TANZANIA’S CLIMATE AGENDA IS CRITICAL
As Tanzania is about to table its agenda at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, it is important that the severity of drastic changes caused by human activities be put in perspective. Tanzania is cognizant of the human flaws that have perpetuated climate change over the years. For this reason, one of the callings as President Samia Suluhu Hassan leads a local delegation to Glasgow is that the industrialized nations fulfil their $100 billion pledge to Africa.
The pledge, made in 2015 aimed to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change in Africa. However, it remains unfulfilled to date, leading to more widespread effects on human activities on the environment.
But apart from demanding the world’s top economies to fulfil their pledge, Tanzania will also show the globe the steps taken nationally to ensure the protection of the environment which in turn will result in an improved climate.
A recent UN report titled the State of the Climate in Africa, released by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization and other agencies, warns that climate change will be the cause for the disappearance of glaciers in eastern Africa.
The report further warned that shrinking glaciers at Mount Kilimanjaro, Kenya’s Mount Kenya, and Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains are signs of widespread climate change to come. The report further stressed that if the shrinking rate continues, then all the glaciers atop these iconic mountains will have disappeared by 2040.
This paints a grimmer and more alarming picture of just how close we are to the brink of rendering our natural landmarks extinct. Tanzania is known as the land of Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and the Serengeti, one can only imagine the loss of appeal that will ensue once Kilimanjaro – Africa’s tallest mountain loses its glaciers.
But, the silver lining is that this is an avoidable outcome. Tanzania should continue to rally support for better protection of the environment at the national and international levels. Optimism becomes commonplace when the government reiterates its intent to see a shift in how we conserve the environment. So, as President Samia and Foreign Affairs minister Liberata Mulamula head the Tanzanian delegation to address the world’s common interest and problem in Glasgow, Africa as a whole needs to be on one accord to ensure the industrialized nations are held accountable for their contribution to climate change.
Supporting global initiatives
As President Samia noted before departing to attend the conference, Tanzania is a signatory to many global conventions on climate change, such as the Cotonou Partnership Agreement signed in 2000 in which the country takes part every year. The importance of such agreements is to have a common goal between Tanzania with Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) and the European Union on various issues related to climate change.
It is therefore imperative that as world leaders meet to discuss the pressing matter of climate change, all the contributory factors need to be addressed and a way forward needs to be aligned to ensure the sustainability of efforts aimed at protecting the environment. by working together towards a common goal the world can avert further destruction of the environment through human economic activities, and hence lessen climate change.
