How climate change inaction hurts TZ

Preparations for the US President-elect’s inauguration which takes place today week somewhat overshadowed the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. Yet, WEF results influence the quality of life of Tanzanians more profoundly than the attitude of one man who would like to turn back the clock on climate change action in the US.

Getting nations to agree on concrete steps to reduce global warming has been a long-fought battle. Even some prosperous countries adopted with reluctancy measures which governments originally feared could lower company profits or increase unemployment. Fortunately, the tide has turned—logic prevailed.

Finally, even the world’s worst polluters and political leaders initially concerned about climate change measures’ effects on their economy decided to take action as they could not deny that inaction would cost their nations dearly. Although the world’s poorest are most affected by global warming, the wealthy will not escape the consequences in the long run either.

Enlightened business leaders have begun to embrace the opportunities created by clean energy investments and by conducting business in more sustainable ways. They now capitalise on profitable renewable energy solutions, beginning to reap considerable financial and image benefits.

The 2017 WEF’s strong focus on clean energy options and the number of international chief executive officers who signed up for clean energy sessions suggest that Mr Trump’s threat to withdraw from the Paris agreement which came into effect in November did not please American corporate leaders as much as he assumed it would.

The world’s leading scientists and academics from America’s top universities are not silenced by vocal leaders who dismiss scientific evidence and years of thorough research whenever it suits their political agendas. It is an inconvenient truth that record high temperatures are accelerating globally.

This is why discussions in Davos concern Tanzania. Taking morning walks in the Arusha district this week, dust clouds unusual for this time of year forced me to acknowledge the damage already caused. Several districts are at present plagued by drought.

As the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) warns, “Tanzania is one of the countries that […] suffer from the impacts of climate change and related hazards such as floods and droughts, which have substantially undermined poverty reduction efforts.”

The changes in seasonal and annual rainfall are real. According to UK Aid experts, future climate change could lead to economic costs in Tanzania of close to 2 per cent of GDP each year. The negative consequences disproportionally affect the poor who lack the resources to adapt to challenges posed by environmental changes. What may slightly inconvenience the Dar es Salaam elite, unfortunately causes serious food shortages in poor rural areas.

Those who can afford to reduce their carbon footprint, which is their own personal contribution to climate change, have a moral obligation to do so. For the world’s wealthiest nations, whose top officials and business leaders are travelling to Davos on private jets, there simply is no excuse for inaction while rising sea levels are causing some small nations to literally disappear into the ocean.

Which of the governments recently elected or strengthened by pandering to anti-immigration sentiment, I wonder, will volunteer to accommodate hundreds of thousands of climate refugees whose island homes are vanishing while the world’s billionaires are adding yet another yacht, luxury sports car or private jet to their collection?

There are positive solutions. Renewable energies are creating sustainable wealth for many communities across the globe. From tidal wave electricity in Wales to solar energy in rural Tanzania, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

But global citizens able to sacrifice a small portion of their wealth are called upon to contribute and to compensate for those who are so poor that they have no choice but to cut down trees and burn fossil fuels for survival. As far as climate change is concerned, we will all eventually have to face this global threat, like it or not.