Zanzibar's renewable energy plan to address climate change

While concerns about climate change are being actively addressed through different ways including pushing for enforcement of conventions and international protocols, Zanzibar is recording success with its people gradually helping stop damaging the environment.

Promoting renewable energy has been among initiatives being used here, in responding to effects of climate change linked to human destruction of environment including deforestation, a threat to the few forests on the Islands.

Deforestation to clear for increasing construction of buildings in tourism areas, increasing populations putting pressure for settlement and wood for cooking, are some of the major problems which make Zanzibar vulnerable place with increasing temperatures, rising sea level, salinisation of fresh water and floods.

According to scientists, climate change is a change in the pattern of weather and related changes in oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets, leading to negative impact on the human life including disasters and that the way to survive is for human being to control its activities on earth.

In addition to enforcement of environment laws, public and private institutions here are working to ensure that the message 'use renewable energy to save the country' reach all adults including leaders.

Following ongoing intensive education/awareness campaign which started last year, the assessment shows that more and more households in the rural areas are now installing solar to get electricity, at least for lighting the house and charging mobile phones, which almost every home owns.

This is regarded as a success story for Promoting Innovation in Renewable Energy project which started last year in rural areas of North A and North B districts, where deforestation has been reported to be high.