By Charles Miti Lwanga
Climate change has recently sparked widespread concern around the world. It’s difficult to read a newspaper or watch a news broadcast without coming across a story about the phenomenon. Governments around the world are developing and implementing strategies to combat what appears to be a pandemic, but what does climate change really mean to the average person?
On my quest to puzzle out this subject, like many of us do, I googled the definition, and this is what I found: “Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.”
By this definition, it’s difficult to understand why the subject is causing such uproar in the media and on social media. It also doesn’t provide enough reasons for me or you to be concerned. So, once again, I asked Mr. Google, “Why should I be concerned about climate change?” I must admit that this is when I started paying attention. By asking why (rather than what) climate change is, I discovered the real reason you and I should be concerned. So sit back and read on as I solve this mystery.
First, let’s look at each of the terms in “climate change” separately. On the one hand, climate refers to the weather conditions that prevail in a given area over time. Aside from weather patterns, “climate” can also refer to the prevalent trend of public opinion or another aspect of life.
To “change,” on the other hand, is to alter or modify. As a result, it’s only natural to define climate change as long-term shifts in weather patterns and social trends in life. As a result, it is a two-dimensional phenomenon that necessitates a two-dimensional approach to better understand.
For the student fraternity, as they join in their first year, they sign on to the rules of the university, although it’s not really known whether these rules, mostly the dress code, are put into practice.
To many of us, climate change is largely a weather problem. We have encountered articles, news stories, and documentaries describing the causes, effects, and solutions to the problem. Some of us have even experienced its adverse effects in the form of floods, storms, and droughts. On a global scale, climate change has caused heatwaves, tornadoes, and cyclones, all of which are detrimental to human settlements and livelihoods. In many cases, even locally, these disastrous events have led to the deaths of innocent people. The weather catastrophes have not only affected human life but entire ecosystems (life on land, air, and water) as well.
This implies that the occurrence and escalation of these disasters pose a threat of extinction to life on earth, as indicated in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report for 2022. The good news is that there are known feasible solutions to this problem, and therefore, if we adopt and scale up these solutions, we can well save our race and other species from disaster and extinction.
As seen above, climate change also manifests in our social systems. Our communities today are characterized by all sorts of social injustices, such as crime, inequalities, and insecurity. At a family level, the injustices take the form of violence, abuse, and conflicts or separations. These occurrences, like weather disasters, destroy people`s livelihoods and, in many cases, cause the death of innocent people. According to the Uganda police report (2021), 418 of 17,664 registered cases of domestic violence alone resulted in the death of either the victim or the perpetrator. The cross-cutting effects of these social calamities are worrying.
At an individual level, many people suffer from all sorts of physical, mental, and spiritual disorders. A report released early this year indicated that 14 million Ugandans suffer from at least one form of mental disorder due to abuse, conflicts, and poverty. There are various viable interventions to inform, inspire, and restore harmonious living in community and family settings, as well as ensure individual innate wellness. Here at UCU, we have various facilities that can well inform on matters relating to peaceful and harmonious living, health, and wellness.
According to the United Nations (UN), climate change is a human-caused problem and therefore requires human solutions to mitigate and reverse the changes. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—”Leaving No One Behind”—offer a quick and effective solution to climate change, both inside and outside, and call for the inclusive participation of everyone regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, or religious affiliation.
We certainly know that planting trees (forests) can mitigate the adverse effects of weather catastrophes, and therefore planting the right messages can equally mitigate the effects of social injustice. Climate change affects us all, and so solving it is everybody’s responsibility, especially you, the youth!
