Why Africa Needs A Climate Change Chronicle

A reflection of an African journalist and student living in the US

By Alpha Kamara — New York University Masters Student

NYU CAMPUS — Manhattan, New York — Opinion Piece

It’s the second most populated continent on Earth, home to over a billion people. It stretches across 30 million square kilometers of land arable for cultivation.

This is my homeland of Africa, the land of hospitality.

However, the UN reports that the land is also a hot spot of climate change, potentially affecting 300 million vulnerable people living in villages, towns, and cities.

Temperatures in Africa are rising. Africa has been afflicted by storms, droughts, deforestation, and rising sea levels. And increased levels of infectious diseases and weak governance systems makes it difficult to fight these changes.

These issues remind me of the proverb, “Living in the banks of the river and still going thirsty.”

But all hope is not lost if we take the right approach.

Flooding takes over the Freetown ports container section in 2017

My green past and experience with herbs in Sierra Leone

When I was a boy growing up in Sierra Leone, my mother used to cure my frequent malaria attacks with herbs from the nearby bush. She would collect some herbs, boil them, add lemon, and pour the liquid in a cup to drink. After a day or two, my malaria, fever, and dizziness would be gone. This has changed.

On my recent visit to my village, all of the bush where my mother used to gather herbs has been destroyed. The beautiful green trees are all gone too. Destroyed by my kinsmen’s activities. That was six months ago, five years after my second visit.

Water runs from the exposed hills of Freetown and destroyed homes

Some sell timber. Some burn the bush for charcoal. Others burn it for farming. A few others cut the grass to feed their cattle. All these activities have resulted in a destroyed environment, making it difficult for living things to survive, including my kinsmen.

I posed a question to one of the village farmers in the area, asking if he and other local farmers are scared that their activities are destroying the environment. His response was hilarious: “I don’t think we are. We still have lots of trees to cut. Even our great grandfathers never finished them. I disagree with you completely.”

What he doesn’t realize is that they will eventually face the consequences, one way or another.

Sierra Leone — Freetown’s 2017 flooding disaster

On August 14th, 2017, I saw my country’s capital Freetown hit by one of the worst floods in its history, claiming the lives of over 1,000 people. I saw firsthand the magnitude of the flash floods. Even my uncle in the village, who earlier denied the devastation of deforestation, was terrified (though he blamed the disaster on God).

I traveled to the scene, where I saw the devastation of over 50 houses submerged in the floods. Survivors were weeping and wailing for their lost relatives. The Freetown mortuary was unable to contain all the corpses. It was tragic.

I interviewed people and spoke with environmentalists. They all agreed on one point: the floods were a result of deforestation on the hills overlooking Freetown. The nation lost over 1,000 citizens, homes, and properties worth millions of US dollars, yet some people in the village still believe that the trees will never truly be “finished.”

After the civil war in Sierra Leone, many people turned to the trees for survival. They either sold timber or burned the trees for charcoal to sell to the public. These efforts resulted in excessive deforestation, exposing the landscape of the surrounding hills and mountains. Therefore, the trees were easily washed away by the August mudslides, and the nation was sent into mourning again after the latest Ebola outbreak.

Other African countries such as The Gambia, Senegal, South Sudan, and Kenya have faced the same or similar problems of deforestation.

Hence, a need for the Climate Change Chronicle.

What is the Climate Change Chronicle?

In all these countries I mentioned, live thousands, if not millions, of climate change activists and organizations. They are all doing the important and necessary work of spreading awareness, writing reports, and coordinating actions to reduce the impact of climate change on the continent.

But despite these efforts, Africa is still one of the most affected in terms of climate change impact.

In part, this is due to the fact that most of these organizations and individuals work alone, so the overall impact is slow. For the media, after reporting on one disaster or one climate change effort from a single country or organization, they move on to something else that makes news.

There is another African proverb that says, “If you want to go quickly, walk alone. But if you want to go far and achieve, walk together.”

This is the bedrock approach of the Climate Change Chronicle, a visual storytelling platform. It provides a single space where all the efforts on climate change, from individual advocates to large organizations, can be documented and shared.

Imagine the power of such unity, especially for Africa, which has experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly — climate-wise.

Our Story as One

The Climate Change Chronicle helps connect every person in this fight for our planet and empowers them to share their climate change stories, actions, and contributions to the global community.

You might think that your action is small, but it adds to a bigger wave when shared in one united platform. “Little drops of water make a mighty ocean,’’ they say. Be that little drop and join the Climate Change Chronicle as we rise for our planet.

Do you have photos, a blog, an article, or any stories that connect to climate change? Send it my way or share it directly on the Climate Change Chronicle along with other climate advocates.

The growing climate movement has made it clear that you are never too small or too young to create an impact.

I am already in. What about you?