Who should cut the emissions?

By Pacharo Felix Munthali
Standing on top of Zomba Mountain and focusing down the mountain, patches of baldness are evident. The once green mountain is haphazardly in hazard situation. The rate at which trees are cut down is appalling.
Every time one moves up and down the mountain, one meets people. They have loads of firewood be it on their heads or bicycle. Approaching one of them one of them, identifying himself as Amini Amidu he smiles.
"It's not that we want to be carrying firewood legally or illegally like this," he wipes sweat from his face as he is staggering. "Poverty should be blamed." The firewood helps them have some money, apart from cooking. The money generated helps them at least deal with household problems.
"Almost prices of everything are surging up, young man," he says as he points out that almost everything now needs money, apart from the air that we breathe for free.
The tale of Amidu is one of numerous tales that have been told and re-told. He is one of many people that knowingly or unknowing are ravaging forests. These are the very same forest that helps in reducing green house gases from the skies. Cutting down trees means more carbon dioxide and other green house gases are still in the air.
"An estimated 20 percent of emissions contributing to the climate change globally," says a government Press Release on World Environment Day 2008, "are as a result of deforestation."
The issue of global warming has more twists than an eye can see. As others are concentrating on industrial countries as largely responsible, others are pushing for the developing countries to play a leading role in the same.
For quite a long time, there have been more wrangles rather than the efforts in dealing with global warming. Last year in Germany the G8 leaders reached a consensus. They seriously considered on having a goal to half green house emissions by 2050. The European Union, Canada, and Japan agreed. But the emerging superpowers like China and India have vehemently refused by saying USA should promise to do more in cutting emissions.
This is the paradox that has always locked the world in its drive towards making the world green gas free arena. Up to 190 countries have reached a consensus that by the of 2009 a successor treaty to the Tokyo Pact, which binds thirty-seven advanced nations to cut emissions by the average of five percent below the 1990 levels by 2012.
The developed countries that are largely responsible for the better part of the problem are dilly-dallying. The developed countries some of them based on problems they are facing are committed towards solving the problem. But they lack capacity. They don't have the coping mechanism as the effects of the global warming are proving too much for them.
As the main international celebrations of the world Environment Day is going to be held in the city of Wellington in New Zealand, and in Mulanje in Malawi, it is high time the agenda was looked at. With grappling poverty how can we "give a human face to environmental issues and empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development?"
People like Amidu have no choice, they say. Their only means of survival is through cutting down of trees and selling them, and make money not even enough to come above one dollar per day threshold.
Unfortunately the concept of empowerment is a contested one. It is not as simple as imposing ideas on the poor, who are wreaking havoc on the forests, by calling a meeting. It's about understanding their perception, problems, and how their feel the problems in the realm of deforestation can be dealt with. It's about making the poor owners of the projects and "support activities that are environmental friendly."
This coupled by what South African Environment Minister, Marthius Van Schalkwyk told the Reuters, in response to the three day meeting of the G8 and rapidly growing economies such as China and India comes as pressure piles for both developed and developing countries to tackle climate change, the poor are likely to be empowered.
He said: "In Kobe, we expect our partners in the G8 to champion the developing countries' cause by explicitly addressing the means of implementation (technology transfer and financing) that will enable and support mitigation and adaptation in developing countries at the scale required."
But it's not only about the poor. It is also about every one giving a hand. It's about the rich who offers readily available market. It is about making the rural electrification programme becoming a reality not at snails' pace, but making it a swift project. It is about making electricity affordable. The issue of renewable energy with little negative impact on the environment is what Malawians need.
If the problem of poverty, as Amidu feels it, is not addressed, little will happen. How can a hungry person be empowered? It is a question that needs critical weighing. With more than have of Malawi population living below poverty line, and a good number having limited access to land, more damage on forest is in the offing. More are encroaching these protected areas. More damage is being inflicted.
With Amidu poverty forcing him staggers down Zomba Mountain with firewood, countries like USA refusing to cut the emissions, more damage is being inflicted to the environment. The nation and the world must change the perception. It's everyone's responsibility to deal with the problem.
As the world is commemorating the environment day the question still lingers who should play a role in making the world a better place to live?