How Samia has spearheaded climate change response

The famous Chinese strategist, author and philosopher, Sun Tzu, once said, “A leader leads by example, not by force.” One of the toughest things for most leaders, especially politicians, to do is stick to what they preach and be able to influence their citizens to be part of positive change.

When it comes to climate change issues, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has set the bar pretty high for the rest of the world to follow.

Since coming into office, President Hassan has been pro-nature and pro-environment, anti-climate change and has urged Tanzanians to engage in environmental conservation. Not once has she missed any of the United Nations climate change conferences.

The COP28 agenda is “fast-tracking the energy transition and slashing emissions before 2030” and Tanzania’s Head of State is way ahead with that.

This is hardly surprising, taking into consideration the fact that most women who use unclean cooking energy sources such as charcoal and wood are affected by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the third leading cause of deaths worldwide, with 3.23 million fatalities recorded in 2019, according to the World Health Organization.

In 2022, when the current Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Relations, Mr January Makamba, was the Minister for Energy, Tanzania held a clean cooking energy conference to emphasise the use of cost-effective clean cooking energy and protect the environment for present and future generations.

On November 2, President Hassan launched the African Women Clean Cooking Support Programme at COP28, extending this initiative beyond Tanzania’s borders. The initiative aims to help with climate change mitigation and combat carbon emissions in Africa.

One of the most effective ways of implementing climate change mitigation is to start now. All of President Hassan’s efforts have one thing in common – inclusivity. She believes that at the core of all this is the need to include all age groups from various parts of the world and this has seen the rise of many projects that are centred around planting trees as the first important step.

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Tanzania, through its CookFund Programme, has also channelled Sh45 billion into financing clean cooking energy initiatives in the country, aiming to help both the cook and the planet.

All regions in Tanzania have been directed to plant at least 1.5 million trees. There are campaigns in place to ensure that people remember to plant a tree from time to time, including the “Mti wa Mama” campaign conducted by the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) on January 27, 2023, which also marked the President’s birthday.

Under this campaign, trees are planted across the country on this particular day, with a follow-up on the progress of the ones planted previously. Through the campaign, other stakeholders, including the Tanzania Forest Fund (TFF), have been roped in. “Soma na Mti” is another campaign where pupils are taught the importance of environmental conservation and given the task of planting a tree and looking after it throughout their studies at their schools.

During COP 26 in Scotland in 2021, President Hassan reminded the world that climate change is currently affecting Tanzania as it is affecting the rest of the world, especially in fisheries, agriculture and forestry, areas that contribute about 30 percent of Tanzania’s GDP. She urged the rest of the world to work together to mitigate the impact of disasters linked to climate change.

“What we ought to remember is that when drastic climate change hits, it will choose no location, mighty or weak, poor or rich,” President Hassan said.

True to her word, President Hassan has cut short her attendance of COP28 in Dubai and returned home to oversee relief efforts after a mudslide and flash floods left at least 70 people dead and dozens others injured in Hanang District, Manyara Region.

It is common knowledge that landslides are a climate change issue and one of their major causes is deforestation.

It is not unusual to hear people complaining that it is too hot nowadays, or the rains have become unpredictable, apparently unaware that climate change plays a key role in all this.

Every one of us should advocate a safe living environment by conserving water sources, planting trees, disposing of waste through recommended ways and passing down climate-related knowledge.

The changes we want begin with us first taking tentative steps towards reaching zero carbon emissions and introducing clean cooking energy in our homes.