As Zimbabweans our Government, information outlets and schools have to be frank simply failed us. We are simply oblivious or not aware to the extent of how our anthropocentric (human) activities have significant negative impacts on the ecosystems we rely on to survive. Zimbabwean scholars, Environmental organizations and authorities continue to report that there has been a significant acceleration of deforestation, desertification, pollution (air, water and land) in our country. The efforts of a few civic organizations and NGO’s just simply isn’t enough.
This is primarily because human nature drives us to treat matters that fall under terms like natural resource, nature, environment, ecosystem, biodiversity and climate change as a non-factors. Something that’s someone else’s responsibility. On the slight chance we acknowledge environmental systems it’s for the services they provide (agriculture, precious minerals, land for construction, energy, raw material for production and manufacture) to benefit us economically. This means we are accustomed to interacting with nature in a very domineering manner in which we exploit/deplete/“take and take” and never think to replenish or manage this finite resources.
Most environmental damage is irreversible. The outcome of this damage affects us on a Socio-economic level. You don’t need to go too far to find a landowner in Zimbabwe dealing with a contaminated or falling water table, losing fertile top soil to soil erosion or a loss in biodiversity as we alter the landscape. Other impacts are directly affect our health as poor waste management and sewage leaks lead to e-coli and cholera breakouts. High temperatures exacerbate pre-existing health conditions.
On the other hand people need to survive, feed their children, school fees must be paid; in other cases going green is just too expensive; sometimes we don’t how; solutions are lost as within the “it’s not my department” governmental attitude that watches entire ministries refusing to be accountable.
This column seeks to introduce concepts of sustainable development which essentially argue that we can have development we can have Environmental Management, it just takes a bit self-awareness of our role and place within the Ecosystem and how we interact with the environment.
Wimbiso Simbi
