CLIMATE CRISIS TO FUEL OTHER PROBLEMS

Sir,

Rising temperatures are making extreme weather events like floods, cyclones and heatwaves more frequent and more intense – with devastating effects on people’s lives and livelihoods globally.
Research proves with a mountain-sized body of geographic evidence that it is the poorest countries and communities that bear the brunt of suffering to a larger degree, despite their least contribution to the climate crisis. When climate disasters strike, they often cause casualties, displacement and most importantly, hunger. This is quite frankly because when we experience extreme temperatures, agricultural production is affected in an extreme way, and this may result to hunger.

Fact

It is an irrefutable fact that when natural disasters wipeout crops and livestock, food prices will skyrocket and as a result of climate-induced poverty, people may not afford the rising cost of food. This in turn leads to conflicts and instability as people compete for scarce resources or protest over high food costs. Social unrests may sprout as the citizens plunged into poverty and hunger may begin to challenge their government of failing them by pushing up food prices. The country is currently enveloped by torrential rains which have led to detrimental impacts across all regions, particularly in the Hhohho and Shiselweni regions, if the statistics by the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) are anything to rely on.

Effects

These flash floods have caused significant effects on infrastructure, as we have witnessed bridges washed away, destruction of roads and hundreds of homes and houses damaged. Crops were not spared. This means that we need to be proactive instead of being reactive and prepare for such calamitous natural disasters beforehand. This will help to mitigate their impacts when these inevitable crisis hit. Of course, this includes pumping enough funds by both government and the private sector. It is no secret that a collaborative intervention of both the State and citizen sector can yield positive outcomes. The masses need to be enlightened through campaigns on how to respond when they experience floods, for instance.

It is, therefore, of paramount importance for the Government of Eswatini, particularly the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, to take the climate crisis seriously and work collaboratively with relevant stakeholders in raising crisis-resilient citizens, and making efforts to lessen the effects of these calamities. Government must further recognise and acknowledge that all crises are interconnected; each crisis has the potential to give birth to another. The truth of the matter is, when the people experience hunger, they will start blaming everything on government and this might give birth to a political upheaval, because as it is said, ‘a hungry man can’t see right or wrong’.

Lucky Van Desa Vilakati

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: