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Climate
threat 'looms largest for Africa'
17 December 2004 By Catherine Brahic: SciDev.Net Source: Rex Brown, Environmental Consulting Services Africa's lack of scientific and technological capacity means it is less prepared for the effects of climate change than any other continent, says a report released by the UK government yesterday (16 December). The African Climate Report assesses the status of knowledge of climate systems in Africa and recommends actions to help the continent face the threat of climate change. The report concludes that climate observation is less developed in Africa than in any other region, and that scientific understanding and technical expertise in climate systems are also very poor on the continent. It lists a variety of "options for collective actions" that could be implemented in the short and medium term to help address Africa's vulnerability to climate change. These include ways of strengthening research capacity so that observing, modelling and predicting climate can improve. The report suggests creating a training fund for African climatologists and establishing a regional climate centre backed by the World Meteorological Organization. Other potential initiatives include creating an international research programme on African climate and its relation to sustainable development, possibly by establishing a specialist institute. The causes of climate change are global, and largely brought about by greenhouse gas emissions from industrialised nations. Africa is not in a position to address these, says Declan Conway, who researches African climate change at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom and is one of the report's authors. Nonetheless, he adds, sustainable solutions to the threats posed by climate change to Africa cannot be created and implemented by the international community. "The answers will come from Africa," says Conway. Solutions include both increasing technical capacity and raising awareness. According to Conway, a priority for Africa is to examine the vulnerability of different regions to climatic variation and to extreme weather conditions. "We know that drought is more severe in southern Africa, that rainfall variability in Ethiopia is involved in famine and that Mozambique is highly vulnerable to floods," he said. "It's a case of looking at those situations and trying to improve the capacity to prepare and cope with more of the same and possibly more extreme conditions." The report fits neatly into the United Kingdom's two priorities for its 2005 presidency of the 'G8' group of industrialised nations - African development and climate change. Environment and development ministers from the G8 nations will discuss the report's conclusions at a meeting in the United Kingdom in March next year. Launching the report, Margaret Beckett, the UK secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs said: "The challenges of climate change and development in Africa are closely linked. But we urgently need to improve our understanding of how climate change will affect Africa." Climate has a significant impact on the livelihoods of millions of Africans but its variability - combined with the continent's poor capacity to monitor and respond to climate change - increases Africa's vulnerability. Beckett presented the report yesterday at the annual summit of the conference of parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, currently being held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. NOTE: This story was also covered by The East African (Nairobi) as follows: Africa Lagging in Climate Change Studies 20 December 2004
Far too little is currently known about the impact of climate change on development and poverty in Africa, a new report released last week says. The report, published by the British government's Departments for International Development and the Environment, said that climate change and the challenge of development in Africa were two key priorities for the UK's G8 presidency next year. The report highlights the links between the two issues, which will be discussed at a joint meeting of G8 Environment and Development Ministers in the UK in March 2005, following consultations with G8 partners, African countries and NGOs. Britain's Secretary of State for Development Hilary Benn said, "Many of the world's poorest people are the most vulnerable to hazards such as flooding, landslides and pollution brought about or made worse by environmental degradation. We need the best possible information about the impact of climate change if we are to achieve our goals of reducing poverty in Africa." The Africa Climate Report found that substantial gains may be made within Africa through improvement of its climate monitoring, forecasting and modelling. But more needs to be done to overcome a number of deficiencies that are a threat not only to Africa, but also have implications for our understanding of, and ability to predict the global climatic system. The report acknowledges that more needs to be done and says that the new study was the "first step in tackling this information deficit" [on the links between climate change and poverty]. "The challenges of climate change and development in Africa are closely linked," Secretary of State for the Environment Margaret Beckett said. "But we urgently need to improve our understanding of how climate change will affect Africa. The report provides a scientific basis for informing subsequent discussions on how the international community can respond. "Following consultation with key stakeholders, we will be looking for ways in which we can work with African institutions and governments and our G8 partners to drive forward this agenda." The report also provides comprehensive
analysis of current weather
Among the key issues highlighted are:
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