The master puppeteer behind the commotion
- Elul Alemayehu
Elul Alemayehu won third place in the 2025 Climate Change and Me essay competition.
In this piece, Elul Alemayehu reflects on the impacts of climate change in Ethiopia, which faces one of the worst famines and water insecurities caused by the global increase in temperatures.
Last year, as I was walking down the streets of my home country, Ethiopia, to go to my aunt's house to celebrate her birthday, I passed by the nostalgic dam where I had spent most of my childhood fishing with my father. I stopped. This dam had been a blue body of water surrounded by green trees and blooming bushes. It had now become a dry, bare land with cracked soil. The area appeared deceased. This scene felt like a nightmare to me and my eyes turned monochromatic. The memories I had were gone.
Climate change was a master puppeteer that had control over Ethiopia's agriculture, water resources, and society. This led me to wonder the dangers behind it and the urgency for politicians as well as citizens to act upon it.
The delicious coffee that we all have every morning probably comes Ethiopia or Brazil. Ethiopia’s annual temperature increases by roughly 0.3% in each decade which means that the winters get warmer and the summer days get even hotter (ECFF, 2017, p. 15). Coffee beans don't grow well under high air temperatures and low soil moisture conditions which decreases the yield and the area available for coffee production. This leads to potential shortages and economic losses for communities reliant on this crucial crop (Chemura et al., 2021, p. 1). The loss of coffee production has consequences not only for economies but for cultural and social traditions. During all religious holidays, my mother would roast and brew coffee with her infamous jebena and it would fill the room with its aroma, much like incense in church. This tradition symbolized community and camaraderie as everyone would gather around as she shook the roasting pan and wafted the smoke in a circle. This could be lost if climate change continues to threaten its cultivation.
Ethiopia faces one of the worst famines and water insecurities caused by the global increase in temperatures drying up many sources of water. It makes it difficult for millions of people to access clean drinking water on a daily basis. The scarcity of water affects more than just drinking water; it also brings implications for sanitation, hygiene, and agricultural activities as the majority of crops are rain dependent (Dyer and Taye, 2019). Water scarcity impacts the health system, creates problems with malnutrition and dehydration, and makes waterborne diseases such as cholera more prevalent, which puts an incredible burden on the health care system. Droughts reduce the harvests, there is poor livestock productivity and increased reliance on humanitarian aid. (Sinore and Wang, 2024, p. 8). Farmers also lose their source of income which increases unemployment and makes it harder to live. Climate change is not only an environmental issue but also a humanitarian dilemma.
Climate change can be regarded as a huge driver of the country because it determines how the country operates both as an economy and a society. The incidence of health problems such as water-borne (cholera), air-borne and vector-borne diseases is increasing (Simane et al., 2016). It is estimated that between 2030-2050, about 250 000 people will die from cholera and other diseases. These diseases are dangerous for vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly putting more pressure on already stressed community health services. Another incident was when a drought precipitated a scabies outbreak and over 370 000 people were impacted ((WHO, 2016, p. 5). Climate change also affects the mental health of communities due to trauma linked to displacement and loss of livelihoods which increases psychological distress such as anxiety, depression or stress (Freund, 2023, p. 4). Climate change is a social public health emergency that is gradually eroding the country's ability to protect its people.
While it is an inevitable reality, there are solutions to minimize the impacts. Ethiopia has formulated initiatives such as the Sendai Framework, the Ten-Year Development Plan, and the Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy to address these challenges (Dusseau et al., 2025). Developing water reservoirs and educating the community on the nature of water-borne diseases could allow the population to cope with the unavoidable consequences of a changing climate. With the ongoing civil wars within the country, politicians don’t often prioritize climate change as immediate security concerns and conflicts overshadow long-term environmental and societal issues.
I cannot afford us to be complacent because the silence that I once heard at that dam is becoming louder throughout the country and it still torments me. Ethiopia's landscapes, cultural livelihoods, and economic stability are all being lost. The government should give priority to this crisis because it has the potential to destroy a nation. But this fight is not just theirs. Each of us has a role to play regardless of where we are. My father, for example, has collaborated with climate and science experts to develop frameworks that are being presented to the UN for climate action. The damage is visible. The cost is personal. This is not just Ethiopia’s challenge—it’s the world’s. It’s your time to ACT.