Biafra, Mbarara, Western Uganda.
THE US President, Barrack Obama recognises that the US, the world’s largest historic emitter of greenhouse gases, must be a leader in the global effort to combat climate change, according to the US ambassador to Uganda, Jerry P. Lanier.
President Obama’s economic stimulus package includes over $80b (sh176 trillion) for clean energy. Besides, Obama has called on the US Congress to develop a comprehensive clean energy legislation to cut emissions by 14% from 2005 levels to 83% in 2050.
But actions by the US and all major emitting nations to mitigate climate change won’t be enough – without the involvement of the developing countries. And individual citizens must physically participate in the battle of combating climate change. Let’s not be relieved by the fact that the developed countries are greatly responsible for climate change. You and I are significantly responsible.
Have you heard about, ‘cut one and plant two?’ How many trees have you planted? Do you have trees in your compound? Are you one of those who have covered their compounds with interlocking bricks? Do members of the Rotary Club, Lion Club, Scouts and Girl Guides in Uganda encourage wood consumers like the army, prisons, schools, bricklayers, carpenters, hoteliers and timber dealers – to plant trees?
Global warming continues to escalate as evidenced by climate change. Climate change is any change in global temperatures and precipitation over time due to natural variability or human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and industrial air pollution.
Such human activities have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Consequently, more infrared radiation has been captured in the atmosphere thus causing changes in the air temperature, rainfall patterns, sea-level rise, and melting of glaciers. Such changes in weather patterns cause severe floods, diseases and famine.
Climate change warns us to stop further degradation of green belts such as swamps, open grounds like independence parks and golf pitches. These green belts especially in urban areas – filtrate the run offs of surface water prior to other discharge water bodies.
Many people are adopting a perilous habit of cementing pavements and compounds. The green grasses are vital, for they ease the percolation of water into the soil. More so, we are going skyscraper and storm water is increasing on the surface, resulting into floods. Floods are the breeding zones for mosquitoes, which mosquitoes are behind the persistent malaria pandemic, our number one killer in Uganda!
THE US President, Barrack Obama recognises that the US, the world’s largest historic emitter of greenhouse gases, must be a leader in the global effort to combat climate change, according to the US ambassador to Uganda, Jerry P. Lanier.
President Obama’s economic stimulus package includes over $80b (sh176 trillion) for clean energy. Besides, Obama has called on the US Congress to develop a comprehensive clean energy legislation to cut emissions by 14% from 2005 levels to 83% in 2050.
But actions by the US and all major emitting nations to mitigate climate change won’t be enough – without the involvement of the developing countries. And individual citizens must physically participate in the battle of combating climate change. Let’s not be relieved by the fact that the developed countries are greatly responsible for climate change. You and I are significantly responsible.
Have you heard about, ‘cut one and plant two?’ How many trees have you planted? Do you have trees in your compound? Are you one of those who have covered their compounds with interlocking bricks? Do members of the Rotary Club, Lion Club, Scouts and Girl Guides in Uganda encourage wood consumers like the army, prisons, schools, bricklayers, carpenters, hoteliers and timber dealers – to plant trees?
Global warming continues to escalate as evidenced by climate change. Climate change is any change in global temperatures and precipitation over time due to natural variability or human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and industrial air pollution.
Such human activities have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Consequently, more infrared radiation has been captured in the atmosphere thus causing changes in the air temperature, rainfall patterns, sea-level rise, and melting of glaciers. Such changes in weather patterns cause severe floods, diseases and famine.
Climate change warns us to stop further degradation of green belts such as swamps, open grounds like independence parks and golf pitches. These green belts especially in urban areas – filtrate the run offs of surface water prior to other discharge water bodies.
Many people are adopting a perilous habit of cementing pavements and compounds. The green grasses are vital, for they ease the percolation of water into the soil. More so, we are going skyscraper and storm water is increasing on the surface, resulting into floods. Floods are the breeding zones for mosquitoes, which mosquitoes are behind the persistent malaria pandemic, our number one killer in Uganda!
Instead of seeking solutions to address such problems, we are exacerbating them by destroying the green belts that absorb water. That aside, is anybody bothered about the loss of national tree cover from 28% in 1988 to 13% by 2008? The loss of water catchment areas has led to poor and filthy water quality thus subsequent deaths of fish!
Is our fish endangered by greenhouse gases – comprised of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and ozone? Ozone – a molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms called trioxygen (O3) – accelerates the depletion of ozone layer. Ozone layer – a single thickness of cover in earth’s atmosphere – absorbs 93-99% of the sun’s high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to life on earth. Ozone layer filters that potentially damaging ultraviolet light in the upper atmosphere from reaching the earth’s surface.
With that in mind, do we feel concerned when scientists warn that, ‘Due to greenhouse effect, the sky is shrinking? About five miles of sky have been lost since 1958 and that figure may double over the next century!’ We badly need trees to absorb carbon dioxide.
On January 2, 2009, The New Vision published an article quoting the Director of Natural Resources in National Forestry Authority, Hudson Andura as saying, ‘fifteen urban forest reserves, including that in Mbarara, are to be degazzated to cater for the growing population and development in fifteen towns countrywide.’
Urban centres are meeting points for greenhouse gases emitted from factories like steel rolling mills, vehicles, bakeries and incinerators among others. Some factory proprietors have not installed the electrostatic precipitators. These are collection devices that remove 90 to 98 percent of particles from escaping smoke and gases – emitted from the steel rolling mills. Trees remain an immediate alternative to reduce such pollutant gases.
We are ‘murdering’ trees for construction and fuel – without planting others! Besides mitigating climate change, trees absorb noise. Trees stand side by side with skyscrapers in developed countries; and forest reserves are part of the city environment in those affluent countries. Do we know why?
The reason is to mitigate city noise. Trees just do that for you, free of charge; you don’t need to install any machinery as soundproof. Ornamental and ambient trees in urban compounds, streets, recreational centres and hospitals reflect the noise to the upper direction. There used to be enough shed trees at Mbarara regional referral hospital purposely to reduce noise levels of vehicles for the sick. Those trees are being scared off!
As Uganda climbs the ladders of development, her environment is going more brown than green! Despite pressures from investors and politicians to develop urban areas, the brown environment should be in harmony with conservation. Otherwise we are heading for more disastrous floods, desertification and subsequent famine! Aren’t we?
For God’s sake, for the sake of nature and for the sake of reducing diseases, famine, loss of fish market and noise, let’s be responsible. It is not expensive for us to be; is it? We only need to plant trees, and protect the natural ones; period.
End.
Word Count: 912.
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