Is climate change happening? Most probably. Is climate change the result of human activity? Most honest answer: I don’t know. I am not a scientist, I cannot verify the claims either way. That makes me part of a majority of roundabout 99.99%.

About Bram Posthumus

Bram Posthumus is a freelance producer for Radio Netherlands Worldwide and, since shortly, is based in Dakar, Senegal. Besides RNW, Bram is a regular contributor to other publications in the likes of Zam Magazine. His areas of interest and experience are Africa (politics and economy), international relations (trade, aid), the arts and music (jazz, world, and much more)

 

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Like the same majority I believe that reducing pollution, finding alternatives for fossil fuels that will one day run out and having clean surroundings where everyone can make a decent amount of money are all eminently sensible ideas. But how to get there is another matter and at present there are a couple of things that irritate me deeply about the approach to climate change, as The Summit To End All Summits is upon us.

The same story

Here’s a challenge: google “African climate change skeptic” and what do you find? Scores of pages about man-made global warming. Governments, the UN, all international media, NGOs – absolutely everyone tells the exact same story: climate change is man-made and Africa needs money to deal with it. Debate shut. Airtight.

Really? Is this Africa’s most pressing priority? Well, here’s one individual who says: “I’m not so sure.” She’s a farmer, a businesswoman and an activist from Uganda, whose life was changed forever when she lost her son to malaria. Fiona Kobusingye-Boynes is not just irritated. She is angry. This is what she wrote last August, in an article titled Africa’s real climate crisis:

“Life in Africa is often nasty, impoverished and short. AIDS kills 2.2 million Africans every year, say WHO reports. Lung infections cause 1.4 million deaths, malaria 1 million more, intestinal diseases 700,000. Diseases that could be prevented with simple vaccines kill an additional 600,000 annually, while war, malnutrition and life in filthy slums send countless more parents and children to early graves. And yet, day after day, Africans are told the biggest threat we face is – global warming.”

"All will be fine"

And there’s the nub of the matter. Man-made global warming has managed to become the dark force driving all of Africa’s problems. Civil war? Sure, nothing to do with greedy elites, a hugely frustrated young population, naked power grabs and other local matters – nope: it’s climate change. Alright then, we can all relax now, Copenhagen will bring in the booty and all will be fine. In which case I have some fine real estate in the desert to discuss with you.

Agriculture. Could have nothing to do with the disastrous polices of many governments, who have a burgeoning urban population to fear and feed and have therefore opted to structurally underpay their own farmers. This guarantees cheap food supplies, until the farmers throw in the towel and move to town themselves, ultimately forcing governments to start importing food and running up massive import bills. Nope – it’s climate change. All we have to do now is wait for Copenhagen to throw up the billions.

No good to Africa

On it goes. Health, poverty, relations between the sexes – it’s man-made climate change wot dun it. I for one do not believe that this massive international chorus with only one hymn sheet will do Africa any good. Let’s take one example: electricity. Fiona describes life without that critical resource:

“Not having electricity means millions of Africans don't have refrigerators to preserve food and medicine….Not having electricity also means disease and death. It means millions die from lung infections, because they have to cook and heat with open fires; from intestinal diseases caused by spoiled food and unsafe drinking water; from malaria, TB, cholera, measles and other diseases that we could prevent or treat if we had proper medical facilities.”

Electricity now!

In other words: we need electricity and we need it now. We need a lecture on climate change like we need a hole in the head.

Kobusingye-Boynes also questions the science. As I said, I will not wander into that territory because (like most of you reading this) I am unqualified to go there. But looking at Africa’s priorities on the eve of Copenhagen, I am broadly with the lone voice from Uganda. I will leave you with her parting shots.

“We need to focus on our own needs, resources and opportunities. We don't need more aid – especially the kind that goes mostly to corrupt officials who put the money in private bank accounts, hold global warming propaganda conferences and keep their own people poor. We don't need rich countries promising climate change assistance (maybe, sometime, ten years from now), if we promise not to develop…We need trade, manufacturing, electricity and transportation fuels to power modern industrial economies. We need to do what China and India are doing – develop – and trade more with them. That is how we will get the jobs, prosperity, health and environmental quality we deserve.”

(this was largely written on a battery-powered laptop as the power was cut, again….)

Photos: ANP