Line in the sand for climate change

Mmegi Editor | Wednesday December 2, 2015 12:08

Africa, and Botswana included, will suffer greatly going forward from climate change, whose effects are already being seen in repetitive droughts, water stress and unpredictable rainfall. Botswana’s own commitments will cost $18.4 billion (P200 billion) over the course of 20 years up to 2030, with interventions in the transport and energy sector to curb emissions.

But in as much as Africa will be the continent hardest hit, it also is the least culpable when the fingers are pointed for the main culprits in climate change.

It is the developed world that has borne, nurtured and raised up this animal, through reckless industrial greed, completely blind to the fact that the planet and future generations would suffer.

In fact, the very status of ‘developed nation’ has been attained through the employment of processes that have recklessly raised global greenhouse emissions. Even when researchers brought climate change to global attention, leaders of the most industrialised countries did not adhere to their commitments for reducing harmful emissions. This is despite these countries naturally being expected to take the lead as the highest polluters and also being those with the best resources to respond.

Leaders today meet in Paris and critics are already forecasting another toothless talkshop, where the biggest polluters will make ambitious commitments and targets, only to quietly abandon these as the years roll by. While this is to be expected, what is not is for these richer, more culpable and less proactive nations to then arrogantly lecture Africans on what it should be doing about climate change.

“We must categorically state that they (developed countries) have failed to take the lead, especially in reforming their industrial processes.  As a result, the world is suffering from the impacts of climate change,” Khama said in Paris on Monday.

Again, Khama is right.  And as Batswana, we should not be fettered in anyway from responsibly exploiting our massive fossil fuel resources for the enhancement of Batswana, even as we reach for the ultimate goal of cleaner energy such as solar power.

Global financiers should not brow beat us when we seek credit for our energy needs or seek to punish us for the climate change transgressions of the industrialised world. Unlike these other countries, we have made a commitment to cut back emissions by 15 percent and as with other policies Botswana has adopted or legislated for in the past, we will live up to our promises.

Today's Thought

'We wish to enjoin the world not to be selfish in denying future generations opportunities to survive. We owe that to nature, to ourselves, and to these generations to come.'

President Ian Khama