Flavia Lanyero
11 November 2009
The Advocate Coalition for Development and Environment (Acode) has projected that over 70 per cent of the world's population, most of whom live in developing countries are to suffer adverse effects of climate change in the next 80 years if no environmental measures are taken.
Speaking at the United Nations and United Nations Association of Uganda (Unau) Celebrations at Makerere University Business School (Mubs), the Manager Environmental Democracy programme, Acode, Onesmus Mugyenyi, said that the warnings in the 2005 Intergovernmental Panel and World Meteorological Organisation report on climate change which have already started occurring are to affect more than 70 per cent of the world's population, Uganda inclusive. The Intergovernmental Panel and World Meteorological Organisation report on climate change 2005 projected that food insecurity would rise, agricultural productivity decline, vectors and water borne diseases increase and vulnerability of coastal communities increase.
There would also be accelerated desert land and increased conflict over internationally shared water bodies. It was also projected that 40 per cent of the African coast would disappear, displacing over 70 million people and also causing the disappearance of about 70 per cent of plants and animals.
Mr Mugyenyi said that there is need for urgent environmental intervention with firm community participation in environmental policy making so that policies made do not impact negatively on the people. He added that areas infested by mosquitoes in Uganda are also expanding, with Kabale that never had mosquitoes now having many mosquito-breeding grounds, an implication that diseases like malaria are to kill more people.
El-nino rains have already hit the country. Reports indicate that shores of Lake Victoria, Tanganyika and Chad are also reducing, monsoon winds that bring rain are now up to 20 times drier and up to a third of the population lacks adequate food. Under the theme "engaging the community for environmental conservation" at the commemoration of United Nation's foundation day, the youth were called upon to take action in environmental conservation since they are going to be the most affected in the near future.
This is because 1.2 billion of the world's population are youth and 80 per cent of them are from Africa. Juliet Katega, a senior lecturer at Mubs called upon students to join environmental programmes that have been set up in universities and schools. She says that this not only helps to conserve the environment but also adds to the knowledge of the students.
According to the Secretary General of Unau, Richard Baguma, there are UN clubs in all the major universities in the country in which students engage in environmental conservation activities like raising awareness on environmental conservation. "These clubs equip the students with skills in leadership, conflict management and caring other people and the environment,, Ms Katega said.
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