Climate change and global warming induced by gas emission released from industrially developed countries have been a pressing issue for the last 50 years all over the world. Global warming posed the melting of snows in North Pole resulting in the rising of the water level in oceans which again has been a threat to islands by engulfing and flooding the costal parts of the land.
In the industrially advanced countries, global warming increases their energy consumption for household equipment’s like refrigerator and air conditioners that enhances living costs. Most developing countries including Ethiopia, on the contrary, relied on rain for agriculture. When extreme weather conditions occur whether it is drought or flood, they face crop failure.
As a result, farmers will face food shortage forced to sustain their living by foreign aid. Water points are also affected by global warming which poses the dwindling of water sources of rivers, streams and lakes. Not only had these, global warming is aggravating the expansion of desertification.
The outbreak of new diseases also burdened the health sector. Drought also poses the reduction of the inflow of water to the rivers which in turn reduce the amount of water goes to dams. Consequently, the power generation capacity of dams decreased which again affect the manufacturing production capacity and brings the layoff of workers. It also reduces the revenue collected from the Industries.
Ethiopia, since long ago, has been exerting its efforts to fight global warming and climate change through perusing adaptation and mitigation program. In addition to these, it has crafted and implemented the building of Climate Resilient Green Economy since 2005. To adopt the climate change Ethiopia has been planting trees in selected areas for decades; particularly in lands critically affected by global warming and erosion and so far, many barren lands have been recovering.
Studies proved that, Ethiopia is a country with sever environmental degradation problems including soil erosion, land degradation heavy rainfall and temperature variability. Though several direct and indirect drivers of deforestation and forest degradation have been identified, efforts have been continued in reversing the situation.
The mass tree planting program called the Green Legacy Initiative was launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) in 2019 with the objective of reducing the impact of climate change and to sustain the Green Growth path of the country. Hence, only in 2019, 2020, and 2021 totally 4 billion, 5 billion and 6 billion seedlings were planted respectively.
In the later years also billions of saplings were planted. This provides several opportunities such as mitigating the impacts of climate change and enhance the ecosystem services, generate revenue from both timber and none timber products which improve livelihood and enable the country to meet national and global restoration and reforestation commitments.
However, this kind of programs needs to be closely followed and monitored as well as challenges should be identified for successfully attaining the objectives set by the initiative.
Tree plantation, in addition to conserving the environment, it also enables to replenish underground water and increase the volume of river waters, preserve wild animals and balance the ecosystem. Afforesting the deforested areas also serves for carbon sequestration which has not only domestic but also global effects.
Garnering foreign currency through carbon trading is also possible by evaluating the sequestrated carbon emitted by industrial countries. As it is understood, the industrial countries are the major emitters but the developing countries including Ethiopia with insignificant contribution to the climate change suffer from the bourdon of global warming induced by the gas emission.
Therefore, it is vividly clear that sequestrating carbon can bring opportunity to support its economy. 20 years ago, farmers in Humbo woreda of Wolayta zone, generated income from carbon marketing with Norway which is a global partner. The World Vision, an international none governmental organization, facilitated the carbon market. Similarly, farmers residing in Bale zone obtained money from carbon market and such practice has been continued to date.
As global warming has a global effect and the solution needs the cooperation of countries all over the world. In 1972, scientists across the world who understood the negative consequences of climate change on earth induced by gas emission gathered in Stockholm, Sweden and discussed the matter and showed concern to bring solution to the problem.
After the discussion, they decided that the United Nation has to take responsibility to deal with the matter and the UN, since then, has played crucial role in conducting climate negotiation between parties known as Cop.
From that time onwards, countries under the auspicious of United Nations Frame Work Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have been conducting climate negotiations.
According to experts, developing countries which are the victims of climate change with very little contribution for the gas emission, critically suffered from the effect of global warming. Sectors such as agriculture, health and water felt the brunt of climate change and countries are not strong enough to withstand the effect because of lack of financial, technical and well trained human resources.
They forward their plea to the industrially advanced countries to support them financially and technically for the reason that the climate impact affects not only developing countries but also has adverse consequence on the developed countries. In addition to these, they request the top industrialized countries to reduce their gas emission released from their industries.
The industrially advanced countries also have their own shortcomings with regard to carbon reduction. They argue that if they reduce the emission, the volume of their industrial products will be reduced which in turn affects the market and bring negative consequence on their economy.
On the other hand, changing carbon based energy sources into renewable energy sources, for instance, coal into hydropower is very expensive which is beyond their financial capacity and to mitigate the problem, they say that they need time.
The other factor which hampers countries with advanced industry to implement the agreement reached in the climate negotiation is that in their country, there is a developed culture manifested by separation of power among the three branches of the government, the legislative, the judiciary and executive which is an indicator of the prevalence of check and balance.
The executive branch of the government has a mandate to conduct climate negotiation with other countries on the UNFCCC but to implement the negotiations’ outcome it is required the approval of the legislative which is an entity of representative of citizens. If the legislative rejects the negotiations’ outcome, it will not be implemented and again the delegates of the climate negotiation prepare themselves for another round negotiation.
Such legal hurdles make the climate challenges to stay unsolved. The other thing that should be underlined is that most of the time on the climate negotiation, developed nations pledge to support developing countries financially to run their adaptation and mitigation program but though they pledge to support them, they fail to live up to their pledge.
Technological support to the poor countries is not sufficient as compared to the mounting challenges brought by climate change.
As compared to other developed countries, USA and China are the major emitters but regarding emission reduction, mostly, they showed reluctance to hear the plea of the poor countries. Because they claim that still they need more energy to meet their development aspiration.
In mitigating climate change, Ethiopia has been doing its home work by enhancing the development of renewable energy sources including hydropower generations, wind farms, geothermal and solar. In the last three decades, many hydropower dams have been constructed and began to generate power.
The Tana Belese, Tekeze, Gilgel Gihbe I, II and III dams can be mentioned in this regard. The completion of Gilgel Gibe IV and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the coming years is expected to tremendously enhance the nation’s power generation capacity. The hydropower generation endeavor, in addition to supplying energy to the domestic power grid, it also becomes a source of foreign currency earning by exporting electric power to the neighboring countries.
The wind farms constructed near Adama town and Mekele also contribute their part to the national grid. The ongoing construction of wind farm near Asala town on mount Chilalo and Shinele town near Dire Dawa are also expected to enhance the nation’s power generation capacity.
As Ethiopia is located in the tropical zone where excess solar energy is available, if the resource is exploited in full capacity, it can make the nation a power hub in East Africa.
Currently, Ethiopia fulfilled less than 50% of its electric demand and most of the people residing in the rural part of the country particularly, in the mountainous areas live in darkness. Since the peoples’ settlement in the rural areas is scattered, power supply from the grid is unlikely to execute. Therefore, installing solar panels has been taken as sole option. To this end, there are many private companies engaged in distribution of solar panels to the rural community at the moment and created job opportunities to the venders.
By now, schools, health institutions and others located in the rural parts could ease their shortage of modern energy source because of the expansion of solar panels.
The other source which is under exploration is the geothermal project and in this regard, the Corbete Project run by foreign companies located near Batu town in Oromia region can be mentioned.
Ethiopia has also abundant geothermal energy source in the Afar depression but has no sufficient capital and technology to explore and exploit so that it will be homework of the generation to come.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2024
