All along, South Sudanese thought climate change discriminates. Climate change does not discriminate. It affects all the continents equally.
It affects the Whites the same way it affects the Blacks. It affects the developed countries the same way it affects the developing and underdeveloped countries. It affects the superpower countries the same way it affects inferior countries. It affects economy-stable countries the same way it affects the economy-deranged countries. But one good thing about it is that it does not affect vigilant countries the same way it affects ignorant countries. With South Sudan being one of the most ignorant countries in the world, the impacts of climate change continue encroaching on the people.
For several years now, people of South Sudan have been sending invitations to climate change to visit South Sudan and establish a base. Every time an invitation is sent, climate change says a word of sympathy that, South Sudanese just ended the longest war in Africa, if I accept their invitation now, they will regret it. “The longer the war, the longer the recovery period”, says climate change. But South Sudanese insist.
With the undeserving salary of soldiers and the number of months it spends without coming, each soldier finds forest a good place for natural salary. With sharpened axes, pangas and matchboxes for fire, a million trees fall each day for charcoal. This sends exactly a million invitations to climate change. The great tragedy is that a million trees are cut down for charcoal and not even half a tree is planted to replace the ones cut down. Another great tragedy is that deforestation takes a million steps towards South Sudan.
It has become a routine activity for soldiers. They come from forests to Bilpam HQS to receive their salaries and return to forests to continue cutting down trees for charcoal. With the widespread hunger, the citizens find it difficult to cope with life. As a result, they too pick their axes, pangas and fire, and go to forests to cut down trees for charcoal. Charcoal-making becomes the source of income for survival. Each of them cuts down as many trees as possible.
Hundreds of thousands of trees fall down and no tree is planted to replace them. This sends exactly hundreds of thousands of invitations to climate change. A big number of citizens living along water bodies continue encroaching on water bodies and utilizing them traditionally. This leads to the shrinkage of water bodies, thus sending another million invitations to climate change.
The government, in the name of development, has waged a fierce war against mountains, chopping them down day in, and day out for the construction of roads and buildings. With each bombardment of a mountain, it continues to lose its instinct to attract rain. The biggest fear is that the bombardment may trigger some reactions inside the mountain and what they call a volcano may erupt. There is evidence that mountains are perishing. This sends an extra million invitations to climate change.
With a massive refinery of oil and extraction of gold and other minerals, the environment feels threatened as no preservative measures are taken to make sure the risks of environmental degradation are neutralised. Without fear of contradiction, I must say climate change has wholeheartedly accepted to visit South Sudan.
Rainfalls used to commence in March to November, but rainfalls started in June last year, with a number of dry seasons in between. People think the ancestors were the ones having the problem! People think a certain spearmaster was the one having the problem! Christians think the prayers conducted were not enough to please God to release rains on time! Pagans think the bull slaughtered was not too fat to please the gods to release rains on time! The answer is none of the above. It is climate change which has altered the natural season of rain.
Now that climate change has appeared in its full combat as evidenced by this unusual hot weather, what measures are in the government’s pipeline to address it? Remember the effects of climate change are catastrophic. This means measures to combat it need to be taken as early as today.
Thanks for reading “Sowing The Seed Of Truth”.