Browsing: Climate change

A patient being attended to at the Kijabe Hospital in Kenya. Climate change has led to an increase in disease carrying insects and the emergence of new diseases in Africa. www.theexchange.africa

The report indicates that major cereal crops which are grown across Africa will be adversely impacted by the first half of this century.

In the worst case climate change scenario, West and Central Africa will register a reduction of yields by 13 per cent, 11 per cent in North Africa while East and Southern Africa will see an 8 per cent drop.

Millet and sorghum, which are not grown by majority of smallholder farmers who make up more than 70 per cent of the agricultural output in Africa, remain resilient and will only incur yield losses of just 5 per cent and 8 per cent respectively by 2050. Wheat and rice, which also happen to be staples, will be the most affected crops losing 12 per cent and 21 per cent respectively in yields by 2050.…

Demonstrations before the COP26 opening. Africa is suffering the brunt of climate change. www.theexchange.africa

As part of the requirements under the Kenyan Act, the government additionally established an Integrated Monitoring Reporting and Verification (Integrated MRV) system and published Kenya's National Climate Change Action Plan 2018-2022 (NCCAP). The five year plan requires the government to develop “action plans”, providing mechanisms to assist stakeholders in bringing about low-carbon climate-resilient development. 

Angola boasts some of the most ambitious targets for transition to low carbon development in Africa, albeit having ratified the Paris Agreement in November 2020. Since then the country has launched a national development plan, established a climate observatory and implemented a continuous national emissions monitoring system.

In addition, Gambia is committed to reducing its GHG emissions unconditionally, by 2.4 per cent by 2025 having implemented the Sustainable Energy Action Plan in 2015, which sets out the country’s renewable energy targets and corresponding measures necessary for their achievement. It has also committed to terminating oil importation…

A woman and her child fetching water from a swamp in Kikomera Biri village in Uganda. Communities have to also play a role in ensuring that their water rights are addressed. www.theexchange.africa

Water-borne illnesses are often spread through contaminated drinking water systems. Most of the contaminants are faeces and urine of sick people and animals. Another contaminant is runoff from garbage sites, landfills, sewer pipes, septic systems and industrial and residential developments.
To fight the spread of water-borne diseases in Africa, all stakeholders have to institute better sanitation measures and provide drinking water, washing and bathing facilities that promote improved hygiene. Also, water should be kept separate from waste.
In addition, extensive education programmes could help ensure that residents are aware of the proper hygiene techniques to keep their water supplies safe.…

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climate1

Transport infrastructure is vital to developing countries because efficient and reliable transport networks are critical for local and international trade.

Transportation infrastructure, such as roads and railway systems, is one of the sectors most threatened by climate change. Extreme weather events such as flooding, sea-level rise, and storm surge have repeatedly wreaked Havoc on transport networks.

In Africa, extreme weather is a threat that can cause extensive structural damage. It can also accelerate the aging of infrastructure components which can lead to significant financial losses.

For instance, a recent report on Tanzania uncovered the vulnerability of the country’s transportation systems. Long stretches of road and rail networks are exposed to extreme flooding events, with growing exposure in the future.

The report estimated that worst-case disruptions to Tanzania’s multi-modal transport networks could cause losses of up to US$1.4 million per day. In addition, damage to these networks can disrupt the flow …

kenya drought

Over the years, various climatic disasters have occurred, notably the recent Cyclone Idai that hit the continent’s south-eastern part. Various more catastrophic weather events continue to affect the continent socially and economically. Kenya, which relies on its agricultural sector’s performance, has evidenced a sustained and growing divergence between farm production and consumption. Notable air masses like the El Nino and La Nina have had substantial negative impacts on coastal countries such as Kenya due to rising sea levels caused by changing oceanic climatic conditions.

 

Kenya has been forecasted to face another severe dry spell this year as a result of La Nina. La Nina, an air mass typical of cold weather, which is not ideal for rainfall, has been hitting the east coastal country nearly every five years. In 2016, 2.7 million people were affected by a hunger crisis, and the majority of them displaced. A notable concern in such

MIT Maize Drought 0

Climate change is a 21st-century phenomenon that has called the attention of most governments on planet earth. In Africa, the cost of adaptation is estimated at approximately $2 billion per year in the period 2030-2100.

According to a US-based think-tank, Brookings, research finding point out that, bold climate action could deliver at least $26 trillion in global economic benefits between now and 2030. On another, it could also generate nearly 65 million new low-carbon jobs by 2030.

All these benefits safeguard Africa’s prosperous future which is filled with exciting development projects execute across the region’s vast landscape.

As far as the adoption of new climate economy models, such as phasing our fossil fuels energy structures and ushering in renewables particularly solar and wind energy—which is proving to be useful in East Africa, the role of green banks and climate funds is inevitable.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Climate …

Electricity transmission. Ethiopia will start filling the Renaissance Dam from July despite opposition from Egypt and Sudan. www.theexchange.africa

Trade in the energy sector in Africa will be more lucrative to foreign and local investors if they identify that energy trading within the African continent is a low cost and high return venture less expensive but with high returns. …

Effects of Covid-19 on climate change

Reducing greenhouse emissions will reduce the impact and costs associated with climate change, but the world must also plan for, finance and implement, climate change adaptation measures or face serious costs, losses and damages. 

This is according to a recent report released by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The study highlights some of the challenges faced by countries that are likely to slow down the reduction of greenhouse emissions.  …

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Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, Director, AWARD, addressing participants at the launch of the inaugural cohort of the One Planet Fellowship held in Nairobi Kenya in September 2019

The third cohort of the One Planet Fellowship has been announced. The fellowship under investing in the next generation of African scientists, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) targets high potential scientists in a career acceleration process.

According to a statement from the firm, the US$19.2 million One Planet Fellowship seeks to invest in over 630 agricultural scientists, fostering their leadership expertise, strengthening their research skills, including integrating gender into their work, and catalyzing partnerships in Africa and between Africa and Europe. Since launching the inaugural call in 2019, AWARD has received over 2400 applications and, to date, 89 outstanding scientists from 14 African countries have been offered the One Planet Fellowship.

Selected candidates participate in an intensive, three-year non-residential, career acceleration process and those who complete it will become One Planet Laureates. “The One Planet Fellowship has made me appreciate the critical role of women in science …