To find evidence in how climate change is affecting Africa we have to look at how food production and water availability have affected the health, livelihood and security of the African people
A study on climate vulnerability showed seven of the ten countries most at risk from climate change are in Africa.
Southern Africa and parts of central Africa have seen a decrease in rainfall over the last 25 years whereas floods, weather-related disasters and droughts have doubled. Because of this diseases such as cholera, dengue fever and malaria are on the rise and as many as 67 million are at risk. Health, already compromised by a range of factors, could be further hit by the negative impacts of climate change and climate variability.
Agricultural production in many African countries and regions will be severely affected by climate change. Agricultural losses are estimated to be possibly severe for several areas accompanied by changes in the length of growing periods impacting mixed rain-fed, arid and semi-arid systems under certain climate projections. In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50% by 2020. This will lead to loss of livelihood and social anarchy amongst the people.
Climate change will result in a loss of species and extinction of many plants and animals. Changes in a variety of ecosystems are already being detected, particularly in southern African ecosystems, at a faster rate than anticipated as a result of a variety of factors, including the influence of climate change.
Some regions in East Africa have become drier due to changes in land use pattern and climate. Water sources are becoming intermittent or disappearing; streams that used to run year-round are now seasonal. By 2020, some assessments project that 75-250 million people are estimated to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. Some assessments, for example, show severe increased water stress and possible increased drought risk for parts of northern and southern Africa and increases in run-off in East Africa. Water access is, however, threatened not only by climate change, but also by complex river basin management. This, coupled with increased demand, will adversely affect livelihoods. Changes in the ecosystem have also had significant impact on wild sources of food which have become hard to find.
Africa faces the biggest development challenges of any continent because of an increase in the number of people at risk of water stress, exposure to malaria, and a drop in agricultural yields. Climate change has the potential to undermine sustainable development and increase poverty. It is obvious that climate change and variability will seriously hinder future development of a nation. The biophysical effects of climate change on agriculture induce changes in production and prices, which play out through the economic system as farmers and other market participants adjust autonomously, altering crop mix, input use, production, food demand, food consumption, and trade
decision making.
Carbon offsetting with companies that support projects in Africa such as Shop2SaveThePlanet is a very effective way for everyone to take part and do something about climate change. The projects are usually based in developing countries and most commonly are designed to reduce future emissions. This might involve rolling out clean energy technologies investing in carbon offsets from an emissions trading scheme. To find out more about the projects that Shop2SaveThePlanet support. CLICK HERE
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