Climate change as a security threat to our country

Speaking to The Observer, on the raging floods that affected millions of people in Britain recently, British Labour Party leader Ed Milliband said: “Climate change is now an issue of national security. Climate change is a key factor in extreme weather, and failure to address it will have catastrophic consequences.”

As the science linking extreme weather to climate change is overwhelming, the million-pula question here is: Is Botswana ready to tackle this global problem? This country has experienced its share of extreme weather where lives were lost. Botswana Defence Force troops are always in the forefront in rescue operations to save lives and property. Perhaps the two most notable ones are the floods of Palapye and the famous Operation Save Sowa. There is no need to discuss the Palapye operation in detail as it was run in full view. Botswana troops worked tirelessly all day and night to achieve exactly what they were sent to do.