Madagascar’s lands covered with forests are shrinking more and more. According to Global Forest Watch, from 2001 to 2021, Madagascar lost 4.36Mha of vegetation cover, which is equivalent to a 25% decrease in vegetation cover since 2000, and 2.14Gt of CO₂eq emissions. More efforts should be made to raise awareness and promote environmental education. However, they are not enough. The livelihood of many people, who depend on the forest leads to the destruction of the forest. But when the forest is destroyed, it seems that those who destroyed it do not want to plant trees to restore them so that they can be used by future generations. Many people do not understand the possible consequences of not having forests in the future. Or maybe, they know that the forest is important to future generations, but they do not care enough about what can happen.W
The effects of environmental degradation are a threat to everyone. Forests are disappearing, water is drying up, the air is getting polluted, etc. All this leads to food insecurity and increases the poverty rate. Poor economic and poor development capacity make Madagascar weak to adapt to climate change. The country is amongst the first and most vulnerable countries to climate change. However, the efforts to protect and restore the environment are not enough, it is crucial to increase awareness activities. As part of the solutions, children should be informed about the possible consequences of damage to the environment, especially the degradation of the forest. Environmental and ecological behaviors education should be implemented to raise them to have an attitude to protect the environment when they grow up. On the other hand, parents should be reminded of their responsibilities vis-à-vis their children.
To move from theory to action, we made a short awareness video talking about and simulating the negative impacts, in the future – the year 2072, of the current deforestation and environmental degradation. In the story, we demonstrate the effects of environmental degradation, the loss of forests, and climate change.
Then, we show the bad condition of the world when all the forests are destroyed, the water dries up, the air is polluted, and the temperature rises. Furthermore, we mention the benefits of protecting the environment and planting trees. And lastly, we develop a better way of thinking to make people become lovers and defenders of the environment and biodiversity.
This story takes place somewhere faced by drought in the South of Madagascar, in the year 2072. It is about a conversation between a little boy called Boto with his grandparents talking about the evil that hurts them about 50 years from now. With no solution to resolve their environmental problem, Boto sends a message to us, who live in 2022, saying:
“To you my grandma and grandfather, you all who live in the year 2022, please change your bad behaviors. Stop polluting the air and the water but clean it. Take care of nature and the animals. Also, protect the earth, and the land so they won’t be destroyed and make sure the climate won’t change. Courage to you! Do not give up! The earth and the climate, where we the future generation lives, depend on your actions and on nature. These are our messages, hold them in your heart and reflect on them”.
