The rainfall pattern is changing, seasons are overlapping in an unusual manner from the conventional way.
Three days ago, there was a tornado on the outskirts of Gaborone, Botswana blowing off roofs and taking with it farm animals. This is a new incidence, it has never happened before according to Botswana’s Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Jimmy Opole.
According to Opelo, Botswana is currently water stressed, the rainfall pattern can no longer be predicted and everyday Tswanas look up into the sky hoping and praying it will rain but, there is rain.
Though the story is told by a Tswana, many miles away, it does resonate well with what is happening in Malawi and many other parts of Africa—climate change is no longer just a scientific story told in abstract terms but it is tangible experience whose impacts are visible from agriculture, health and across other sectors of the economy.
“Rivers and dams are drying up. We don’t need to be told that things are changing, everyone can see that things are not the way they used to be. We’ve never had a tornado in Botswana before, this is new and there can only be one explanation and that is these are the effects of climate change,” said Opole in his remarks during the opening of the Pre-African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) civil society consultative meeting in Gaborone, Botswana.
Secretary General for Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (Pacja) Mithika Mwenda, bemoaned African governments’ lack of seriousness and casual approach at handling issues of environment and climate change.
Mwenda said African civil society is appalled by manner with which environmental and climate change issues are relegated to back-burner in the continent’s political and diplomatic as well as economic interactions.
“Our governments are not tackling climate change issues with the seriousness that they deserve. These are issues that should be on their priority list. Even AU [African Union] takes issues of ICC [International Criminal Court] seriously but not environment,” he said.
Opole commended civil societies in Africa for their role in advocating for sustainable development.
“As civil society, there is no doubt that they are more close to the communities than any other entity, they are in touch with what people experience therefore, are better placed to incorporate communities’ views into the universal agenda ,” Opole said.
The Pre-AMCEN meeting has been organised in readiness for the 5th Special Session of AMCEN which will take place from October 15to 18 October in Gaborone Botswana. It is also a preparatory meeting for the Conference of Parties 19 (COP19) which will be held in Warsaw Poland in November.
At the end of the meeting, CSOs will draft a communiqué as a contribution to the AMCEN special session meeting where CSOs will stipulate their expectations and offer advice to African ministers on environment.
