Inkulumo yeziqhingi ezicwilayo kade yaba khona njengendlela yokuchaza ubungozi besikhathi esizayo obubhekene neziqhingi ezincane. Kodwa iqiniso liwukuthi namuhla lezi zinsongo sezivele zizwakala. Amazwe amaningi aseziqhingini ezincane athathe isinqumo sokwethula kabusha imigomo eyayikade ingathandwa yokuhlaliswa kabusha nokufuduka kwabantu ngenxa yokushintsha kwesimo sezulu.
Injalo indaba ye-Christmas Island noma i-Kiribati, ephakathi ne-Pacific Ocean - i-coral atoll enkulu kunazo zonke emhlabeni. Ukubhekisisa umlando walesi siqhingi kunikeza ukukhanya ezinkingeni abantu abahlala ezindaweni ezifanayo emhlabeni wonke kanye nokungenzi kahle kwezombusazwe zamanje zamazwe ngamazwe.
I-Kiribati inesikhathi esidlule esimnyama sobukoloniyali baseBrithani kanye nokuhlolwa kwezikhali zenuzi. Bathola inkululeko e-United Kingdom ngoJulayi 12, 1979, lapho iRiphabhulikhi yaseKiribati idalwa ukuze ibuse iqembu leziqhingi ezingama-33 ezisezinhlangothini zombili zenkabazwe endaweni. Manje sekuvela olunye usongo emkhathizwe.
IKiribati, engaphakeme ngaphezu kwamamitha amabili ngaphezu kolwandle endaweni ephakeme kakhulu, ingenye yeziqhingi ezizwela kakhulu isimo sezulu emhlabeni. Itholakala maphakathi nezwe, kodwa abantu abaningi abakwazi ukuyibona ngokunembile kumephu futhi bazi okuncane mayelana nesiko elicebile namasiko alaba bantu.
Leli siko lingashabalala. Umuntu oyedwa kwabayisikhombisa othuthela eKiribati, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi iziqhingi noma emazweni ngamazwe, uqhutshwa ukushintsha kwemvelo. Futhi umbiko we-UN ka-2016 ubonise ukuthi ingxenye yemizi isivele ithintekile ngokukhuphuka kwamazinga olwandle eKiribati. Ukukhuphuka kwamazinga olwandle nakho kudala izinkinga ngokugcinwa kwemfucuza yenuzi eziqhingini ezincane, izinsalela zesikhathi esidlule samakoloni.
Abantu abafudukayo baba ababaleki ngenxa yokushintsha kwesimo sezulu: abantu abaye baphoqeleka ukuba bashiye amakhaya abo ngenxa yemiphumela yesimo sezulu esibi futhi babuyele ekuphileni okuvamile kwenye indawo, balahlekelwa isiko labo, umphakathi kanye namandla okwenza izinqumo.
Le nkinga izoba yimbi nakakhulu. Izivunguvungu ezikhulayo kanye nezimo zesimo sezulu kushiye abantu abalinganiselwa ezigidini ezingama-24,1 ngonyaka emhlabeni wonke kusukela ngo-2008, kanti iBhange Lomhlaba lilinganisela ukuthi abanye abantu abayizigidi eziyi-143 bazosuswa ezindaweni zabo ngo-2050 ezifundeni ezintathu kuphela: i-Sub-Saharan Africa, iNingizimu Asia kanye I-Latin America.
Endabeni yaseKiribati, kuye kwamiswa izindlela eziningana zokusiza izakhamuzi zalezi ziqhingi. Isibonelo, uHulumeni waseKiribati usebenzisa uhlelo lwe-Migration with Dignity ukuze kwakheke abasebenzi abanamakhono abangathola imisebenzi emihle phesheya. Uhulumeni uphinde wathenga amahektha omhlaba ka-2014 eFiji ngo-6 ukuzama ukuqinisekisa ukutholakala kokudla njengoba imvelo ishintsha.
INew Zealand iphinde yabamba ilotho yaminyaka yonke yamathuba ebizwa ngokuthi “iPacific Ballot”. Le lotho iklanyelwe ukusiza izakhamuzi zaseKiribati ezingama-75 zihlale eNew Zealand ngonyaka. Nokho, kubikwa ukuthi ama-quota awahlangabezwana. Kuyaqondakala ukuthi abantu abafuni ukushiya amakhaya abo, imindeni kanye nempilo yabo.
Ngaleso sikhathi, iBhange Lomhlaba kanye ne-UN bathi i-Australia ne-New Zealand kufanele ithuthukise ukuhamba kwabasebenzi bezinkathi ezithile zonyaka futhi ivumele ukufuduka okuvulekile kwezakhamizi zaseKiribati ngenxa yemithelela yokushintsha kwesimo sezulu. Nokho, umsebenzi wezinkathi zonyaka ngokuvamile awunikezi amathuba amahle okuphila okungcono.
Nakuba ipolitiki yamazwe ngamazwe enezinhloso ezinhle igxile kakhulu ekuhlalisweni kabusha esikhundleni sokuhlinzeka ngomthamo ovumelana nezimo nokusekelwa kwesikhathi eside, lezi zinketho namanje azinikezi ukuzimela kweqiniso kwabantu baseKiribati. Bajwayele ukuguqula abantu ngokunqamula ukufuduka kwabo kube izinhlelo zokuqashwa.
Kusho futhi ukuthi amaphrojekthi awusizo endawo njengesikhumulo sezindiza esisha, uhlelo lwezindlu ezihlala unomphela kanye nesu elisha lezokuvakasha zasolwandle angase angabi namsebenzi maduzane. Ukuqinisekisa ukuthi ukufuduka akubi yisidingo, amaqhinga angokoqobo nathengekayo okubuyisela kanye nokongiwa komhlaba esiqhingini ayadingeka.
Ukukhuthaza ukufuduka kwabantu, vele, kuyindlela engabizi kakhulu. Kodwa akumelwe siwele ogibeni lokucabanga ukuthi lena ukuphela kwendlela yokuphuma. Akudingekile ukuthi lesi siqhingi sizike.
Lena akuyona inkinga yomuntu kuphela - ukushiya lesi siqhingi olwandle ekugcineni kuzoholela ekuqothulweni kwezinhlobo zezinyoni emhlabeni wonke ezingatholakali kwenye indawo eMhlabeni, njenge-Bokikokiko warbler. Ezinye iziqhingi ezincane ezisongelwa ukukhuphuka kwamazinga olwandle nazo zinezilwane ezisengozini yokushabalala.
Usizo lwamazwe ngamazwe lungaxazulula izinkinga eziningi zesikhathi esizayo futhi lusindise le ndawo emangalisayo futhi enhle kubantu, izilwane ezingezona abantu nezitshalo, kodwa ukuntuleka kokusekelwa okuvela emazweni acebile kwenza kube nzima kwabakhileyo eziqhingini ezincane ukucabangela izinketho ezinjalo. Iziqhingi zokwenziwa zidalwe eDubai - kungani kungenjalo? Ziningi ezinye izinketho ezinjengokuqinisa ibhange kanye nobuchwepheshe bokubuyiselwa komhlaba. Izinketho ezinjalo zingavikela izwe laseKiribati futhi ngesikhathi esifanayo zandise ukuqina kwalezi zindawo, uma usizo lwamazwe ngamazwe lwalushesha futhi lungaguquki emazweni abangele le nkinga yesimo sezulu.
Ngesikhathi sokubhalwa kweNgqungquthela ye-UN Refugee ka-1951, yayingekho incazelo eyamukelwa emhlabeni wonke ethi “umbaleki wesimo sezulu”. Lokhu kudala igebe lokuvikela, njengoba ukucekelwa phansi kwemvelo akufaneleki “njengokushushiswa”. Lokhu kwenzeka naphezu kokuthi ukuguquguquka kwesimo sezulu kuqhutshwa kakhulu yizenzo zamazwe anezimboni kanye nobudedengu bawo ekubhekaneni nemiphumela yako ebuhlungu.
I-UN Climate Action Summit ngoSepthemba 23, 2019 ingase iqale ukubhekana nezinye zalezi zinkinga. Kodwa ezigidini zabantu abahlala ezindaweni ezisongelwa ukushintsha kwesimo sezulu, inkinga iwubulungisa bemvelo nesimo sezulu. Lo mbuzo akufanele nje ube mayelana nokuthi izinsongo zokuguquguquka kwesimo sezulu ziyabhekwana yini, kodwa nokuthi kungani labo abafuna ukuqhubeka behlala eziqhingini ezincane bevame ukuntula izinsiza noma ukuzimela ukubhekana nokuguquguquka kwesimo sezulu nezinye izinselele zomhlaba.