REFUGEES AND CLIMATE CHANGE WITHIN A FREE COUNTRY

Climate refugees in a temporary camp

SOMETIMES it is very difficult to believe that in a free country like Tanzania, can have Refugees. May be it is sound very difficult. But let’s define Refugee according to the Oxford dictionary, “A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster”. Here we can find those factors lead to Refugees, then you will agree with me sometimes people can leave their homes even due to particular factors to find another home or remain homeless. One among the factors can be a natural cause in which most of phenomenons are due to climate Change and here we get Climate Refugees.

Climate Refugees are those people who leave their homes due to climate change impacts or in simple words we can say are people who must leave their homes and communities because of the effects of climate change and global warming. I could not talk about others; I am confidently talking about my country Tanzania no matter how some people might think that, it is not necessary to talk about this. Regard once George Carlin said that “Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music.”

In Tanzania people have been much affected by climate change due to Floods that happening in different regions of Tanzania. Let’s talk about what happened December 2011, where Tanzania was very much affected by heavy rainfall for the first time since its independence 1961. It was reported about sixty seven thousand (67,000) people became homeless in Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Mbeya regions while in Dar es salaam about fifty thousand (50,000) people were affected.

In March 2015 Tanzania also has faced a same challenge of Climate change through the floods that affected the coastal area of Lake Victoria and it was reported that about three thousand and five hundred (3,500) people were affected. It has been reported that most families became Homeless after floods that has been occurred in Tanzania. Mostly in Mwanza, Dar es salaam, Mbeya, Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions. Hence people became homeless and those people subjected as Climate refugees.

Climate refugees in a temporary camp

Then there is no need to have those refugees regarding this is a free country. Then a government should work on those promises like to give a special place for those who are living in Areas that can be easily affected by climate change especially floods. It is true that our government have already prepare a special place for them but it has to improve the social services to those areas because it seems that is a big challenge for those places.

As the year of Paris conference, UNFCCC COP 21 at France then all countries has to make sure that they participate active to make sure that they fight the climate change because it affects the whole planet. I believe that we can make it because climate change is real. Let’s echo the Bill Gates when he was saying “The climate change is terrible problem and it is absolute needs to be solved. It deserve to be a huge priority” that is one among a big quote that can be used to insist the United Nation.

This is just a summary of what have been happen in Tanzania, and I know every where has been affected by climate change but let me remind you, if we cannot save a living Planet then we will never manage in dead planet like Mars”