A Case for System Change to Deal with Population Increase
by Moses Greg Obwa
The world is shrinking. While the human population increases, the size of the world does not increase. The world’s governments fight over how they can manage and control the congestion of urban areas but it becomes tough to fight the battle. This increase influenced the rise of several effects on climate and biodiversity changes. By taking my largest city of Dar es salaam (Tanzania) as the case study, its population increasing rapidly, this rises fear of what will be next as human activities like industrial activities, construction, and trade seems to affect the Eco-system. Dar es Salaam has a geographical area of 1,800 km2, with a population of about 7 million people (estimation). In 1950, its population was 83,844. Since 2015 its population has grown by 345,242, which represents 5.15% annual change (from the latest revision of the UN World Urbanization prospects).
While Dar es Salaam’s population does not seem that large compared to some of the world’s other cities, it is one of the fastest-growing in Africa and in the world. In Africa, it is the third fastest-growing city and the ninth in the world. This population increase is due to natural and migration factors. The provision of social services, presence of enough food, employment opportunities in industrialization, peace and security, exchange, favourable climate condition, and other economic activities influence even people from other countries to like Dar es Salaam. A large part of this population is youth (15-39 years). This population increase affects climate and biodiversity. This is because of the unlimited wants compared to the limited resources for human needs and wants. This forces the environmentalists to rise with environmentalism’s concept on protecting the environment from pollution. Apart from the rapid population, there is no clear policy to control the birth rate and migration of people to Dar es Salaam (United Republic of Tanzania, 2014).
Systemic change on Addressing Climate and Biodiversity crises.
System change is all about the processes associated with the transformation of components and structures that affect the systems to behave in a certain way. The system change deals with addressing the root causes of social problems and looking for solutions to them. These social problems are interrelated to each other. To define the root causes of climatic and biodiversity changes and crises. Systemic change looks at various issues, including the conditions where the climate and biodiversity issues are around. This is important as it clearly does investigate the root causes that influence the changes in the climate condition as well as biodiversity crises.
For example, maybe the root causes of Dar es Salaam pollution are either motor vehicles, remains of food, gases and oils from the industries and other factors. System change is to define the causes or reasons. It also suggests the possible solutions for environmental conservation to support the life of living organisms. After having a critical investigation on the few factors affecting the environment, the systematic change team propose solutions and principles through which the community can undertake to combat the environmental crises. (Kenneth M, 2021). It can influence the communities, leaders, producers, workers, consumers and other influential people to unite on campaigning for nature conservation. The systemic change in environmental conservation programs can influence the great population on how they can take care of their surroundings as it cares for them (biodiversity). This can influence even other social system changes. Through stakeholders and teams (for example Youth4Nature), conducting campaigns, seminars, trainings, and social media the community’s desires can be overcome, pushing them towards caring for their environments.
It can act as the influential system for the other systems to be active as well to achieve their aims. The systematic change on climate and biodiversity cannot work itself in isolation. Rather, it is like the human body in which in performing its functions it should call together the other small systems to work together collectively to bring the expected results. This is what is also needed to the achievement of the other systems including Climate and biodiversity change. On the performance of this system, also other systems like Economic, political and energy systems are required and vice versa.
This is our main campaign based on keeping nature. We need the communities to come up and save their surroundings so that it can care for them. Therefore, by considering the system change strategies we can win the restoration of our ecology. This can even lead to a decrease in the level of carbon and other poisonous gas emitted from the industries (both local and modern industries) in the space. It can lead to human and natural development. This can happen due to the balance in nature.
REFERENCE:
Brendan M, (2019). Human System of needs. Ecologist informed by Nature.
Johannnes89, (2021). Environmentalism. Wikipedia.
Kenneth Mokgatlhe, (2021). Lay of the land. Environmentalism. Planting the seeds to City survival
United Republic of Tanzania, (2014). Basic demographic and Socio-Economic profile report, Tanzania Mainland of 2012.
World urbanization prospects (2021). Dar es Salaam population 2021. UN population estimates and projections of major urban Agglomerations.
About
I am Gregory Moses and my Father is Obwa. I was born 27 years ago at Mara region - Tanzania, as the fourth child within a family of eight living people. Am a twin brother. I used to study at Government schools from nursery school until my University level. Am a child of a single mother as my father died in 2005. Am taking Bachelor in Community Economic development at MOSHI CO-OPERATIVE UNIVERSITY. My desire on this is to work with my community on the various issues surrounding it. I want to be an Icon to the community and a core factor for change toward community development.