Bishop appeals for viable energy mix
The fight against climate change and deforestation is a losing battle unless the country revisits its energy mix, Bishop Martin Mtumbuka has warned.
The leader of Catholics in Karonga Diocese called for a forest-friendly energy policy during a tree-planting ceremony at Nandanga Primary School in Chitipa.
Government plans to plant 60 million trees by April, but forests keep vanishing at an alarming rate as 97 percent of the country’s population relies on charcoal and firewood for cooking.
Mtumbuka called for a policy shift and strict regulations to save trees in the country, where nine in 10 people have no access to electricity.
Making electricity affordable for all would reduce the appetite for wood fuel and depletion of forests, he said.
“Depletion of the trees is one of the factors driving climate change. Some of the effects include erratic rainfall and crops being attacked by fall army worms. We cannot address deforestation if our energy policies are not viable. It is high time electricity tariffs were affordable so that people can use electricity for cooking,” he said.
The country adopted the revised National Energy Policy which calls for reduction in charcoal and firewood in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) seven on ensuring sustainable energy for all, including clean cooking.
Group Village Head Mwamkumbwa commended Karonga Diocese for conserving forests, joining the bishop in urging Malawians to ensure trees planted yearly receive adequate care to grow.
The diocese, which embodies Karonga and Chitipa border districts, plans to plant about 80 000 trees under its integrated rural development programme.n
