Summary
· The forum came up with a proposal for the establishment of a special fund to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change to developing countries
Dar es Salaam. You might have heard several times about
the devastating impact of climate change, but you don’t get the real picture of
what it is.
But the magnitude of its impact was well detailed yesterday by
experts during the Mwananchi Thought Leadership Forum (MTLF) that deliberated
climate change issues.
The scourge is causing Tanzania a loss of up to Sh5 trillion
annually, according to an expert.
Speaking at the forum, an industrial engineer from the division of
environment in the Vice President’s Office, Mr. Julius Enock, said climate
change was also affecting various sectors, including agriculture, which is
heavily relied on by the majority of Tanzanians.
The effects of climate change in the agricultural sector, Mr Enock
noted, costs the government Sh1.3 trillion every year. This, he said, was due
to floods, droughts and increased crop diseases.
“It is a big disaster in this sector that our economy depends on,”
he said.
He also touched on how climate change was negatively impacting on
the health sector, saying the scourge has led to the rise of diseases that did
not exist naturally.
He said Tanzania is ranked 26th among countries at high risk of
affected by climate change, explaining that most of the economic sectors in the
country were linked to the environment.
A brainchild of Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL), the forum,
held at Serena Hotel, hosted between 200 and 300 people.
The large scale discussion was held under the theme “Exploring
Tanzanian Responses and Solutions.”
The deputy minister in the Vice President’s Office (responsible
for Union and Environment), Mr Khamis Hamza Khamis, said increased heat stress,
drought, loss of fertility on land and soil erosion was expected to
significantly lower food production 2050.
“It is estimated that the number of people who migrate from rural
to urban areas to pursue life and other services will increase by the year 2030
due to effects of climate change, he said.
He said the government had taken various steps to address the
effects of the scourge by putting more emphasis on the care and conservation of
the environment.
Among the measures, he highlighted, were the revision of the
national environmental policy, setting of strategies and plans to address
climate change, including the ambitious national plan 2022/32.
“The government has invested in various projects to deal with the
effects of climate change, including the standard gauge railway, power
generation projects, the rapid transit project, as well as various national
environmental programs such as tree planting,” he said.
Mr Khamis who represented the Vice President, Dr Philip Mpango at
the forum said dealing with the effects of climate change required joint
efforts of all stakeholders.
“That is why the government has been cooperating with stakeholders
in facing the situation that threatens the security and the well-being of
people around the world,” he said.
He commended the Mwananchi Communications Limited for coming up
with the initiative that has been at the forefront of informing the public
regarding conservation and care for the environment.”
“We take this opportunity on behalf of the government to
congratulate you for the great and good work you are doing to educate the
community.”
“The government assures you it will collaborate with various
partners, including the media to inform the community on the crucial need for
caring for the environment and fighting the effects of climate change.
“Let me take this opportunity to ask financial institutions to
establish special financial programmes that will enable people to secure loans
for sustainable projects in the energy sector and the construction of safe
buildings,” he said.
Policy Adviser, USAID SERA BORA project, Prof David Nyange, said
the agricultural sector largely contributed to climate change was also victim
of the menace.
He said that modern agriculture was still not used in the country
and instead production was more dependent on the expansion of lands.
“Every year, more than 400,000 hectares in Tanzania are cleared
for various activities, including agriculture. We also have animal husbandry
that exceeds the capacity of the existing land.
“Most of crops that we produce, especially grain, are less than
one ton per hectare when we can usually produce up to four tons per hectare,”
he said. It was a shared view of the forum that success in dealing with the
effects of climate change will be achieved if the government involves all
citizens in the efforts.
MCL’s Board Chairman, Mr Leonard Mususa cited the example of the
Costa Rican nation that has succeeded in dealing with the scourge through the
participation of all citizens.
“The government cannot be successful in plans without those plans
reaching the bottom, every citizen must have goals to achieve in order to fight
climate change,” he said.
He noted that the discussion was crucial because it was being held
one year after the major international meeting on the effects of climate change
(COP27) was held in Egypt.
Mr Mususa said various resolutions were reached at the forum,
including the establishment of a special fund to mitigate the effects that
developing countries incurred.
“Resolutions have been reached but we as citizens and stakeholders
have a chance to ensure that we have goals to deal with the effects of climate
change,” he explained.
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