Listen; the trees and water are talking.

The water slaps the edges of a dry concrete wall creating a mark that slowly fades away after a few minutes. Every minute there is light water wave slapping the same wall. Inside the wall, men in orange overcoats and plastic like looking covers on their heads. Armed with wheelbarrows, iron bars, metals and steel the men work to add concrete for the wall to thicken and strengthen. Like little worker ants down below the ground that slowly build their empires creating castles to live. Obviously the forces of human nature trample on them to distort the way their way of life. They are the small ones and because man is such a bully, his wrath slowly drives the little ants away and they simply cannot retaliate. The ants only once in awhile invade peoples’ homes and sift through tonnes of crumbs. 

These ants will soon be deprived of simple vegetation 

The men with overcoats have are struggling other human beings happy. The men with their shovels, spades, cranes and caterpillars scooped land to divert the natural course of the river. This is a river with history and serves over five countries. The needs of human beings just like the ants are growing thus the utilisation of the vast resource to meet their needs. Lighting, computers, Smartphones, coolers, gaming consoles and movies are the needs. The men have to succumb to the pressure of human nature that has endless demands that are mostly likely never going to be satisfied. Even industrialisation has its demands, energy, energy and energy. Need I repeat that? The water has made its voice heard by refusing to increase but reducing. It has refused to evaporate and be part of a more stable ecosystem. And who is complaining of drought, scorched earth, dry water wells and shrinking rivers. Water is talking but no-one is hearing as the myth is that “water doesn’t talk.” 

This is a well in my village that no-longer fills to this level because rainfall has rebelled against us

In a small forest sweaty bare chested men with large see-saws singing happy life songs as they cut trees into small timber to sale on the local market. As the moon slowly sets in, trucks exit the forest with timber to sale to the real-estate dealers in the big town. On the other side, Charcoal prices have been souring making it lucrative business for a population where economic hardships have become a headline in the local media. A fertile nation like Uganda with over 30million (It is more than this) people, then their energy demands need to be matched. Soil erosion, mudslides, exhaustion, roofs flying off houses, unpredicted but harsh weather patterns and drought is the voice of tree talking to a dead end. 

Some of the trees planted by our family in the village

Little known to the active men and human nature is that their actions will be met with vast environmental misgivings. The energy demands by human nature often growing and depleting natural resources like water and forests have vast consequences mostly unknown or that they have no control over. The conflict between energy demands and the eminent challenges of Climate Change however that notwithstanding this crossroad has created more confusion than solutions. Solar Energy and other energy sources that clearly less harmless to our environment to mitigate the likely challenges of climate change, are still viewed by some as weak. Unknown to many, the despair of some, the environment has already reacted with changing weather patterns but what is more concerning, is that I see no urge or oomph to avoid the wrath of a rebelling environment.