Madagascar is truly warming and having less rains, in sum, experiencing climate change! From the 1960s to date, the mean annual temperature has already increased by 0.5 degree Celsius and risks to ramp by approximately 3.4 degree Celsius by the year 2100 under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario, according to the country profile 2021 produced by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.[1] Also, the total annual precipitation decreased each year since the 1970s to date and risks to drop even more by 4 percent from about 1,400 parts per thousand millimeters (PPT mm) in 2021 to 1,100 PPT mm by 2100 under a high emissions scenario. In 2020, it rained only once in the Big South region of the island during the normal rainy season November-December.[2]

Madagascar does participate to the changes of its climate conditions because it emits increasing greenhouse gas. The annual level of CO₂ emitted has augmented continuously since 1950 (304,082 tons) but has skyrocketed during the last decade, reaching its highest peak of 4.17 million tons in 2018.[3] Despite a slight decrease to 3.68 million tons in 2020[4], the nation’s annual CO₂ emissions participate to national warming and diminished rainfalls. Our World in Data reports that the Land-Use Change and Forestry and the agriculture sectors are the record sources of CO₂ emissions in our country (respectively 26.75 million tons CO_{2 equivalent} and 23.91 million tons CO_{2 eq.}).[5] During the last two decades, more than 1.5 million hectares of our island’s forests, about 80 percent of the initial tree cover, were deforested mainly to grow crops and produce wood energy, threatening our air quality and the lives of endemic plants and animals.[6] Back in 2007, WWF pointed out only 40 years remaining for all our forests to be cleared.[7]

Climate change aggravates drought, famine, poor health, and lack of education in Madagascar. As a result of absent rains, drought in the Big South is accentuated, does not favor agriculture, and leads to food insecurity, insalubrity, and school dropouts.[8] Even though climate change is not the sole responsible for these plagues, these latter are accentuated by the rising temperature and loss of precipitation, and hence deepen poverty.

Focusing efforts on the education system and sector is a primordial key solution to reverse the burdens of poverty, environmental degradation, and the effects of climate change. Efforts at the micro level exist but are not dependable. Health In Harmony for instance launched an agriculture teaching program for communities living around the Manombo Special Reserve of rainforests since mid-2020. Two thousand individuals were trained to utilize and pass on novel techniques on vegetable and rice planting, enabling them to harvest three times this year instead of once like the precedent years.[9] Likewise, a woman’s classes about “drought-resistant crops and techniques” provided three meals a day for 400 people in her neighborhood located at a dry zone in the South, reported BBC News.[10] Such kind of micro-scale initiatives plus donations and emergency aids from nonprofits and international organizations are helpful but not enough compared to the needs for longer term solutions in the whole country.

The government is a key agent than can upscale equal opportunity for all to learn, higher level of literacy, and better quality of education by building motivating education system and prioritizing investment in this sector. Yes, it has the responsibility to empower the population. Failure to do so will intensify chronic poverty and the incapacity to create, develop and implement smart solutions to our problems. It is worth to invest a major portion of our little financial resources on education. Some examples of governmental initiatives could be building schools where they are too far from villages, building houses for skilled teachers to motivate them to teach in remote places, training additional teachers at the regional level, giving higher monetary value to teaching positions by paying them well, increasing access to the internet at the regional level, developing energy projects at schools and universities, using universities, faculties and scholars as research centers for pilot projects, and constructing roads to liaise villages and schools.

The outcomes of a transformed education system can raise resilient population in our country. If all Malagasy people acquire the necessary skills, knowledge, civism[11], and civilization, they will be more likely able to research, create, test, implement, and improve innovative technologies, techniques, plans and strategies, behave as responsible citizens who agree to follow procedures, rules, and regulations, acquire a sense of community while pursuing personal goals, plan from the results of scientific research, and future generations will feel a possibility to prosper in their own land rather than a need to leave the country for a better life elsewhere. These dreams may come true with a combined consciousness and sacrifice from the leaders and the grassroots of the country.

[1] World Health Organization & United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 2021. Health and climate change country profile 2021. Small Island developing states initiatives. Url: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/WHO-HEP-ECH-CCH-21.01.08-eng.pdf

[2] United Nations News. 2021, Jan. 12. “Humanitarian crisis looms in Madagascar amid drought and pandemic.” Url: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1081892

[3] Ritchie, H., Roser, M. 2021. “Madagascar: CO₂ and GHG country profile.” Our World in Data. Url: https://ourworldindata.org/co2/country/madagascar

[4] Idem

[5] Idem

[6] Carver, E. 2021, March 9. “Slash-and-burn farming eats away at a Madagascar haven for endangered lemurs, frogs.” Mongabay. Url: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/slash-and-burn-farming-eats-away-at-a-madagascar-haven-for-endangered-lemurs-frogs/

[7] World Wildlife Fund. 2007. Madagascar forests area key facts & carbon emissions from deforestation. Url: https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/madagascar_forest_cc_final_12nov07.pdf

[8] United Nations News. 2021, Jan. 12. “Humanitarian crisis looms in Madagascar amid drought and pandemic.” Url: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1081892

[9] Schmidt, D. 2021, May 21. “Forest loss and deforestation compounding crises in Madagascar.” Url: https://healthinharmony.org/2021/05/21/forest-loss-and-deforestation-compounding-crises-in-madagascar/

[10] Byaruhanga, C. 2021, Dec. 10. “Madagascar food crisis: How a woman helped save her village from starvation.” BBC News. Url: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59595276?piano-modal

[11] Good citizenship (The Free Dictionary definition); devotion to one's country or city, the virtues and sentiments of a good citizen (Merriam-Webster definition)

“The Fulbright Student Program application deadline is on the corner and heart palpitations start at this stage of your application. I feel you! My name is Tsanta N. Rakotoarisoa, currently finishing my master’s in Environmental Science and Policy at Clark University in Massachusetts. I was in your shoes three years ago, so there are few advices I would love to convey to you to help you go through this worrisome period and finish your application stress free.

First, there is no time to spend on being anxious! It is the time to review your personal statement: does it tell the story about who you are as a person? What have you accomplished so far that shows your personality and aspirations? Same for your study objectives essay: does it explain clearly what studies you propose to pursue in the U.S. and why? How does this study proposal relate to your previous, current, and future academic and professional route and goals? What skills and knowledge have you assessed as vital to develop towards the achievement of your goals? These are few questions you can ask yourself at this stage of your application. And even for prospective applicants for next year, these questions are the starting points to prepare your application. Remember that the personal statement and study objectives are the most critical parts of your application. Have you asked someone to proofread your essays? If not, it is not yet too late to request few people to do that for you. One concrete guidance I can give is to reach out to your English Professors, your academic Professor, a Professor at the universities where you dream to study, your friends, or Fulbright Alumni. One of the keys to succeed in the U.S. is having the ability to find human resources to help you out and give you pieces of advice plus your dynamism in gathering and applying them in your projects. The quality of your essays already reflects your qualifications.

Second, I would love to uplift your spirit if you feel discouraged during the application process right now. Remember the core motivations that have stimulated your desire to apply for this fully funded scholarship in the U.S. Reiterate them in your heart, mind, notebook, and application. How does the Fulbright Program can partner with you in realizing your dreams? Currently, you might be caught by some lies circulating in your mind that if you will not be accepted, you are a loser or have wasted time or are not good enough. Stop this circulation of lies in your mind, get rid of them, and do not let them come back. Applying for the Fulbright Foreign Student Program has helped me reflect on myself, know myself, and identify clearly what I want to do and achieve on earth. I have applied twice; the first time was my training opportunity then I got accepted only 4 years later. Applying to the Fulbright program has strengthened my perseverance, increased my writing skills, nurtured my connections with great people, and has blown on the fire of my motivations in life. So, here is the word of encouragement for you: the rewards of applying to this amazing program are greater than being accepted to the program.

Lastly, dream already about what your U.S. experience would look like. Base your dreams on the reality of life and possibilities at the U.S. institutions or places you see yourself fitting. Base your dreams on the reality of what is happening around you and on issues you want to solve or improve in your community. Do not put any limit to what you can dream, otherwise your mind would not be receptive to doors open to you. You will need that when studying in the U.S. or elsewhere abroad. Thus, prepare your goals so that once you will make it to the United States, you got a plan, you know what to seek for, you know which course to choose, you will know what association you will adhere to, you will meet people from all around the world and will be able to tie friendship relationships and teamwork with them.

So that is it, folks! I wish you success in your application, no more worries, and revival of your motivations. I congratulate you as well for your energized desire for learning and gain further education, and for your heart that wants to bring development for our country. Persevere in seeking good as such because our nation, Madagascar, needs a person like you to bring the necessary transformation.”