The Climate Change Challenge

Climate change refers to the shift in global temperatures and precipitation overtime. It is a long term alteration in the weather patterns especially temperature and storm activity. In other words it is the man made or natural shift in average atmospheric conditions overtime.

The basic cause is the human activities that emit green house gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere that then lead to global warming. The common GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Methane (CH4), HydroFluoroCarbons (HCFs), Perfluorocarbons (PCFs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and Halons.

According to research, the last decade of the 20th Century and the beginning of the 21st Century have been the warmest period in the entire global instrumental temperature record, starting in the mid-19th Century. Assessment reports conclude that this increase in the globally averaged temperature is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic green house gas concentrations.

Man’s environmentally unfriendly activities that may lead to climate change include deforestation, bush burning, burning of fossil fuels, wetland destruction, industrial activity, mining/quarrying, paddy rice growing etc.
The impacts are drought and high temperatures on one hand with consequences such as shrinking of ice caps/glaciers, crop failure and death of livestock leading to famine and malnutrition, water shortage, reduction in biodiversity, lowering of water levels, encroachment on wetlands etc. On the other hand there have been increased heavy rains and floods leading to crop failure, landslides, displacement of people, pollution of water sources, destruction of infrastructure, spread of diseases, loss of lives etc.

There is therefore urgent need to address the challenge of climate change.
• What can be done to reduce on GHG emissions?
• How can we adjust the natural or human systems so as to cope with the impacts of climate change?
• How can learners/students or the youth be guided to tackle climate change?
• How can the community be influenced to effectively address the problem?
• Must climate change be incorporated in development plans or budgets?
• Should climate change be integrated in the curriculum? If so, how? What subjects can be used to effectively address the issue?
• How can scientific and technological research help in tackling climate change?
• Are most of the members in your community aware of this danger?
• Have the local authorities or community leaders in your area done something to combat climate change?

What do you say?

Solomon Asea (Mr.)
Gayaza High School
Tel: +256 772 447 802/ +256 701 447804