by Mukundi Mutasa – SANF 07 No 34
Music will be used to generate awareness of climate change during a series of “Live Earth” concerts to be held on seven continents on the seventh day of the seventh month of 2007.
The 24-hour-long series of concerts, dubbed Live Earth, will be held on 7 July in South Africa, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, China, Australia and Japan.
Live Earth marks the beginning of an annual campaign by the Alliance for Climate Protection, the Climate Group and other international organisations to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve global warming.
Among artists scheduled to perform in Johannesburg are the South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choir, Benin’s Angélique Kidjo and UK reggae group, UB40.
Other concerts will be held in Hamburg, London, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo under the theme “The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis”.
The concerts come at a time when there is growing concern over the effects of climate change on the world.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines climate change as “any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity”.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) calls it “one of the most critical global challenges of our time”.
The IPCC goes on to predict that, in addition to other effects, climate change is expected to have some mixed impacts such as a decrease or increase of the range and transmission potential of malaria in Africa.
Southern Africa has not been spared either by climate change and governments are being called upon to integrate climate change and adaptability programmes into their national and regional development strategies.
The region has experienced increased cases of flooding, cyclones and dry spells attributed to climate change in the past three decades.
While the 1991/92 drought was declared the worst in the history of southern Africa, seasons since 2001 have also seen several countries experiencing drought spells.
This is in exception of the 2003/04 and 2005/06 seasons that saw most countries in the region receiving sufficient and well-distributed rains to ensure the achievement of food security.
During the 1997/98 season, countries in the region experienced devastating effects of El Niño, with Mozambique the most affected.
El Niño is a weather phenomenon which often causes drought in southern Africa especially during the critical points of the crop cycle from December to February.
Cyclones causing flooding, extensive damage to infrastructure and loss of lives have become a regular feature in southern Africa.
Early this year, Cyclone Flavio affected Mozambique, Madagascar and parts of Zimbabwe.
As a result, many countries in the region have started walking the talk in raising climate change awareness and creation of adaptation strategies.
Speaking on World Environmental Day in Zimbabwe, the country’s Minister of Environment and Tourism, Francis Nhema, indicated that climate change has now been included in the National Environmental Policy.
Climate change issues were also topical in Namibia during this year’s World Environment Day commemoration. Namibia’s national theme was “Go Green – Use Renewable Energies: Namibia Positioning Itself to Mitigate and Adapt to the Negative Impacts of a Global Phenomenon – Climate Change”.
Mozambique is also planning to work on its second national communication on climate change which should be out by the first quarter of 2009.
In March 2007, the Mozambique Deputy National Director for Environmental Promotion, Francisco Licucha, said although the country contributes very little of the greenhouse gases responsible for making the planet hotter, it is one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of global warming.
Botswana has also been feeling the effects of global climate change, evidenced by extreme temperatures, recurrent droughts, floods, severe thunderstorms and strong winds.
On the global scene, the United Nations has also shown concern over climate change and its effects.
Addressing the G-8 summit in Germany in June, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, described climate change as “the defining issue of our era”.
The G8 also recognised that the issue needs to be tackled as a matter of urgency.
