THE present-day discourse of clean energy and green technologies has taken the rest of humanity by storm. The shift from dirty energy to clean energy is quite common on many people’s lips. But climate change could be the most significant test and moral challenge for humanity in the 21st Century.
It is common knowledge that carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases generated by our industrial, agricultural and personal activities are changing the balance of the atmosphere, trapping more of the sun’s heat thereby raising average global temperatures in the process.
In this regard, our behavioural changes should indeed result in significant moral re-armament. Therefore the transition is not going to be as easy like what we read in abundant literature at our disposal.
Proper transition from the over use of fossil fuels should be witnessed through the lowering of sea levels, less flooding around the world, minimal heat waves and improvements in rainfall patterns resulting in less droughts, resurgence of forest cover and the flowing of once-dried streams and rivers.
The results and gains of behavioural changes and moral reasoning may not be seen in the immediate future since the climatic changes we are witnessing today are a result of past emissions, decades ago. Climatic changes are not immediate and spontaneous; they are quite gradual and long term although the effects are quite volatile and destructive.
Our anthropogenic or human induced actions now will have no impact on the climate for nearly 20 to 30 years to come. Therefore our behavioural changes and climate friendly attitudes will be witnessed by generations to come. That is those in their initial stages or those that have not yet born.
Even if the green energy revolution is going to be a major success, storms, floods, heat waves and droughts are still going to be with us for quite some time.
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The results of the green energy revolution are not going to unfold like manna; they are not going to be easy pickings but the planning for their positive realisation should be punctuated by positive and sustainable adaptation and mitigation initiatives.
Some successes like aforestation and reclaiming of wetlands can be realised a bit earlier while issues of mass starvation, and wars fought over access to water and fertile lands are still going to be a cause for concern. Water challenges and the lowering of the water tables around the world will indeed; send shock waves down the spines of many people in various parts of the world.
The simmering tension in the Nile belt is a case in point. Egypt and Ethiopia are no longer seeing eye to eye because of the water scarcities.
South Sudan and Sudan are also embroiled in the same nasty politics of water. Water wars can break out amongst these nations any time soon.
Southern Africa is not going to be spared either if proper planning is not done.
Climatic changes are already taking toll in the Zambezi valley and the Zambezi River is already under significant stress. Cooperation among the Sadc countries in terms of water issues is not very visible except from the massive Lesotho Highland Water Project between Lesotho and South Africa.
Zambia always wants to be too difficult when it comes to the Zambezi River and Zimbabwe should find other possible means to ensure water security for its citizens as climate change take its toll.
Investment in water security is a major requirement for Zimbabwe and it is high time awareness and education should be directed to water-harvesting techniques in order to boost reservoirs as well as small-scale uses.
The atmosphere is already in a compromised state and cannot continue to endure more. For it has been severely suffocated and saturated with over doses of greenhouse gases. This is not to make us lose hope and throw in towels.
Our moral re-armaments and behavioural changes are for the future generations to benefit. If we cease to be self-centered and egocentric then, we shall always factor in the interests of generations to come in our policy planning. Although the human race is not going to be extinct, significant life losses are going to be recorded.
This means that our behavioural changes and moral reasoning should be guided by adaptation and mitigation, coupled by sound policies and positive political will and commitment.
As it stands now, how should we live, given that some of us are now very much aware of this monster that is consuming the planet indiscriminately?
The most critical and sustainable issue is that we need climate justice and continue to factor future generations in our moral reasoning.
It high time our lives should be defined by how, as human beings, we relate ourselves with our surrounding environments. The types of relationship that we establish with nature need to be sound and reciprocal if we are to be appropriate and real stewards of the environment.
Painful statistics are that, a child born in Western countries, the UK in particular, in 2015 has an average life expectancy of 75 years while a child born in sub-Saharan Africa in 2015 has an average life expectancy of 45 years.
Therefore, the average global life expectancy at birth in 2015 is 65 years.
As such, if we continue to be major players in contributing to climate change then, indirectly, it will have a lot of bearing on our life expectancies as individuals. What need to be changed significantly are not only our behaviours, but the public moral discourse itself.
The moral values we already have and those being inculcated into us should be enough to commit us to reject massive carbon sinning currently unfolding in our environments.
As such, the belief that concern for the environment should not be simply a pursuit for the specialists, elitist or rather, the minority pursuit.
In this view, what will justify our motivations for moral reasoning is not going to be splintered voices or rather sporadic adaptive and mitigation initiatives favouring only a few and the undeserving ones.
Issues of morality and behavioural righteousness should override everything.
Concern should no longer be on carbon markets, but carbon morality issues and environmental sustainability.
Peter Makwanya is a climate change communicator. He writes in his own personal capacity and can be contacted on: [email protected]
