By: Daniel Ndumba

The deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology Emma Theofelus said climate change is becoming a problem for all and that electronic means for accessing the Internet could have a potential harm on the planet.

Theofelus made these remarks during the Digital Rights & Inclusion Forum (DRIF) held in Kenya under the theme, “Building A Sustainable Internet for All”.

DRIF is a platform where conversations on digital policy in Africa are shaped, policy directions debated and partnerships forged for action.

Theofelus said one of the foundation policies that supports sustainable and free reliable internet in Namibia is digital justice.

She added that the Namibian government has tried to put together laws and policies that allows citizens to openly express themselves online, which also ensures that the citizens have access to the internet.

However, she said, there is still more work to do to ensure that everyone has the same access or the same affordability.

“Not everybody has the same access or access to the same devices, so that becomes a challenge however digital justice should be the bottom line.”

She underlined that climate change is becoming a challenge for all, adding that electronic means of using the internet could be a potential harm to the planet.

Theofelu further explained that even the source of energy in terms of data centres or the production of devices could pose a potential for the environment.

She called on governments to find ways in which they can come up with holistic policies and laws to protect the planet, rather than making excuses to say that the data centres are taking up too much energy or that they do n’\ot have the right tools in place to ensure that they have a sustainable internet that can be counted on and that is not unfiltered.

She also said that E-waste (electronic waste) is another issue that needs to be taken into consideration.

“As more of us are getting online, we need to have government’s account with proper policies on how to care for the E-waste that comes from the devices we use,” she added.

Theofelu further said a cleaner internet is needed, where governments can properly regulate.

She said governments must ensure that they are not both player and referee, but must only play the referee’s role to ensure that every citizen gets the full potential right and access to the internet.