Preach “Global cooling…”

By Ebenezer T. Bifubyeka

RESIDENTS of Biafra cell, Kamukuzi division, Mbarara municipality in Uganda have complained for a long time over the stench from the tyres often burnt from the area.

The area traders using old motor-tyres to make ‘lugabire’ (traditional flat-shoes) are prime suspects of burning those tyres. These traders operating from the veranda of Makhan Sigh food market - again burnt a heap of tyres last weekend!

The dark, stinking fumes from burning plastics destroy the layer (ozone), which filters high amounts of heat from the sun before reaching the earth surface. That ozone layer is being destroyed. A lot of heat now reaches the earth surface unchecked, causing skin cancer, dry spells, prolonged droughts, deserts and gradual increase of temperature!

The sun is as hot as 6,000 degrees centigrade! Remember, water boils at 100 degrees centigrade, and cheese boils at 1,000 degrees centigrade – which heat burns any plastic jerry-can more than benzene does! The ozone layer, which acts as a roof or a filter of such catastrophic heat from the sun is being destroyed! Are we safe!

We have often heard a phrase, ‘global warming;’ what is it? This is a gradual increase in temperature on earth’s surface.’ Global warming is caused by the building up of gasses in the atmosphere (mainly carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide), which trap radiation from the sun in the atmosphere - causing a warming effect. Carbon dioxide released from burning plant cover contributes to this effect. The built gases form ‘greenhouse effect.’

The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere trap energy from the sun. We need gases in the atmosphere to trap energy from the sun. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would not be warm enough for humans to live in. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it makes the earth warmer; and a minor extra warming is dangerous to humans, plants, and animals!

The increased heat from the sun in addition to lots of heat generated from the accumulation of warm gases (greenhouse effect) have led to increased temperatures evidenced by ‘heat waves’ (periods of at least three consecutive days of temperatures hovering over 90°F (32.2°C) that killed over 35,000 people in Europe in 2003.

The concern now is, ‘how do we stop ‘global warming?’’ The answer is ‘global cooling!’ And what is ‘global cooling?’ This is the opposite of ‘global warming.’ ‘Global cooling’ is a gradual decrease of temperature on earth’s surface and oceans. What do the two terminologies (‘global warming’ and ‘global cooling’) have to do with us?

Resultant dry spells are intensifying famine. Our farm wells, springs, rivers and lakes are drying up. 90% of Lake Chad has dried up! Lake Chad, which used to be 30,000sq.km, has shrunk to 3,000sq.km over the last 40 years! It was 820 feet (250 meters), now it is 23 feet (7 meters) deep, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, Michael Coe and Jonathan Foley! Besides, our giant Lake Victoria has dried up by two meters – causing a demoralising ‘disease’ of load shedding!

Forests have been cut. ‘About 1,080 hectares of about 1,210 hectares of Bugamba forest reserve, Rwampara in Mbarara have been cleared! About 80 hectares are remaining!’ Results of tree loss: more than 100 community protected springs in Kabale have dried up!

Who is responsible for the drying of water bodies and general environmental degradation? You and I are responsible! After cutting trees and other vegetation cover on most hills countrywide, we have now resorted to burning bushes and plastics! We have also cut trees and cleared swamps! Therefore, we have ‘warmed’ the globe! If I or you have not done this personally, your worker, neighbour or friend has done it!

Our ignorant or reckless actions have dried up the entire continent. Africa up in smoke 2,’ Britain’s Hadley centre for climatic change (2006), discloses; “Africa is 0.5 degrees centigrade warmer than it was 100 years ago! Temperature in many African areas will double global average increase! Drought patterns stand to worsen!”

The UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) head, Achim Steiner warns, “Africa is more vulnerable than feared to global warming, with 70% million people at risk from coastal flooding by 2080 and about 40% of wildlife habitats under threat.”

Its time government preached about ‘global cooling!’ To cool the earth, we need to stop burning plastics, protect swamps, forests and plant more trees. Thank God; a lot of public outcries in conjunction with the press have - at least for now - saved 17,500 acres (7,100 hectares) of pristine virgin Mabira forest from being destroyed by Mehtas Company.

The innocent 312sq.metre Mabira forest strides across Jinja-Kampala highway in Eastern Uganda. But we should not be complacent; anytime the government might effect its initial plan of letting Mabira go! We need to keep crying. And here I cry. Protecting forests like Mabira is a significant step towards ‘global cooling.’

National environmental management authority (NEMA) and national forestry association should influence local authorities to enact bylaws enforcing people upcountry to stop burning plastics, and plant and protect trees. A policy stopping everyone from cutting his ‘own’ tree without a permit - should be enacted and enforced.

Three major conventions responsible for controlling climate change: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Kyoto Protocol and United Nations Convention on Controlling Desertification (UNCCD) should intervene and ensure enforcement of international environmental law, Amen!

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