind and water as alternative sources would see the country preserving and sustaining its natural resources.

Comparing Botswana to European countries, he argued the latter were doing well in recycling and reuse thereby decreasing their carbon emissions and minimising the dire effects of climate change. However, he did not contrast the extent of green house emissions in the two contexts.  The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has reported that the West continues to emit abundant carbon gases than the developing world.