Tuesday, November 12, 2024

We must stop killing our planet

A lot of bad things are happening on planet earth and we read about them all the time. It’s a sad reality that the human species has over time turned against the very planet that gives it life, decimating it and robbing it of sustenance, yet they still expect it to continue giving and sustaining life.

Experts believe that as humans we are compelled to adopt a give and take relationship with our planet, failing which we will all be wiped out not so long from now. Not only do we have an enduring water crisis, our planet as a whole is perishing. Furthermore, the threat to human existence is more evident now than perhaps ever. In the wake of COP21, a resolution was made that concerted efforts should be put towards making sure that nobody is left behind during the fight against climate change. Knowledge about climate change should reach everyone across the world. Climate change is an emergency caused by humans, perpetrated by humans and one that can only be solved by humans.

As far back as 2011, all climate change forums have stated clearly that if we fail to save one country, we will fail to save the world. At the moment different countries are experiencing their unique climate challenges; and no one country’s crisis is more serious than the other. What we have in common though is the willingness and hopefully a universally shared sentiment that we need as a species to introspect and evaluate whether we are currently living in a way that nurtures rather than punishes the planet. The first and arguably most important species to zero in is the human species, as stated by one of the goals of the Paris Agreement. We are expected to explore challenges and come up with solutions on how we can exist and co-exist in the greenest possible ways to heal the earth, which is currently reported to be on its death throes. Such a scenario no doubt directly affects the life span of humans. In a city like Gaborone the sight of scrawny cattle feeding off shrubs and scantily grown grass must indeed provoke individual and collective introspection on what is really happening to our planet.

With its almost non-existent rainfall, spewing sewage pipes and littered environs, Gaborone is an eye sore and a clear indication that we have neglected our environment. Our activities do not reflect those of a nation that takes issues of climate change seriously. The silence that reaches people on such issues needs to be replaced with an effective public education system that reaches and has a great impact on even the remotest of settlements across the country. Dialogue does need to be kick started across all classes of society to ensure that every person is fully aware of and sensitive to the needs of the planet.

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