Climate change: Earth’s future in our hands

South Africa is one of many African countries that have started to witness the horrendous effects of climate change which has killed so many people and destroyed livelihoods in recent years.

In April 2022, more than 40 000 people were affected by heavy rain which lasted for 13 days. More than 448 people died and 13 000 homes were damaged or destroyed by this now not-so-usual weather.

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People were displaced while public facilities such as roads, schools, healthcare centres, sports grounds and buildings were ruined. In December 2023, heavy floods killed 21 people in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal.

Goal 13 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations advocates climate action by encouraging everyone to play a role in combating the effects of it.

Imagine if a lot of us used bicycles to go to work, reduced consumption, adopted energy-saving habits and considered sustainable measures to protect the planet from humankind’s harmful ways.

I remembered recently that I used to subscribe to the notion that extreme temperatures, drought, floods or bolts of lightning were acts of the ancestors or witchcraft.

This was easy to believe as it comes from one’s parents. Parents attribute these “punishments by the gods” to taboos and transgressions against societal beliefs by the younger generation.

The more I read about climate change the more I realised that the human species is facing one of its worst times on this planet. It is the human species that is responsible for the extreme temperatures in the world which continue to cost lives and livelihoods.

It is also the human species that can help stop the planet from the worst possible future. Indeed, the biggest emitters – who developed their economies through industrialisation in the early centuries – are the Western countries who preach to poorer global south countries (Africa, South America and Asia).

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These countries from the global south also cannot ignore the call by the global north as these climatic conditions affect African countries more than they affect Western countries.

It is important for each country from the global south to realign its government’s environment policy with the SDGs to help arrest the catastrophic situation. We must preserve this planet for the coming generations. It is therefore necessary to ensure that we live on this planet responsibly without endangering its future.

As SA heads towards the next elections on 29 May, parties have started to campaign for electoral support. I am disappointed that many parties are not showing any concern about the environmental issues in our country.

They are not telling the truth to the electorate that the effects of climate change are partially responsible for the decline of the economy.

They are not showing ways in which they will slow down the effects of climate change in South Africa. They behave like my old self who used to believe that we need to pray for rain or visit a witch doctor to have rain in the village.

That is a futile exercise and we can do better to save this planet. Riana Delport, 63, who has been in the business of cultivating tomatoes for three dec ades now with her husband, has not been producing enough or making enough profit since the drought in 2015.

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There is also the problem of endless veld fires that burn all their crops. Sometimes, she suspects the neighbouring farmers are starting the fires.

I am afraid to tell her that it could be sparks caused by extreme temperatures that cause the fires because she is angry and sad. In North West province alone in August and September 2023, about 600 000 hectares were lost to wildfires.

Our parents, who do not have formal education, are noticing this continuous climate change but they may not know what is causing it.

It is our duty to explain to those around us that we all have a responsibility to protect planet earth for our children. If we all lead sustainable lives, this planet will be much safer for those who are to come after us.

• Mokgatlhe is a political writer and columnist. He is studying for his MA in African Studies at Ben Gurion University.