A five-day forum on the state of the environment in Cameroon begins on Monday, next week.
Talk about climate change erstwhile strange and utopic to most Cameroonians is now better understood as the manifestations abound. If on a global scale, climate change manifests as an increase in the planet’s average temperature and increase in sea level, noticeable impacts such as melting of glaciers, flooding, droughts and famine, high temperatures, increase in the occurrence of tropical cyclones, bush fires, decrease in agricultural output and loss in biodiversity are far reaching.
A document from the Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection showing Cameroon’s position during the December 2009 debates on climate change at the United Nations Organisation in New York, holds that the country also suffers from the nefarious effects of climate change noticeable on all socio-economic sectors especially sensible ones like agriculture, livestock rearing, energy, health, industry, biodiversity and natural resources. A drop in annual rainfall has been recorded throughout the national territory, causing decreases in water resources, agricultural production, and hydroelectric energy generation needed by industries. Moreso, prolonged and repeated droughts contribute to desertification, scarcity of pasture, loss of biodiversity and the multiplication of conflicts between communities. In the health domain, high temperatures have caused the resurgence of several diseases such as meningitis, cholera, typhoid, diarrhoeas and malaria.
The development of socio-economic activities has been seriously hampered by the modification of seasons and increases in the frequency of floods and natural catastrophes. An increase in sea level towards the hinterland and the erosion of coastal areas has been noticed. Infact, forecasts say the elevation of the sea level by 2050 will lead to an increase in salt water up to 14.9 km up the Dibamba and Wouri rivers. By the year 2100, the rise in sea level might cause the displacement of 580,300 people and destruction of 39,000 houses. The increase in the percentage of salt in water will destroy mangrove and various species of fish. A total of 11.63 square kilometres of land area expected to be lost alongside industrial property worth FCFA 2.7 billion. In the northern sahelian zone, drops in rainfall and changes in seasons will lead to decreases in the animal population of the Waza Park, in agriculture and livestock production and upsurge in diseases.
The government of Cameroon has not remained indifferent to these threats. Besides, adhering to sub-regional, regional and global initiatives to appropriately respond to climate change and environmental degradation; it has undertaken institutional and legal reforms in environmental protection. But the need to keep pace with the rapid changing environment, demands more. Such is the justification of the weeklong forum on the state of the environment scheduled to hold as from Monday 24 to Friday 28 October. The forum aims, amongst others, to present a diagnosis of the state of the environment and environmental policies as well as attract attention of different actors on the dangers of anarchical exploitation of environmental resources.
