23 Oct 2024

Okavango Research Institute (ORI) director, Professor Joseph Mbaiwa, has underscored the need to come up with mitigation or adaptation measures, and strategies to tackle issues of climate change. 

Climate change, he said, had become rampant with drastic changes that affected  the environment in many ways including extreme weather, rising temperatures, drought and change in rainfall, which eventually affected things the community relied on and value such as agriculture, water and ecosystem among others.

Professor Mbaiwa made the remarks during an event where MMG Khoemacu Mine in collaboration with Absa bank planted 2 000 trees at the mine’s residence in Toteng and at Legotlhwane over the weekend.

The exercise aimed to mitigate climate changes as well as to promote a green environment. 

The event, which was graced by Toteng village leaders and stakeholders, was held under the theme: Nature Positive by 2030 and Beyond and the tree of the year was Saltbush tree scientifically known as Buccharis Halimifolia.  Prof. Mbaiwa stated that issues of climate change were a call for action to everyone to play a role in the mitigation by adopting sustainable habits. 

“We are in an environment which is very delicate when it comes to issues of climate change and there is a reason why we embarked on the tree planting exercise. As such, I would like to applaud the mine and the bank for their efforts to bring solutions to deal with climate change issues,” he said. 

While he appreciated that tree planting was the right approach, Prof. Mbaiwa said attention should be paid to indigenous trees and underscored the need to have the right knowledge on whether the trees would survive.

He said collaboration with the community was key as they have indigenous knowledge, which could be integrated into scientific knowledge. 

He also emphasised sustainable practices to manage the environment, noting that sustainability was key. Communities, he said, had to be extra careful in any activity they undertook and also called upon other sectors of the economy and businesses to strive to make the environment green and make the community to be resilient. 

“Let us all make our environment green, let us create a green sustainable future for generations to come. As sectors, we should be seen leading a role in driving climate change migration solutions,” said Prof. Mbaiwa. 

Absa corporate director, Ms Tebogo Giddie, appreciated the bank’s partnership with the mine, saying they have made a commitment to plant 2 000 trees every year in Toteng and surrounding areas and the mine site.

She said they continued to make sure that the partnership symbolised their shared commitment to sustainability and green future.

She said the tree planting initiative was meant to serve as a legacy for the future generations, emphasising the importance of planting trees to prevent climate change impact and conserve biodiversity. 

Ms Giddie  noted that trees, contributed to the environment by reducing carbon print, preserving soil, purifying air and enhancing climate as well as sustaining lives. 

She noted that they planted indigenous species suitable to thrive in the Toteng environment. 

Ms Giddie also stated that the  initiative was an indication that a business could drive positive change through environmental sustainability. 

“This initiative shows that as corporate businesses, we are actively contributing to the country’s sustainability agenda as part of our corporate social responsibility,” she added. 

MMG Khoemacau managing director, Logic Sebopeng, thanked Absa for making the event possible, saying the partnership was in the third year, impacting on the community and reducing global warming. ENDS