by Romaisa Hussain & (Junna) – Art in Tanzania internship
Corporate Social Responsibility
Environmental Advocacy Program
Climate change has emerged as a potentially existential threat globally, posing a serious risk to humanity’s survival and sustainable development. Over the past few decades, the world has witnessed significant changes in weather patterns, primarily attributed to global warming and human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Based on numerous lines of evidence, it is now more confident than ever that climate change is a threat multiplier that can amplify the effects of existing dangers. These threats include human security, scarcity of natural resources, environmental degradation, and poor economic growth.
The United Nations General Assembly established the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, which serve as a blueprint for achieving a sustainable future by 2030. The 13th Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations focuses on Climate Action. The goal discusses the critical impact of climate change and encourages developing countries to move towards low-carbon emissions in the environment. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is a specialised agency within the UN that addresses climate change and other environmental issues. The UN aims to adapt to low-carbon development, particularly in vulnerable regions, by contributing to climate action and sustainable natural resource management through collective action. Most states worldwide are affected by climate change, with East Africa being one of the regions most affected.
Tanzania is suffering the brunt of the consequences of climate change in East Africa. The agricultural-based economy of Tanzania has become vulnerable to the extreme climatic conditions. Most of the population is located in rural areas, which heavily rely on agriculture and farming, which are threatened by rising temperatures, droughts, and extreme rainfalls. The country is home to the world’s most extensive river system, the Tanzanian. Despite having immense water resources, Tanzania struggles with a water shortage both spatially and temporally, which is exacerbated by the climate of its nine main river basins. In recent years, there has been a severe decline in the water levels of Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Jipe, as well as a decrease of approximately 7 km in Lake Rukwa over the last fifty years. These are connected with climate change and are endangering socio-economic activities. The effect also puts the country’s hydropower system at risk. Furthermore, diseases such as diarrhoea and malaria remain one of the prime causes of casualties in the country, especially in the urban settlements consisting of poor infrastructure prone to flooding and increased temperatures.
Tanzania’s economy relies on its natural and environmental resources, where many people depend on fisheries for their income, which are at risk from rising sea waters and freshwater temperatures. Tourism is another aspect that has the potential to boost the economy of Tanzania, as the country has a tropical climate and is home to wildlife, forests, beaches, mountains, rivers, lakes and minerals. The attractions are abundant in national and marine parks, historical and cultural sites and recreational sites. Currently, tourism generates 17.5 per cent of GDP and 25 per cent of export revenues, making it an important economic sector, but climate unpredictability endangers the ecosystem services on which tourism relies. For example, the Serengeti National Park has been famous for tourism wildlife migration for decades, contributing significantly to Tanzania’s economy and serving as a key employment source. There is a growing fear that the climate has shifted dramatically, potentially affecting wildlife tourism.
Threats to the sustainability of natural resources and environmental degradation remain an issue in Tanzania, such as the untimely harvesting and usage of natural resources, unsupervised cultivation process, and trespassing on water sources. Collectively, these can seriously affect a country’s sustainable development goals. Due to the unsustainable consumption of resources, problems in producing sources may affect livelihoods. In addition, they can lead to a deficiency in food, which could eventually lead to poverty. An increase in the population and high reliance on agriculture becomes somewhat burdensome on the environment and its natural resources, contributing negatively to climate change and water-deficient regions.
One leading factor contributing to environmental degradation is the unsustainable management of land and watersheds. Many challenges still need to be tackled to reduce this issue, including unexpected growth of human settlements, wildlife hunting, illegal farming and livestock, uncontrollable bushfires, weak inter-sectoral associations and stakeholder linkages. This may lead to the social and economic development of the country as well as poverty reduction. The Tanzanian Government has marked the water-oriented issues as a significant factor that has affected the environment, which is why they have been implemented in national policies and the necessary plans and strategies to tackle them. The visibility of climatic changes in Tanzania has increased by 60%, which is seen in the form of a decrease in water sources, land degradation and a reduction in agricultural land. The Government also tends to focus on carbon emissions with the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity, the saving of wildlife to abolish the hunting system as a means of income, reducing vehicle usage and improving urban planning in the country to promote urbanization. It also placed environmental sections under the sector ministries to ensure and monitor the environmental issues and raise awareness amongst the community. The Government also needs to guarantee that efforts are being made to develop the environment and climate change in national and subnational plans.
Tanzania’s government developed a National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) in 2007, as required by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. According to NAPA, the areas most affected by climate change in Tanzania are agriculture, water, health, and energy. In 2012, Tanzania’s government devised a strategy to address the growing concern about the detrimental effects of climate change on the country’s economy and environment. Furthermore, the Government of Tanzania initiated the first phase of the Global Climate Services Framework (GFCS), held in 2014-2016, to strengthen the resilience of individuals most exposed to weather and climate-related disasters. On September 18, a ceremony in Dar es Salaam marked the start of the second phase from 2016 to 2019. It was conducted with the International Red Cross Federation and Tanzania Red Cross Society, Ministry of Health, Gender, Elderly Affairs, World Health Organization (WHO), Ministry of Agriculture, Tanzania World Food Program, and Tanzania Meteorological Agency.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is one of the partners of the Government of Tanzania that has aided the development of the environment and contributed to measures regarding natural resources and climate change issues. The UNDP encourages the Government and respective communities to sustain the environment and contribute to the reversal of environmental degradation. As long as the correct policies are implemented, the chances for preserving the ecosystems regarding food, energy, and wood, i.e. timber, clean water, consistent climate, etc., are possible. Over the past few years, Tanzania has recently experienced high growth rates of about 7.4%.
The impact of climate change has significantly affected the incomes of the people in Tanzania. It has severely impacted the economy, agriculture, natural resources, and people’s livelihoods, exposing the country’s vulnerable parts. It is, to say the least, the Government of Tanzania’s responsibility to be respected for the progress it has made regarding the development and exercise of policies and strategies to prevent degradation and the protection of the environment. The Government tends to cater to the environmental needs of the country and maintain its natural resources to save economic and social development. This would mean effectively establishing immediate measures to improve the damages caused. The Government also needs to guarantee that efforts are being made to develop the environment and climate change in national and subnational plans.
