Ukucekelwa Phansi Kwamahlathi Emvula

EMANDULO, iplanethi yethu yayimbozwe uhlaza. Kwakunezihlahla ezinhlobonhlobo nemifula emikhulu egelezayo.

Njengendawo enkulu engokwemvelo yokugcina izitshalo, le planethi yayiyindawo enhle enezinto ezinhlobonhlobo. Ingxenye yezilwane ezinhlobonhlobo, izinyoni nezinambuzane zomhlaba yayihlala lapho. Kodwa nakuba yayingenye yezindawo ezinothile emhlabeni, yayingonakala kalula futhi—kakhulu kunalokho okucatshangwa abaningi.

Leli hlathi lemvula elikhulu, njengoba silibiza kanjalo namuhla, lalibonakala liwudedangendlale—futhi lingenakuqothulwa. Kodwa kwakungenjalo. Amahlathi emvula aqala ukunyamalala eziqhingini zaseCaribbean. Ngo-1671—eminyakeni eyishumi ngaphambi kokushabalala kwenyoni i-dodo—kwatshalwa izimoba emahlathini aseBarbados.a Ezinye iziqhingi kule ndawo nazo zabhekana nesimo esifanayo, esasiyisandulela sesimo sembulunga yonke esiye sabhebhetheka ekhulwini lama-20 leminyaka.

Namuhla, amahlathi emvula asibekele indawo engamaphesenti amahlanu kuphela emhlabeni, uma kuqhathaniswa namaphesenti angu-12 eminyakeni eyikhulu edlule. Futhi unyaka ngamunye kugawulwa noma kushiswe indawo enamahlathi enkulu kunezwe laseNgilandi, noma engamakhilomitha-skwele angu-130 000. Leli zinga lokucekela phansi elishaqisayo lisongela amahlathi emvula—kanye nezinto ezihlala kuwo—angase abhekane nesimo i-dodo eyabhekana naso. “Asinakusho ngokuqinisekile ukuthi amahlathi ayonyamalala ngonyaka othile, kodwa uma izinto zingashintshi, amahlathi azonyamalala,” kuxwayisa uPhilip Fearnside, umcwaningi wamahlathi emvula eBrazil. Ngo-October nyakenye, uDiana Jean Schemo wabika: “Ukwaziswa esikuthole emasontweni amuva nje kubonisa ukuthi ukushiswa kwamahlathi okuqhubekayo eBrazil nonyaka kukhulu kunalokho okuye kwenzeka e-Indonesia, lapho amadolobha amakhulu eye asitshekelwa khona umusi oye wasakazekela nakwamanye amazwe. . . . Ukushiswa kwendawo yase-Amazon kwenyuke ngamaphesenti angu-28 kunanyakenye, kanti izibalo zokuqothulwa kwamahlathi zamuva ngo-1994 zibonisa ukwanda okungamaphesenti angu-34 kusukela ngo-1991.”

“Izihlahla Ezimila Ogwadule”

Kungani amahlathi emvula, ayengonakalisiwe eminyakeni eyikhulu edlule, eqothulwa ngokushesha kangaka? Amahlathi asezindaweni ezinesimo sezulu esithokomele, amboze amaphesenti angu-20 obuso bomhlaba, awanciphanga kakhulu kule minyaka engu-50 edlule. Yini eyenza amahlathi emvula abe sesimweni esibucayi kangaka? Impendulo itholakala esimweni sawo esiyingqayizivele.

Encwadini yakhe ethi Tropical Rainforest, u-Arnold Newman uthi amahlathi emvula aye achazwa kahle ngokuthi “izihlahla ezimila ogwadule.” Uchaza ukuthi kwezinye izingxenye zesifundazwe sase-Amazon naseBorneo, “kuyamangalisa ukuthi amahlathi amakhulu amila ngisho nasesihlabathini esimhlophe.” Nakuba amahlathi amaningi emvula engamili esihlabathini, cishe wonke asenhlabathini encane futhi enganothile. Nakuba umhlabathi ophezulu ehlathini lasezindaweni ezinesimo sezulu esithokomele ungase ujule ngamamitha amabili, emahlathini emvula uba ngaphansi kwamasentimitha amahlanu. Izitshalo eziluhlaza kangaka emhlabeni zingakhula kanjani endaweni enjena enganothile?

Ososayensi bathola ikhambi lale mfihlakalo ngawo-1960 nawo-1970. Bathola ukuthi amahlathi ayazondla ngokwawo. Iningi lezakhi ezidingwa izitshalo litholakala emfucumfucwini yamagatsha namaqabunga agcwele phansi kuyo yonke indawo nokuthi—ngenxa yokushisa nomswakama ohlala ukhona—le mfucumfucu isheshe ivundiswe umuhlwa, isikhunta nezinye izinto. Akukho okulahlwayo; konke kuphinde kusetshenziswe. Ngokuhwamuka kwamanzi emaqabungeni aphezulu ezihlahleni, amahlathi emvula ayakwazi ukuphinde asebenzise amaphesenti angu-75 emvula ayitholayo. Kamuva, amafu akheka ngale ndlela aphinde anisele ihlathi.

Kodwa lesi simiso esimangalisayo sibucayi. Uma sonakaliswa kakhulu, asikwazi ukuzivuselela. Uma ugawula ingxenyana yehlathi lemvula, iyazivuselela ngemva kweminyaka ethile; kodwa uma ugawula indawo enkulu, ingase ingakwazi ukumila futhi. Imvula enkulu ikhukhula izakhi, bese ilanga elikhiph’umkhovu etsheni lihangula inhlabathi ephezulu kuze kube yilapho ekugcineni kumila utshani obomile.

Izwe, Izinkuni Nenyama

Emazweni asathuthuka adinga indawo yezolimo, amahlathi amakhulu angonakalisiwe abonakala efanele ukusetshenziswa. Ikhambi “elisheshayo” laliwukukhuthaza abalimi abampofu, abangenandawo ukuba bagawule amahlathi bese bethi indawo ngeyabo—njengoba kwenza izifiki ezingabeLungu eNtshonalanga Melika. Nokho, imiphumela yaba yinhlekelele emahlathini ngokwawo nakubalimi.

Kungase kubonakale sengathi kungamila noma yini emahlathini emvula aluhlaza. Kodwa lapho izihlahla sezigawuliwe, ithemba lokuthola indawo evundile lishabalala ngokushesha. UVictoria, owesifazane wase-Afrika olima isivande umkhaya wakhe owasithola ngokugawula ihlathi, uchaza inkinga.

“Ubabezala usanda kugawula futhi washisa le ngxenyana yehlathi ukuze ngikwazi ukutshala amantongomane, umdumbula nobhanana. Ngizothola isivuno esihle nonyaka, kodwa eminyakeni emibili noma emithathu ezayo, inhlabathi iyobe ingasavundile, futhi kuyodingeka sigawule kwenye indawo. Kuwumsebenzi onzima, kodwa kuwukuphela kwendlela esingaziphilisa ngayo.”

Kunabalimi okungenani abayizigidi ezingu-200 abagawula batshale njengoVictoria nomkhaya wakhe! Futhi babangela umonakalo ongamaphesenti angu-60 wokuqothulwa kwamahlathi minyaka yonke. Nakuba laba balimi abagawulayo bengayijabulela indlela elula yokulima, ayikho into abangayenza. Njengoba bebhekene nomshikashika wokuziphilisa wansuku zonke, bakuthola kungaphezu kwamandla abo ukulondoloza amahlathi emvula.

Nakuba abalimi abaningi begawula ihlathi ukuze balime, abanye bagawula ukuze kuklabe imfuyo. Emahlathini emvula aseMelika Ephakathi neseNingizimu, ukufuya izinkomo kungenye yezimbangela ezinkulu zokuqothulwa kwamahlathi. Ngokuvamile inyama yalezi zinkomo ithengiswa eNyakatho Melika, lapho izitolo zokudla osekulungisiwe ziyidinga khona kakhulu inyama engabizi.

Nokho, abafuyi babhekana nenkinga efanayo nabalimi bezindawo ezincane. Amadlelo abawathola ehlathini lemvula elinenhlabathi engavundile awanakukwazi ukondla izinkomo iminyaka engaphezu kwemihlanu. Ukugawula amahlathi emvula ukuze kutholakale amadlelo kungase kucebise abathile, kodwa kuphakathi kwezindlela zokukhiqiza ukudla ezibangela umonakalo omkhulu eziye zasungulwa umuntu.b

Olunye usongo olukhulu emahlathini emvula lubangelwa ukugawulwa kwemithi. Akukhona ngempela ukuthi ukugawula imithi kubhubhisa ihlathi. Ezinye izinkampani zigawula izinhlobo zemithi ethile eziyithengisayo ngendlela eyenza ihlathi lisheshe lihlume futhi. Kodwa izingxenye ezimbili kwezintathu zamakhilomitha-skwele angu-45 000 ehlathi ezigawulwa izinkampani unyaka ngamunye zigawulwa kabi kangangokuba isihlahla esisodwa kuphela kwezinhlanu esingalimali ehlathini.

“Ngiyashaqeka uma ngibona ihlathi elihle licekelwa phansi ngenxa yokugawula imithi okungalawuleki,” kukhala isazi sezitshalo uManuel Fidalgo. “Nakuba kuyiqiniso ukuthi ezinye izitshalo nezihlahla zingase zihlume endaweni egawuliwe, lezo zihlahla ezintsha ziyihlathi lesibili—elingenazo izinhlobo ezithile zezitshalo. Kuyothatha amakhulu noma ngisho nezinkulungwane zeminyaka ngaphambi kokuba ihlathi lokuqala limile.”

Izinkampani ezigawulayo zisheshisa ukucekelwa phansi kwamahlathi nangezinye izindlela. Abafuyi bezinkomo nabalimi abagawulayo ngokuyinhloko bangena ehlathini ngezindlela ezicatshwe abagawuli bemithi. Ngezinye izikhathi imfucumfucu eshiywa abagawuli ibangela imililo emahlathini, ebhubhisa amahlathi amakhulu kunalawo abawagawulayo. EBorneo, umlilo onjalo waqothula amahektare ayisigidi ngo-1983.

Yini Eyenziwayo Ukuze Kuvikelwe Amahlathi?

Ngenxa yalezi zinsongo, kwenziwa imizamo yokulondoloza amahlathi asasele. Kodwa umsebenzi mkhulu. Izindawo zombuso zokulondoloza imvelo zingavikela ingxenye encane yamahlathi emvula, kodwa ukuzingela, ukugawulwa nokushiswa kwezihlahla ngenjongo yezolimo kusaqhubeka ezindaweni ezinjalo eziningi. Amazwe asathuthuka awanayo imali angayisebenzisela ukuphatha lezo zindawo zombuso zokulondoloza imvelo.

Izinkampani zamazwe ngamazwe zibaheha kalula ohulumeni abadinga imali ukuba bathengise amalungelo okugawula imithi—kwezinye izimo okuwukuphela kwamagugu ezwe okungakhokhwa ngawo izikweleti zamazwe angaphandle. Abalimi abayizigidi bazithola bengenayo enye indawo abangayisebenzisa ngaphandle kokuqhubeka beqothula amahlathi emvula.

Ezweni eligcwele izinkinga eziningi kangaka, ingabe ukulondolozwa kwamahlathi emvula kubaluleke ngempela? Yini engasilahlekela uma enyamalala?

[Imibhalo yaphansi]