Global Warming

Global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer, the degradation of the soil due to the pollution of the water and atmosphere, desertification, deforestation, and erosion are dangerous developments and almost all of these phenomena are the outcome of human industrialization in pursuit of economic interests without care for the environment. Household and industrial wastes have caused pestilence and sickness and have lead to a proliferation of mosquitoes, fleas, rats, malaria, cholera, diarrhea and typhoid. Overcrowding has caused the spread of lung disease, and exposure to radioactive waste has placed the population at risk for cancer. In addition, there are the biotechnological hazards associated with genetic modifications carried out in research laboratories and by the pharmaceutical Industry that may have disastrous results for the planetary ecology and for humankind. The challenge is bad housekeeping by humans, poor infrastructure, and overpopulated cities and towns. Ecological ethic is without a doubt one of the most important socio-economic norm of the moment, and a thorough understanding of consumer behavior and the dangers of consumerism is a prerequisite for environmental protection.

Now that we know that climate change is a global environmental problem, what's the situation in Africa? As a developing continent, Africa has not contributed greatly to it, yet it will certainly be among those areas first affected by the impacts of various climatic turnovers. More than 180 million persons could be affected by the consequences of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa by the end of the century. But with respect to the African perspective to environmental ethics and the people's cultural understanding of the environmental crisis, little has been done; whereas it is necessary to rethink the way human settlements and activities interact with the ecosystem, in order to protect for instance the savannahs from overgrazing. We need to attack Africa's environmental problems head on, for the future generations and the whole world.

Some facts are indeed alarming. For instance, it is estimated that, under threat from industry, 40% of the Congo's forests will be lost within the next forty years if nothing is done now. In fact, the impact of the industrial pollution of the industrialized nations constitutes an important threat to Africa, and climate change challenges to the populations and more particularly in such continent because, pollution, deforestation, erosion of soil, drought and floods have increased with the desperate state of the continent. It is clear that poverty, the model of the international business and imbalance in the political power between the rich and poor countries contribute to the ecological problems in Africa. Let's first present a short overview of environmental degradation causalities in Africa; afterwards we will see more into details the following dilemmas Africa has to cope with: Agriculture Exports vs Feeding the population; Catching up with the development of the Western World vs the respect of developing countries' environmental and ecological norms; and finally we will focus on the specific relation of Africa with human rights and Western values such as democracy.

I) Overview of environmental degradation causality in Africa

Over the past few decades, Africa has been suffering serious degradation. Various causes are at the origin of this environmental destruction, namely, bad governance, several wars due to selfish interests supported directly or indirectly by Westerners, bad strategies of industrialization adopted by many African countries, deforestation, pollution and unplanned development strategies and mismanagement of natural resources so forth and so on.

a) Political causes:

When we think about Africa, one of the first things that come to our mind is bad governance. African politicians, and their whole governments, when in a country at peace, are for the most part corrupted and hoarding money from their countries resources exploitation. Democracy is not earned yet as we will explain it later and those being hard hit by this fact are the people. At the mercy of political power, responsibility for the environment poses a challenge to Africans. With the advent of globalization, Africans need to develop a new concept of citizenship that transcends national and cultural frontiers, that locates itself at the crossroads of the economy and politics of North and South - that is, a democracy, understood as equality of everybody in dignity, having the right to take part in the political and socio-economic life of the planet. Organized economic networks involved in the exploitation of raw materials or financial speculation extend their lures to the politicians who lead these countries and so gain access to cheap manpower and resources, and finally reduce the freedom of conscience and moral choice for the consumer. These circumstances will be better addressed if Africa reinforces its fundamental values of tolerance, palaver, universal unity, brotherhood, and the spirit of sharing. The neglect of these values has cost Africa dearly and is the cause; moreover, of most of the conflicts the continent is experiencing.

Although it may seem harsh to state that the goal of environmental protection ought to take precedence over feeding the malnourished and starving segments of a continent's population, this recommendation should be seen in the context of the necessity of protecting the very source of any equitable, environmentally friendly and environmentally sustainable livelihood for those very people; namely, the natural environment in its totality. It is essential to review ecological policy in Africa and rethink the national laws to build the foundation for a new ecological and moral norm.

b) War is a plague, even more disastrous in Africa:

Let's begin with an example that epitomizes what is at stake in this sub-section. The political and military crisis in the Great Lakes Region - that is to say the following countries: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda - has terribly affected the environment in this part of Africa. The immigration of Rwandan refugees into Congolese territory in 1994 seriously worsened the environment of Democratic Republic of Congo. Forests and animals of the area where the refugees were living were the first victims. They devastatingly cut trees to cook their food or warm themselves up and indiscriminately kill animals either for food or to start a small business. They would sometimes destroy environment for fun. The terrible situation of repeated wars that started in 1996 and seems to continue has been a horrible one for both people and the environment. A lot of men, women and their children