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How long will we eat the future of our children? |
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by Rosa Domingos | 21-03-2019 00:28
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The transition from fossil fuels is inevitable. The question is how we can manage the transition in a manner that benefits us most... The dominant response of our society to the real and present catastrophic dangers of climate change is that "we cannot eat climate change". This response is tantamount to being content with continuing to eat our grandchildren's futures (Ramphele, 2019). There is incontrovertible scientific evidence that the current level of consumption by humanity across the globe has gone beyond the boundaries of the planetary resources we are due. In 2015 we used resources equivalent to what can be produced by 1,6 planets. We are now borrowing, without permission, from resources due to those yet to be born. Evidence of catastrophic changes in the weather patterns in our country and across the globe can no longer be ignored as anomalies. Scientific evidence and lived reality of extreme weather patterns cannot be wished away (Ramphele, 2019). .jpeg) (climate matters, Twitter, 2019). The South African Academy of Sciences that promotes science knowledge to enhance the well being of society, in its November 2018 issue of QUEST is sounding the alarm bells. It has set out an urgent to-do list for southern Africa to meet its obligations to the Intergovernmental Agreement on Climate Change our government signed in 2015 in Paris (Ramphele, 2019). The frightening reality is that no country in the world is on track to meet the obligations to keep global warming below 1.5 Celsius by halving our carbon footprint by 2030 and getting it to zero by 2050. Africa as a continent is the most vulnerable region to the risks of climate change given the impact of the legacy and on-going extractive economic development models introduced by colonial conquest, inequitable spatial planning that make for a high carbon footprint due to inefficient sprawling cities with pollutant transport systems accompanied by very poor levels of public services. We know from Green Peace research reports that Mpumalanga is the most polluted region in the world with carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrogen emissions from the combination of Eskom and Sasol energy generation and oil production. The cruel irony is that archaeological evidence attests to Mpumalanga having been the food basket of our region in ancient history (Ramphele, 2019). The coal we are now mining and laying bare resulting in high carbon emissions, was the organic fertiliser that ensured food security and trading between nations of the surplus produced. Yes, people did eat healthily because they respected nature! The transition from fossil fuels is inevitable. The question is how we can manage the transition in a manner that benefits us most. The government needs to overcome its conflict of interest dilemmas arising out of its alliance with the labour unions under Cosatu. South African citizens deserve better. Those yet to be born deserve better. The good news is that you can eat climate change! Here is why. The transitions we need to make to urgently tackle climate change are very good for the wellbeing of humans and nature. First, preserving nature ensures sustainability of species that sustain our lives and are essential to livelihoods and industries of tourism and food security. We would also be healthier and spend less money on respiratory and other diseases, including cancer. Second, we can create more jobs in a more sustainable way from renewable energy sources from our abundant sunshine, wind and rivers in Africa and connect every home with safe clean energy without the dangers of informal connections that are killing our children. Third, we urgently need to build compact cities and towns to create safe, clean and dignified human settlements that would create millions of sustainable and decent jobs. The benefits of compact cities and towns include higher quality public services and more cohesive communities across the fault lines of our society. People living together, children playing and schooling together would inevitably work together for the common good (Ramphele, 2019). The rest of the world is looking to Ubuntu (which translates to the Spirit of Togetherness) as a vehicle and defining value system to enable humanity living in harmony with one another and with nature. Humanity evolved here because our ancestors learnt to live in harmony with nature. We urgently need to tap into that rich heritage to sustain us and those yet to be born (Ramphele, 2019). Reference list: - Mamphela Ramphele is co-founder of ReimagineSA. 2019. Columnists. [Online]. Available: https://www.news24.com/Columnists/Mamphela_Ramphele/how-long-will-we-eat-the-future-of-our-children-20190206. Feb 06, 2019. Accessed: March 19, 2019. Images: What will our climate look like in 2050? | ScienceNordic. Accessed, 2019. (cover image) Climate matters | Twitter. Accessed, 2019. |
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9 Comments
Greetings Rosa
I hope you are doing well
Thank you so much for this report
Keep writing
Green cheers
Regards
Sus
Posted 15-03-2020 16:47
Good day Mentor Wonhee,
I trust you are well. Thank you for you informative insight on my report. More than ever, it has been seen that our efforts to counteract climate change has not been given enough air space. Moreover, our views an warnings of an adverse climate turning into a dreadful condition has been falling on deaf ears. I do hope that they efforts they are trying to initiate does eventually cancel out the effects of what fossil fuels have produced.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my report.
Warm regards,
Rosa.
Posted 27-03-2019 16:11
Hello Rosa!
Thank you for your wonderful report! Above all, I like how you changed “we cannot eat climate change” to “we??re eating our grandchildren??s future” sarcastically, which was very sharp insight. As you pointed out in the report, obligations among countries are not met since environments have been sacrificed for economic development. However, getting rid of fossil fuels can actually improve people??s lives in the long run and I really like how you approached to this problem. Thank you for your report and I hope to read more articles about sustainable development in the future!
Wonhee Mentor
Posted 27-03-2019 15:54
Hi Partner!
Thank you for reading my report and for you vote of confidence in me. You are right, we should take steps on making sure that our future is not lost nor that of the coming generation. Right now, the health of the Earth is more important, and should be seen as a direct link to our future generation's wellbeing.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Posted 26-03-2019 14:58
Hi Asmita!
I do hope that our voices of plea does not fall on deaf ears.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Posted 26-03-2019 14:55
Hello Rosa
Everytime I read your level, I just get boosted up with the energy. The hardwork you put upto write the report and the knowledge in it is just amazing. With our activities, we ourself are destroying our future and future of next generation. We must be responsible towards our activities and act in such a way that we can create a secure future. We must follow the principle of sustainability.
Green Cheers from Nepal :)
Keep writing great reports.
We are eager to read more reports from you.
Yours,
Kushal Naharki
Posted 25-03-2019 13:30
Hello Rosa sis
Yes we can eat the climate change before they spoil ours and future generation future.
Thank you so much for this report.
Green cheers
Posted 24-03-2019 11:17
Hi Mentor Louis,
Yes, food security can only be maintained if we look after the actual source. We have been neglecting the health on the Earth for financial gain and if we do not set our eyes straight to its health, we may see a deteriorated Earth sooner rather than later.
Thank you for commenting Mentor!
Posted 24-03-2019 03:42
Hi Rosa,
I'm glad that I read your article, and you pointed out the importance of nature in terms of human food consumption. We were able to eat healthy food because nature is respected! But now, the earth is sick. We can all feel that the climate change has brought many troubles and local government is working hard to mitigate the climate change consequence. In this sense, I really liked your article that you actually connected nature to food, and we all should thank the nature.
Greatk work, and please keep it up! :)
Louis Mentor
Posted 24-03-2019 01:44