Godlove Bainkong
29 October 2009
Focus yesterday on JERSIC 2009 was on how scientific research could be used to solve problems in the two areas.
Participants at the ongoing second edition of the week of excellence of scientific research and innovation dubbed, "JERSIC 2009" yesterday focused attention on climate change and renewable energy, two areas that appear to be drawing public attention of late especially as a result of global warming and energy shortage.
In one of the presentations titled, "An Assessment of the Causes, Magnitude and Impact of Climate Change on Cameroon: Future Perspective", Professor Samuel Ayonghe of the University of Buea said climate change is caused among others by volcanic gases and dust, changes in ocean movement, fluctuations in solar output and increased concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere.
He said these changes have far reaching consequences on the environment and population: notably drying up of springs, streams and reduction in volumes of rivers leading to scarcity of potable water, sporadic and prolonged precipitation which causes disastrous floods and landslides, prevalence of infectious diseases such as malaria in new areas, changes in agricultural patterns with reduction of crop yields due to increased temperatures and decreased rainfall.
Like Dr Aboubakar Njoya who also presented a paper on climate change, Professor Ayonghe beseeched the government to allocate sufficient resources (human, material, and financial, etc.) required for adopting stringent policies towards mitigating the impacts of this phenomenon on the population and on the economy of the country. He said this among other measures, “will be effective if and only if their implementation is holistic, cuts across the entire African continent, and are not limited to specific countries (such as Cameroon) since the impacts of the phenomenon do not respect territorial boundaries”.
Renewable energy was also at the centre of discussions with Cameroonians in the Diaspora explaining the need to desist from wholly depending on hydroelectricity.
The ongoing discussions and exhibitions end tomorrow Friday with the prize awards to researchers who will excel.
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Renewable energy and climate change are closely connected issues. Part of the solution to the climate change problem can be funded through the thirst for renewable energy. Aquatic weeds, which clog many of your waterways, are the dessication machines that are drying your continent. They are biomass with altogether too much renewability. They can be made into ethanol, methane, biomass briquettes, and charcoal. They can replace much fossil fuel use, with all of the associated GHG. Clearing Africa's waters of these weeds, and dredging the silt that they have left will help restore the water cycle to health. There are many old rivers and lakes that have been completely dry for years. They must be dug out, back to their old beds. In time, the rains that come will get them back in contact with the underground water, restoring both. Cleanse your current wetlands, restore your old ones, and the climate will take care of itself again. You can finance it on the biofuel to be harvested.