Umlo Wokuhlangula Isijikelezi-langa Sethu

NGUMBHALELI KAVUKANI! ESPEYIN

UYURY, ohlala kwisixeko saseRashiya esiyiKarabash, unabantwana ababini, yaye bobabini balele ngandletyana nye. Kuyamkhathaza kodwa akumothusi oko. Uyachaza: “Abekho abantwana abasempilweni entle apha.” Abantu baseKarabash bayatyhefwa. Minyaka le umzi-mveliso wasekuhlaleni ukhupha iitoni ezili-162 000 zezinto ezingcolisa umoya—indoda, ibhinqa nomntwana walapho ufumana iitoni ezisi-9. ENikel naseMonchegorsk kuSinga-siqithi weKola, kumntla weArctic Circle, “ezona ndawo zinkulu zimbini nezona zindala ezinyibilikisa i-nickel . . . nyaka ngamnye zingcolisa umoya ngesinyithi ne-sulfur dioxide ukodlula nayiphi na imizi-mveliso ekhoyo eRashiya.”—The New York Times.

Umoya wesiXeko saseMexico nawo awunampilo. Uhlolisiso olwenziwa nguGqr. Margarita Castillejos lwafumanisa ukuba kwanakummandla wabantu abazizityebi wesi sixeko, abantwana bagula iintsuku ezine kwezintlanu. Wathi: “Ukugula kubo sekuyinto eqhelekileyo.” Uthi, oyena nozala ophambili woku, ngumsi ozalise lonke elo okhutshwa ngamawaka eenqwelo-mafutha ezinyakazela kwizitrato zesi sixeko. Umlinganiselo wezinto ezenza iozone mkhulu ngokuphindwe kane kunomgaqo weWorld Health Organization.

EOstreliya le ngozi ayibonakali—kodwa iyabulala. Sithetha nje abantwana kunyanzeleka banxibe iminqwazi xa bedlala kumabala emidlalo esikolo. Ukutshatyalaliswa kwesigqubuthelo esikhuselayo seozone kuMazantsi eIkhweyitha kwenze abantu baseOstreliya baqalisa ukulijonga ilanga njengotshaba kunokuba libe ngumhlobo. Bazibonele ngawabo amehlo ukwanda ngokuphindwe kathathu komhlaza wesikhumba.

Kwezinye iindawo zehlabathi, ukufumana amanzi awaneleyo lidabi lemihla ngemihla. Xa uAmalia wayeneminyaka eli-13 ubudala, elaseMozambique lalibhuqwa yimbalela. Kunyaka wokuqala kwakukho nje amanzi awaneleyo yaye kunyaka olandelayo kwakunzima ukufumana nanjani na. Imifuno yabuna yaza yafa. UAmalia nentsapho yakowabo kwanyanzeleka ukuba badle iziqhamo zasendle bembe kwintsele yomlambo enesanti ukuze bafumane anokuqabul’ unxano.

Kwilizwana laseIndiya eliyiRajasthan, amadlelo aya ephela ngokuphela. UPhagu, umntu wohlanga oluthile oluhambahambayo lufuna amadlelo, ehleli nje uxambulisana nabalimi basekuhlaleni. Akalifumani idlelo lomhlambi wakhe weegusha noweebhokhwe. Ngenxa yokunqongophala komhlaba ochumileyo, uxolo olwalukho phakathi kwabalimi nabantu abahambahambayo lwaphela tu.

Imeko yaseSahel ayiginyisi mathe kwaphela, kummandla omkhulu onomhlaba oneemvula ezingephi okumda osemazantsi weSahara eAfrika. Ngenxa yokutshatyalaliswa kwamahlathi neembalela, imihlambi iye yatshayelwa yonke yaza imihlatyana eqeshisayo emininzi yangcwabeka kuloo mfumba yesanti yasentlango. “Andinakuphinda ndityale,” wafunga watsho umlimi ongumFulani waseNiger emva kokubona isivuno sakhe samazimba singaphumeleli okwesihlandlo sesixhenxe. Iinkomo zakhe zazisele zifile ngenxa yokunqongophala kwamadlelo.

Isisongelo Esandayo

Kukho izisongelo kwiimbalela zakutshanje, ukungaphumeleli kwesivuno nomoya ongcolileyo ofuthanisela izixeko ngezixeko. Ezo ziimpawu zesijikelezi-langa esigulayo, isijikelezi-langa esingasenako ukunika abantu zonke izinto abazifunayo kuso.

Ayikho into phezu komhlaba ebaluleke ekuphileni kwethu ngaphezu komoya esiwuphefumlayo, ukudla esikutyayo namanzi esiwaselayo. Ezi zinto zisisiseko zixhasa ubomi ziyangcoliswa okanye ziyatshatyalaliswa—ngumntu ngokwakhe. Kwamanye amazwe imekobume sele isongela ubomi. Kunjengokuba owayesakuba ngumongameli weSoviet uMikhail Gorbachev wakubeka ngokucacileyo oku xa wathi, “indalo isibambe ngobhongwane.”

Esi sisongelo asifuni ukuthatyathwa lula. Abemi behlabathi abayekanga ukwanda, yaye ziyanda izinto abazifunayo kobu buncwane bungephi. Kutshanje umongameli weWorldwatch Institute, uLester Brown, ugqabaze wathi “ikamva lethu alisongelwa yimikhosi ehlaselayo kodwa lisongelwa kukonakaliswa kwemekobume yesi sijikelezi-langa.” Ngaba kwenziwe onke amatiletile okuthintela intlekele?

Umlo Wokukhusela Isijikelezi-langa

Kunzima ukunceda inxila eliqinisekileyo ukuba alinangxaki ngokusela. Ngokukwanjalo, inyathelo lokuqala ekunyangeni impilo yesijikelezi-langa kukuqonda ukuba sigula kangakanani. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba, imfundo kwiminyaka yakutshanje ibe ngunobangela obalaseleyo wokuphumelela kwemekobume. Namhlanje abantu abaninzi bazi kakuhle ukuba umhlaba wethu uyonakaliswa yaye uyangcoliswa—yaye kufanele kwenziwe okuthile ngaloo nto. Isisongelo sokonakaliswa kwemekobume ngoku sodlula nemfazwe yenyukliya.

Iinkokeli zehlabathi ziyaziqonda ezi ngxaki. Ngowe-1992 iintloko zamazwe ezimalunga ne-118 zaya kwiNgqungquthela Yehlabathi yemicimbi engemekobume, apho kwathi kwathatyathwa amanyathelo ambalwa ngokuphathelele ukukhusela umoya osingqongileyo nobuncwane bomhlaba obushokoxekayo. Amazwe amaninzi atyikitya isivumelwano ngale meko evumelana ngokumisela inkqubo yokuchaza iinguqu zokukhutshwa kwekharbhon, ngenjongo yokuthintela ukukhutshwa kwayo ngokupheleleyo kungekudala. Kwakhona acinga iindlela zokukhusela izinto zebhayoloji ezahlukahlukeneyo zesi sijikelezi-langa sethu, iintlobo zonke zezityalo nezilwanyana. Akuzange kufikelelwe kwizivumelwano ngokuphathelele ukukhuselwa kwamahlathi ehlabathi, kodwa le ngqungquthela yakwazi ukukhupha amaxwebhu amabini—i-“Rio Declaration” ne-“Agenda 21,” awayequlethe imigaqo ngendlela amazwe anokulufikelela ngayo “uphuhliso oluya kuhlala luhleli.”

Njengesazi ngemekobume uAllen Hammond ulikhupha litsole elokuba, “eyona ngxaki iphambili iya kuba sekubeni izibhambathiso ezenziwa eRio ziya kugcinwa kusini na—nokuba la mazwi enkalipho aya kwenza kubekho into eyenziwayo kwiinyanga nakwiminyaka ezayo kusini na.”

Noko ke, eyona nkqubela ibonakalayo, yaba yiMontreal Protocol yowe-1987, ekwenziwa kuyo isivumelwano sezizwe ngezizwe sokuyeka ukuvelisa iichlorofluorocarbon (ii-CFC) lingaphelanga ixesha elithile elimiselweyo.a Yintoni ingxaki ngazo? Ikukuba kuthiwa ii-CFC zifak’ isandla ekupheleni ngokukhawuleza kocwecwe lweozone olukhusela umhlaba. Iozone ephezulu kumoya osingqongileyo iluncedo gqitha ekuhluzeni imitha yelanga eyiultraviolet, mitha leyo enokubangela umhlaza wesikhumba norhatyazo. Le asiyongxaki nje eseOstreliya. Kutshanje, izazinzulu zifumanise ukuba ebusika umlinganiselo weozone uhle ngesi-8 ekhulwini kwimimandla ethile enemozulu efudumeleyo ekuMntla weIkhweyitha. Iitoni ezizizigidi ezingama-20 zee-CFC sele zinyuke zaya kuhlala kumoya osingqongileyo.

Kuba zixakene nale ntlekele yokungcoliswa komoya osingqongileyo, izizwe zehlabathi zisathe xha ukujongana ngezikhondo zamehlo zilwa nale ngxaki. Kwakhona amazwe ngamazwe aye abhinqela phezulu ekhusela iintlobo zezinto eziphilayo ezisengozini, alondoloza iAntarctica athintela nokurhweba ngenkunkuma enetyhefu.

Amazwe amaninzi ami bume ecoca imilambo yawo (intlanzi eyisalmon ngoku ibuyiselwe eNgilani kuMlambo iThames), athintela ukungcoliswa komoya (kwehle nge-10 ekhulwini kwizixeko zaseUnited States ezizezona ziqhumayo), ukusebenzisa izikhululo zombane ezingabangeli monakalo kwimekobume (amakhaya angama-80 ekhulwini eIceland afudunyezwa ngobushushu bomhlaba), yaye alondoloza ilifa lawo lemvelo (elaseCosta Rica nelaseNamibia aguqule ummandla omalunga ne-12 ekhulwini womhlaba wawo wonke waba ziipaki).

Ngaba le miqondiso mihle ngolu hlobo ibonisa ukuba uluntu luyithabatha nzulu le ngozi? Ngaba kungekudala isijikelezi-langa sethu siza kuphinda sibe sempilweni entle? Amanqaku alandelayo aza kuzama ukuphendula loo mibuzo.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]