Saturday, 19 September 2009 | posted by Matt_BC
Africa Youth Summit 2009, Climate change, Environment
By Mubarick Masawudu
On cold nights in Cape Town, South Africa, friends and neighbours can be found gathered at the house of a man called Happy. While Happy may well be the perfect host, his company is not only the attraction for those who have come together under his roof; the roof itself is a large part of the draw. Happy’s ceiling has recently been insulated, keeping his house much warmer than others in his neighbourhood. And the ceiling is not the only change on his-low income housing estate. Some houses have new solar water heaters. Others have had low-energy light bulbs fitted for the first time. These new developments are intended to reduce the green house gas emissions from Happy’s neighbourhood.
But these are not the initiative of individual homeowners, nor are they the result of extra money coming from a housing cooperation. No, the drive behind these changes comes from thousands of miles away. Funding for the low-emission projects in this Cape Town neighbourhood was agreed by politicians of the G8 meeting in Scotland in 2005, to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s richest countries.
In another part of South Africa, Green house gas emissions from the world’s richest countries have also had a direct impact on someone’s life. This time, however, the effect is far more destructive.
A woman called Barbra living in Nwadjahane in Mozambique has had little chance of entertaining her neighbours as Happy did. Barbra lost the roof over her head when her house was lost in storms and flooding in the year 2000. She rebuilt the house but in 2004 it was badly hit again. Undaunted, she rebuilt it again and got to work planting crops. But the terrible weather affected her work as well as her home. A drought killed her seedlings, Barbra replanted, but the drought continued well into what should have been the rainy season. In response she planted a drought-resilient crop the following year. Unfortunately, the water situation continued to be disastrously unpredictable; this time, heavy rains brought flooding and destroyed the harvest.
This is a story by Melanie Jarman, the story of climate change – the story that shapes our world today. The story of climate change impacts on the availability of food and water systems, increasingly deepening wounds already created as result of extreme poverty. The UN has announced that, about 600,000 people were affected by floods that swept across West Africa from June 2009, till now. Some 159 deaths have also been recorded in this incident. Recent floods in Turkey have also left 32 people dead with 8 others missing.
According to SciDev.net, in an article, Get the Science Straight on Climate Change and Diseases by Sian Lewis, “there is clearly a link between insect-borne diseases and climate. Variables such as temperature and rainfall influence vector and parasite development and lifecycles, as well as feeding rates — and therefore disease transmission rates”. Though current scientific data leaves much to debate on, climate change may have a link with the increase in the spread of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Watch out for subsequent editions of this article as we explore solutions and measures to tackle climate change.
Mubarick Masawudu (Ghana)
Africa Youth Summit, 2009
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19 September 2009
Mubarick
thats all i have to say 
You could make a short story compilation focused on climate change, can i use this story as a senario in one of the activities we have…:) I also like that I am also one of the leading subjects in the story. Hahahahah eat your heart out District 9
19 September 2009
hey Happy, it has been on my mind to drop u a message telling u that I have used your name in a cause we are fighting for, but had no time. off course you can use the story. I am developing a CAP that shares the spirit with Centigrade, but with a different action plan; we will discuss that further when u get the time. The CAP is dubbed, ‘‘Environmental Diaries’’
19 September 2009
Na i am all good with the name thing hahahah. I am interested in your Cap since we spoke in Cape Town. But lets talk when you have time and we can find common ground so we can share initiatives, and have maximum impact. But drop me mail tell me all.
20 September 2009
ok! bro
will write u as soon as I can, also watch out for other parts of the this article.
21 September 2009
Hey Mubarick,
Awsome short story… get it published… will mail u an idea…
21 September 2009
great, will be waiting for u expert advice
30 September 2009
Yellow fever: Found in the tropical regions of Africa and parts of Central and South America, this virus is carried by mosquitoes, which will spread into new areas as changes in temperatures and precipitation levels permit.
13 October 2009
WE NEED TO SUPPORT THE COPEN HAGEN
The issue of climatic change has for the recent years risen to the top of the list of preference for all countries across the World. Many summits of world leaders have been held and continuity of these forums is characteristic of climatic change’s imposibility to be solved at once.Because of its complexity and sophistications, the matter has on several occasiions been addressed partially and it’s appetising for enthusiasts to know that many of the results of these deliberations are viable, do-able things.
But before the World can cross the red line, there is yet another lap to make in the persuit of the pass mark. The ball is still in our hands as we direct it to the Copenhagen summit of December 2009 that will bring together ministers, NGOs, Industry groups and UN officials to decide upon and sign a new Global agreement on Climatic change. This will be a greater reflection and refined action plan from the Kyoto Protocol among other conventions that will revitalise and reienforce efforts to curb climatic change since its focus is expected to drive to practicability of previous agreements.
All submissions to be made by all countries, regions and organisations are expected to drive at a conclusive unanimously consented agreement to save the world from greater damage that is ineviatable if the trend of events continues to be the same of “I don’t care and am not worried.”
These ladies and genlemen need our support, so GC family, let us raise the bunner high
13 October 2009
Climate change is not my strongest point but I understand the issues completely.
@ Mubarick - I ‘ve been to the Green Cross sites and you guys are amazing!! good stuff.
@ Mrsa - yeah Yellow Fever is indeed spreading especially south of the yellow fever belt, so Southern Africa, Zam, Zim, Moz, even SA its coming. I cant even begin to describe how searingly hot it is in Zim this summer! I’ve never experienced anything like this heat before! Not even a drop of rain in sight?
On my part I got the very expensive YF vaccine a few years ago which I had to travel 440km’s for from my home town to the capital Harare! It was cheaper to travel than to go to a private doctor! Still it was so expensive at the public hospital, so you can imagine if you actually get the disease what trouble you can be in!