KAMPALA — The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) warns the world is consuming and distracting more of the Earth’s resources than the planet can bear leading to uncertainty about the future of the young generation.
WWF has since launched a global online action dubbed “Voice of the Planet”, urging world leaders to endorse a new deal for nature and people in 2020.
The new deal seeks to halt and reverse the grave humanity’s impact on nature and protect the mother planet from the massive nature loss championed by deforestation, degradation of wetlands, species extinction, climate change among others.
From that background, the conservationists are suggesting two approaches including pressing political leaders into action to protect the earth for future generations.
Mr. David Duli, the WWF Country Director says behaviors such as riding bicycles as opposed to driving cars, acquiring water bottles to reduce plastic pollution are key for the planet’s recovery.
“We must start by changing our behavior and adopt lifestyles that are friendly to the environment for us to put our environment on a recovery path,” he says.
President Museveni last month said it is even healthier to use a bicycle.
Meanwhile, WWF calls the planet sick and says it has the statistics to prove that.
WWF says its Living Planet index finds biodiversity has decreased globally by nearly 30 percent since 1970 and, in the hardest-hit tropics, by 60 percent.
“River Nile alone carries 84792 tonnes of plastic into the oceans. This places it among the 10 rivers around the world that carry more than 90% of the plastic waste that ends up in the oceans” the Buganda Kingdom Lands minister Mariam Nkalubo Nasejje says.
She adds that the pollution in other lakes and Rivers in Buganda and around the world is also high calling for urgent action to have the matter addressed.
This is attributed to the fact that we have destroyed wetlands and swamps which used to act as sponges or sieves to clean up the water before it ends in our water bottles. This trend must be reversed immediately”, Ms. Mariam Nkalubo adds.
Key alternatives suggested by WWF include continued unsustainable production and consumption of nature’s resources be reduced by a half.
WWF says individuals can do a lot to preserve the world’s dwindling resources by becoming smarter consumers. It says they can choose to walk rather than drive, they can buy food produced closer to home than that which is transported long distances.
Ms. Rita Kyategeka, a conservationist says this is possible if “we transition to sustainable practices of food production, agriculture, fishing, forestry, infrastructure, and Forestry”.
“This is the only way we can guarantee clean water and food for all Ugandans, the stability of our climate, diversity of life to guarantee our tourism industry, and good quality of life for all Ugandans”, she suggested.
The Voice for the Planet platform allows people to add their name by signing a petition as well as pledging to make a lifestyle change.
Political, business, religious, and cultural leaders as well as individuals are invited to sign up and commit to tackling the loss of nature before the damage to our country is irreparable.
WWF says the Voice for the Planet will create a visual demonstration of the national and global demand and commitment to actions that will save our country and the planet as a whole.
Add your voice here: https://www.wwfuganda.org/earth_hour/voice_for_the_planet/
