Climate change not really my business “So I thought

Cynthia Musiye* talks about her personal realisation about climate change.

I really thought what business do I have with COP 17? For me it was just another discussion that would lead to a great deal with the government and the capitalists of this world. Little did I know that it has everything to do with the air I breath, the water I drink, my health and my life as a whole. I didn’t realise that climate change can determine my fate in this life.

It was on this very day that my mentality was shifted permanently, that I started to realise that I have to do something about global warming and that playing my part can make a big difference in the world. Global warming is like a pandemic, for many years intelligent people have been trying find a solution but they are not any luckier.

On 1st December, I remember the Khanya College staff leaving the Port Edward resort for Durban. All we had in our minds was how long the trip to Durban was. We arrived late at the University of Kwazulu Natal where the civil society COP 17 conference was held, after losing our way a couple of times. We joined a seminar that was in process and we decided to just listen with curiosity about the debate on the impact of climate change on people’s lives. I couldn’t hold back my tears when a woman from Zimbabwe shared the difficulties that she experienced because of climate change. “Before, we used to plant. But these days we can’t plant anymore because the rain is not as satisfying. We can’t make money to take our children to school anymore,” she said. “Our castles are dying because the grass is dry and our children are sick of malaria. It gets so hot, up to 50 degrees, We don’t have crops these days because of climate change”.

From listening to people’s shared experiences I got to understand the meaning and impact of climate change.

I started to relate to what was being talked about. I got answers as to why people suffer with their sinuses and with asthma. Before I used to think that illnesses were just normal. I never knew it had something to do with the environment. I then remembered that when I grew up in Venda we used to plant mealies and peanuts in our yards. Now, all this things are not there any-more and life is very expensive. I use to think it was just civilization, that our world was developing for the better through technology. Little did I know that this is some of the results that comes with global warming.

COP 17, global warming and climate change is my business and your business. The little things that we do everyday can make a big difference in our nation. Let us do whatever it takes to educate others about climate Change so that we can all play our part.