Transcript Lwandle Mqadi (IIED): Climate Change and Human Security

Climate Change and Human Security:
The effects of Climate Change in
Southern Africa
Lwandle Mqadi
IIED International Fellow
Background
Current key documents which have lighted the impacts of
climate change in the Southern Africa Region include:
• Background paper on Impacts, vulnerability and
adaptation to climate change in Africa (September 2006)
• The Stern Review (October 2006)
• Up in Smoke 2: Africa (December 2006)
• Summary for policy makers, report on Working Group 2
of the Fourth Assessment Report by IPCC (April 2007)
• Key regional documentation (WWF,LEAD,CSAGUCT,WITS,MAT,CEEPA etc.)
The Southern Africa Region: Highlighted key
vulnerable sectors
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Water resources and Energy,
Agricultural sector,
Human health sector,
Human Settlements and Coastal Zones
Ecosystems and biodiversity, and
Forestry sectors.
Effects on water resources and
energy
Current climate change factors and predicted future climate change
factors: Increased droughts (longer dry spells) followed by intense
flooding resulting in the following:
– Increased threat on the region’s existing water sharing schemes whilst
flooding has caused immense damage on already fragile water
infrastructure, this situation is said to be exacerbated due to climate
change e.g. Zambezi river basin and Limpopo River Basins
– Increased threat on fresh water resources which also have direct
impacts on water demand capacity for the region. This has direct impact
on issues of accessibility and affordability of water resources within the
region;
– Hydropower schemes within region in Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia
and Zimbabwe are also currently being highly affected. This has direct
impact on energy supply for the region which in turn has direct impacts
on the region’s economy.
Effects on the agricultural sector
Current climate change factors and predicted future climate
change factors: Increased droughts ((2000, 2002, 2005,
2006) followed by intense flooding (2000,2002, 2005
and 2007)resulting in the following:
• Increased impacts on subsistence farming and on key
crops for the regions e.g. grain production
• Direct impacts on food and feed prices thus raising
issues of accessibility and affordability of food; and
• Direct impacts on local economies and sustainable
livelihoods as there is still dependency within rural areas
on agricultural economies;
Effects on the human health sector
Current climate change factors and predicted
future climate change factors: Increased
droughts followed by intense flooding resulting in
the following:
• Increase in water borne diseases; and
• Increase in malaria and related diseases.
Vulnerability to health impacts is a function of climatic as
well many other non-climatic factors such as: poverty, conflicts and population
displacement, access and availability and management of health services,
awareness and attitude towards preventive measures.
Effects on Human Settlements and
Coastal Zones
• Increase in frequency of floods and other extreme events
are currently degrading overall infrastructural
development activities thus direct impacts on public
sector development; and
• Sea-level rise, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, and
flooding are also having direct significant impacts on the
livelihoods of coastal communities and their local
economies.
Effects on Ecosystems and
Biodiversity
• Most communities within the region have high
dependence on natural resources for
subsistence thus largely contributing to land
degradation and desertification;
• High impacts on the regions biodiversity have
direct impacts on local economic development
and livelihood security especially for naturebased economies within the region.
Current Programmes within the Southern
Africa Region
• Integrating Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change into
Sustainable Development Policy Planning and Implementation
in Eastern and Southern Africa: Kenya, Mozambique and
Rwanda, Tanzania and Madagascar : This project aims to contribute
to the mainstreaming of adaptation to climate change into
development planning and implementation in southern and eastern
African countries. The mainstreaming of adaptation will occur at the
project or field level as well as through integration of broader
policies related to development priorities.
The World Hydrological Cycle Observing System (WHYCOS)
project aims to provide information to improve efficient
management of the world’s water resources. It is based on a series
of regional projects providing technology and training to monitor
hydrological parameters (rainfall, riverflow and evaporation) in the
world’s river basins. In Southern Africa (SADC-HYCOS funded by
the EU).
Current Programmes within the Southern
Africa Region
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Coping with Drought and Climate Change: Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and
Ethiopia: This project aims to develop and pilot a range of coping mechanisms for
reducing vulnerability of farmers and pastoralists to future climate shocks.
Components include piloting coping strategies, improving early warning systems,
assisting governments in developing drought plans and integrating climate
change/drought across sector policies and finally replicating and disseminating the
results.
• Community-based Adaptation (CBA) Programme, Global, including
Morocco, Namibia, Niger: This project is aimed at:
(i) developing a framework, including new knowledge and capacity, that spans the
local to the intergovernmental levels to respond to unique community-based
adaptation needs;
(ii) identifying and financing diverse community-based adaptation projects in a
number of selected countries; and
(iii) capturing and disseminating lessons learned at the community level to all
stakeholders, including governments. This project is to be funded through GEF’s SPA and to
be implemented by UNDP
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Community based Adaptation projects with pilot in South Africa, Mozambique and
Tanzania using the SouthSouthNorth methodology for identifying, designing, funding,
and implementing CBA projects
Thank you