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Climate News Africa, Geneva (2024)

27/09/2022

South Asian Deluge is a Mix of Climate Change and Serious Mismanagement

Most countries of South Asia have suffered excessive flood losses this year, peaking in Pakistan. In the last week of August Pakistan, overwhelmed by surging waters, declared an emergency. Nearly 1500 human lives have already been claimed by the disaster. With excessive rains affecting almost half the country and a third of the country submerged during the peak of the flood, nearly 33 million people were reported to be temporarily without shelter. This meant about one out of every seven persons in a country with a total population of around 220 million. With over 700,000 houses destroyed or damaged, these families were likely to be deprived of shelter for a much longer time.

In neighboring India, the most flood-prone state of Assam had experienced waves of extreme floods at a much earlier stage of the monsoon. Around 22 June, over 5.5 million people out of a total population of around 31 million were reported to be affected by floods in Assam, or more than one out of six. Some next-door provinces were battered too.

While Assam is a known flood-prone state in the north-east of India, some of the least flood prone desert areas in the north-west also received exceptionally heavy rain, submerging parts of Jodhpur, city of palaces and forts much favored by tourists. In southern parts of India, Bengaluru, the leading hub of informational technology in the country, suffered very extensive damage in floods.

Several parts of the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh in India were battered very badly by flash floods and landslides. While rains continued relentlessly, the authorities said that by the end of August, there was already damage estimated at Rs. 20 billion in this small state (population less than 8 million). It has become even clearer during this rainy season that most hilly regions are becoming much more susceptible to landslides and flash floods.

Most countries of South Asia have suffered excessive flood losses this year, peaking in Pakistan. In the last week of August Pakistan, overwhelmed by surging

19/05/2022

There's a 50:50 chance the planet will pass the 1.5C warming threshold in the next 5 years

(CNN)There's now a 50:50 chance that the world will surpass a critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming in the next five years, a new World Meteorological Organization report shows, warning of heating that could have devastating impacts on systems like coral reefs as well as Arctic ice.

The report says that surpassing the limit is likely to be temporary -- temperatures could come back down again -- but science shows that even a temporary overshoot could bring irreversible changes to the planet.

The report warns that at least one year between 2022 and 2026 will surpass the 1.5C mark and that there is a 93% chance that the period will see the warmest year on record. It's also almost certain that, on average, the next five years will be hotter than the last five.

In 2015, the chances of world temperatures temporarily exceeding 1.5C over the next five years were close to zero. Those odds have been inching up ever since as humans continue to emit greenhouse gas, primarily from the use of fossil fuels.

Scientists have warned that the world needs to limit global warming to 1.5C above the temperatures experienced before industrialization to avoid the more catastrophic effects of the climate crisis. In 2015, most of the world signed onto the Paris Agreement, aiming to limit temperature rise to 2C, but preferably 1.5C.

The world is already at least 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than it was before industrialization.

"This study shows -- with a high level of scientific skill -- that we are getting measurably closer to temporarily reaching the lower target of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change," WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas said in a statement accompanying the Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update.

The report says that surpassing the limit is likely to be temporary -- temperatures could come back down again -- but science shows that even a temporary overshoot could bring irreversible changes to the planet.

19/05/2022

In the fight against climate change, seaweed could be a surprising — but vital — weapon

Like many coastal communities around the world, people living by the sea in the United Kingdom have harvested and consumed seaweed for centuries.

In Wales, Welsh laverbread — made from cooking a type of seaweed called laver — is a culinary delicacy so revered that it enjoys Protected Designation of Origin status.

Seaweed’s uses do not end at the dinner table, either: Today, it’s found in everything from cosmetics and animal feed to gardening products and packaging.

With concerns about the environment, food security and climate change mounting, this wet, edible treasure of the sea — of which there are many varieties and colors — could have a major role to play in the sustainable future of our planet, and the U.K. wants in on the act.

Toward the end of April, a project dubbed the U.K.’s “first dedicated seaweed industry facility” celebrated its official opening, with those involved hoping it will help kickstart the commercialization of a sector that’s well established in other parts of the world.

The Seaweed Academy, as it’s known, is located near the Scottish town of Oban. Funding of £407,000 (around $495,300) for the project has been provided by the U.K. government.

It will be run by the Scottish Association for Marine Science in partnership with its trading subsidiary SAMS Enterprise and educational institution UHI Argyll.

According to a statement from SAMS, one of the academy’s goals centers around stimulating “the growth of UK seaweed aquaculture.” On top of this, the project will look to explore “high-value markets” and use research to boost the worldwide competitiveness of U.K. products.

Rhianna Rees is a seaweed researcher and Seaweed Academy coordinator at SAMS Enterprise. In a recent interview with CNBC, she provided an insight into the type of jobs that went on at a seaweed farm.

Seaweed is found in everything from food and cosmetics to gardening products and packaging.

19/05/2022

What Schools Can Do to Tackle Climate Change (Hint: More Than You Think)

It takes a lot of mental and emotional energy to admit that climate change exists, that humans are causing it, and that it will take massive societal realignment to reverse its most devastating effects.

The most tempting response might be to defer responsibility, or simply hope for a miracle. But leading experts on climate change warn that inaction will take a severe toll on humanity and the planet that sustains it. Consequences of a warming planet are already affecting school communities, as severe weather disrupts learning time and teenagers report growing levels of climate anxiety.

What can school and district leaders do? A lot, it turns out.

Schools have a big role to play in reducing emissions of harmful greenhouse gases that cause an overload of carbon dioxide. The nation’s schools annually emit as much carbon as 18 coal plants or 8 million homes, according to an analysis of U.S. Department of Energy data by the advocacy group Generation180. They also waste 530,000 tons of food a year, the World Wildlife Fund reports. And nearly 95 percent of school buses run on diesel fuel, whose environmental harms are well-documented.

Schools can take actions now that will help keep students, staff, and school buildings safe when severe weather powered by climate change comes knocking. They can empower future generations to pay attention to the world around them and fight for a more conscientious approach to living on earth.

Schools don’t have to do any of these things alone. But they do need motivation and support. With the help of more than a dozen experts on school building facilities, climate change impacts, and student advocacy, Education Week has identified some of the key barriers to action, and ideas for overcoming those barriers.

For starters, don't assume change is too difficult.

19/05/2022

Climate Change Caused $4 Billion of Typhoon’s Damage

A new wave of attribution research links the economic cost of weather events to climate change

CLIMATEWIRE | Scientists have found the fingerprint of global warming on Typhoon Hagibis, a monster cyclone that swept through Japan in 2019, killing around a hundred people and damaging thousands of homes.

A new study — published Wednesday in the journal Climatic Change — found that the storm was about 67 percent more likely to happen than it would have been in a world without climate change. Researchers also went a step further, and translated the influence of warming into economic costs: Of the $10 billion Typhoon Hagibis caused in damages, they estimate that about $4 billion can be attributed to climate change.

In other words, if global warming weren’t happening, the storm would have been far less destructive.

“We focused on this specific event because Hagibis was one of the most damaging storms in Japan’s history,” said lead study author Sihan Li, a senior research associate at Oxford University.

In fact, it was likely even more damaging than the new study suggests. The research looks only at costs associated with insured losses. It doesn’t include the variety of costs that may be associated with other consequences of the storm, including loss of life and well-being.

The study is the latest addition to a popular field of research known as attribution science. The field specializes in uncovering the influence of climate change on individual weather events, like hurricanes, heat waves, floods and wildfires.

While attribution science is a relatively young field — it got its start only about two decades ago — it has rapidly advanced in recent years. There are hundreds of peer-reviewed attribution studies published in the scientific literature today. Scientists can now investigate almost any type of climate-related disaster, and they’ve gotten faster at it, as well.

A new wave of attribution research links the economic cost of weather events to climate change

19/05/2022

Climate change is making record-breaking heatwaves in India & Pakistan 100 times more likely

(CNN)Climate change has made the odds of a record-breaking heatwave hitting northwestern India and Pakistan 100 times more likely to happen, scientists said Wednesday, as the two countries experience high temperatures that are disrupting daily life

In an analysis, climate scientists with the UK's Met Office found that the natural probability of a heatwave exceeding average temperatures from 2010 would be once in 312 years, but when climate change is factored in, the chances increase to once in every 3.1 years.

April and May in 2010 was used as a point of comparison because those months had the highest average temperatures since 1900.

Soaring temperatures in parts of Pakistan and India in recent weeks have forced schools to close, damaged crops, put pressure on energy supplies and kept residents indoors. It even prompted experts to question whether such heat is fit for human survival.

Jacobabad, one of the hottest cities in the world, in Pakistan's Sindh province, hit 51 degrees Celsius (123.8F) on Sunday, and 50C (122F) the day before. In neighboring India, temperatures in the capital region of Delhi surpassed 49C (120F) on Sunday

An Indian farmer carries wheat crop harvested from a field on the outskirts of Jammu, India, on April 28, 2022 and the heatwave reduced yields

The analysis also made projections, showing the frequency of such heatwaves in the region would increase to increase to once every 1.15 years by the end of century

"Spells of heat have always been a feature of the region's pre-monsoon climate during April and May. However, our study shows that climate change is driving the heat intensity of these spells making record-breaking temperatures 100 times more likely," said the Met Office's Nikos Christidis, who produced the analysis. "By the end of the century increasing climate change is likely to drive temperatures of these values on average every year."

Soaring temperatures in Pakistan and India have forced schools to close, damaged crops, put pressure on energy supplies and kept residents indoors. It even prompted experts to question whether such heat is fit for human survival.

19/05/2022

Climate Change Solutions Fund awards $1.3M in research grants to address local and global issues

Harvard faculty and students are advancing solutions to climate change and its wide-ranging impacts through new scientific, technological, legal, behavioral, public health, policy, and artistic innovations. Ten research teams will share $1.3 million in the eighth round of the Climate Change Solutions Fund (CCSF) awards. Aiming for impact at both the local and global level, these projects will seek to reduce the risks of climate change, hasten the transition to renewable energy, diminish the impact of existing fossil fuels on the climate, understand and prepare for the effects of climate change, and propel innovations needed to accelerate progress toward a healthier, more sustainable future.

“Full engagement in the critical work of confronting climate change requires that Harvard advance on as many fronts as we have at our disposal,” said Harvard President Larry Bacow. “The Climate Change Solutions Fund is one of the ways in which we support faculty and students in their important work, and the diversity of this year’s projects is a testament to the variety of tools we have at our disposal to address humanity’s greatest challenge.”

The fund review committee, chaired by Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability James Stock, selected research projects from across the University’s 12 Schools. Proposals that demonstrated imaginative and promising collaboration among faculty and students received special consideration, as did projects designed to use the campus as a testbed to study climate change solutions at an institutional scale, which connects with the priorities of the Presidential Committee on Sustainability. As of 2022, nearly 70 CCSF projects have received more than $8 million in funding.

Ten research teams at Harvard will share $1.3 million in the eighth round of the Climate Change Solutions Fund awards, which address both local and global issues.

19/05/2022

Seven ways climate change is already hitting Texans

Extreme weather events, water scarcity, risks of illness: Climate change is here, and it’s already affecting Texans.

For decades, scientists warned that human-induced climate change could put communities in danger around the world.

More intense climate and weather events beyond natural climate variability have already damaged people and nature. Those threats are becoming increasingly evident in Texas. The ongoing heat wave, which brought unseasonably high temperatures and once again raised concerns about the capacity of the state’s power grid, is just one example.

Here’s how climate change is already affecting Texans.

Texas is getting hotter — even at night

Sundown isn’t providing as much relief, according to a 2021 report published by the state’s climatologist.

The average daily minimum and maximum temperatures in the state both rose by 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit from 1895 to 2020, according to the report. The biggest changes in average temperatures were reported in urban areas, where buildings and roads absorb more of the sun’s heat, but every Texas county saw an increase. Even minor shifts in average temperatures require more electricity from the power grid, endanger the health of people who work outdoors, and can alter climate patterns and ecosystems. Heat also increases the prevalence of ground-level ozone pollution, or smog, making it harder for people with asthma and other health concerns to breathe outdoors in major Texas cities.

This year, cities across Texas have seen record triple-digit temperatures amid a prolonged spring heat wave that officials warned could lead to heat exhaustion and illness.

Hurricanes that hit the Texas coast are getting more powerful

Warming oceans fuel hurricanes, increasing the amount of precipitation, strengthening winds and resulting in more flooding on land, scientists have found.

Extreme weather events, water scarcity, risks of illness: Climate change is here, and it’s already affecting Texans.

19/05/2022

Towards an Integrated and Climate-Resilient Africa and a Just Energy Transition

Of all continents, Africa is least responsible for climate change. It has contributed only a minute part of the Greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for the climate emergency the world faces today. Yet, Africa faces the same arduous battle as the rest of the world to tackle the impacts of climate change, and to make itself resilient to climate change.

Today, Africa remains one of the most vulnerable and the least climate-resilient regions in the world. This is manifest across all corners of the continent. In the Horn of Africa, millions are threatened as a historic drought looms. In the Sahel, climate change is fueling insecurity because of increasingly scarce resources. And Southern Africa is experiencing lethal rain and floods. Action has never been more urgent.

These climate change-induced challenges cut across many countries and subregions of the continent. With improved regional integration and deeper regional cooperation, African countries could rally around collective climate adaptation solutions and accelerate a just energy transition. The regional approach would elevate the individual voices of countries and facilitate access to increased global climate finance.

The urgency of regional climate adaptation and climate mitigation action is critical to Africa's future. This is why the African Development Bank is spearheading regional initiatives that intersect with climate adaptation, energy transition and sustainability across the entire continent. The Bank is integrating these initiatives into its country and regional strategies, anchoring them on its High 5 priorities and weaving them into every Bank-supported operation.

These operations encompass renewable energy, modernized transport infrastructure and logistics, industrialization and regional trade, and trade finance--initiatives all geared towards strengthening regional integration.

Press Release - Of all continents, Africa is least responsible for climate change. It has contributed only a minute part of the Greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for the climate emergency the world faces today. Yet, Africa faces the same arduous battle as the rest of the world to tackle....

19/05/2022

China's initiatives can help fight climate change in Africa

In Africa's economic recovery strategies for the post-COVID-19 era, countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo are embracing the trinity of unification, regionalism and multilateralism to spur industrialization and economic growth, and to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

It has been estimated that more than 100 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty in Africa due to the devastating impacts of climate change.

Currently, the DRC is faced with the challenge of having the world's third-largest population living in poverty. As a new member of the East African Community, the DRC joins the regional economic bloc with about 60 million people who live on less than $1.90 a day, the international poverty line. This comes at a time when the country, which has a population of more than 94 million, is nonetheless rich in natural resources, has significant arable land, hydropower and immense biodiversity, as well as the world's second-largest rainforest.

Like most African countries, the DRC is determined to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. However, as a country that has been ravaged by conflict, political instability, acute food insecurity, health crises and extreme poverty, the DRC faces the challenge of fulfilling its intended nationally determined contributions of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent by 2030, compared with 1990 levels.

By tapping into China-Africa cooperation, the DRC stands a big chance of fulfilling its obligations under the nationally determined contributions and transforming itself into a high-tech industrial nation powered by clean and smart energy.

Currently, various rebel groups in the DRC have turned the rich rainforest ecosystem into their theater of conflict. This has resulted in deforestation and river pollution.

In Africa's economic recovery strategies for the post-COVID-19 era, countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo are embracing the trinity of unification, regionalism and multilateralism to spur industrialization and economic growth, and to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

19/05/2022

Africa: GCA Raises U.S.$25 Billion to Support Climate Change Programmes in Africa

Nairobi — The Global Center of Adaptation (GCA) has raised $25billion to support climate change programmes in Africa by the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).

The first funds are expected to be released next month under the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program(AAAP)

GCA CEO Patrick Verkooijen has welcomed President Uhuru Kenyatta as a Global Champion for the Program during a high-level bilateral meeting at State House in Nairobi.

In Kenya, the University of Nairobi will support the team as they develop initiatives targeting food security, and job creation among others.

"Africa is confronting multiple global shocks that are reverberating through our economies. The catastrophic drought in Kenya, exacerbated by climate change, is threatening lives and livelihoods, and needs an immediate response. Many African nations, including Kenya, have already suffered losses of three to five percent of GDP because of the present climate threat," Uhuru said.

The African Union has endorsed AAAP's two financing mechanisms, including the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility hosted by GCA, which has already influenced $3billion in investment for adaptation in Africa since its inception in 2021.

The African Development Bank Group administers the second financing mechanism through the climate set aside under the ADF-16 replenishment, which builds on the AfDB's firm commitment to finance $12.5 billion - half of the AAAP investment target.

"I am deeply honored to continue working alongside President Kenyatta for Africa to build forward better by financing a greener, more resilient, and prosperous continent that puts people in the driving seat," said Verkooijen.

Further he cautioned that "The cost of action is not zero. Integrating resilience into agriculture and food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa will cost $15bn annually. "

The Global Center of Adaptation (GCA) has raised $25billion to support climate change programmes in Africa by the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).

15/05/2022

Ziggy Marley Says His Efforts To Highlight Food Shortage, Climate Change Crisis In Horn Of Africa Being Sabotaged

Rebellion Rises singer Ziggy Marley says his efforts to shed light on the current major humanitarian and food shortage crisis which has left millions of children in East Africa malnourished, and an appeal for help for vulnerable communities in the Horn of Africa, which are being disproportionately affected by climate change, is being sabotaged.

On March 28, the United Nations Environment Programme had revealed that, urgent humanitarian assistance was required in the Horn of Africa, in particular, parts of Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya, which are currently “experiencing the driest conditions and hottest temperatures since satellite record-keeping began”.

The UN specialised agency had also said that as a consequence, as many as 13 million people are currently experiencing acute food and water shortages, with 25 million projected to face a similar fate by mid-2022.

But on Friday, Ziggy said that his posts about the catastrophe were being deleted by Instagram, after he had taken to Meta CEO Mark Zukerberg’s page urging him to “take off his virtual reality and help”. The eight-time Grammy winner said that as a consequence, he had resorted to sharing the affliction of East Africa, on his late father’s official Instagram page.

“I had to post this here because my copy is deleted everytime I try and post it on my page. This is happening after I commented on page asking him to take off his vr and help more in the real world. Is my page being retaliated against by the algorithm and those who monitor it? Are we not allowed to call out the billionaires who control these mediums?” Ziggy who is the eldest son of Reggae icon Bob Marley said.

“Climate change is messing up a lot of things that’s no excuse to let children anywhere on this planet die en masse because they don’t have nourishment. Mucking ridiculous.

Rebellion Rises singer Ziggy Marley says his efforts to shed light on the current major humanitarian and food shortage crisis which has left millions of children in East Africa malnourished, and an…

15/05/2022

Restoring mangroves to combat climate change in Africa

Africa’s major mangrove forests have been drastically reduced in recent decades

MOMBASA, Kenya — In a bid to protect coastal communities from climate change and encourage investment, African nations are increasingly turning to mangrove restoration projects, with Mozambique becoming the latest addition to the growing list of countries with large scale mangrove initiatives.

Mozambique follows efforts across the continent — including in Kenya, Madagascar, Gambia and Senegal — and is touted as the world’s largest coastal or marine ecosystem carbon storage project. Known as blue carbon, carbon captured by these ecosystems can sequester, or remove, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at a faster rate than forests, despite being smaller in size.

Mozambique’s mangrove restoration project — announced in February alongside its UAE-based partner Blue Forest — hopes to turn 185,000 hectares (457,100 acres) in the central Zambezia and southern Sofala provinces into a forest which could capture up to 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide, according to project leaders.

“Blue carbon can be utilized not only to sequester tons of carbon dioxide but to also improve the lives of coastal communities,” Vahid Fotuhi, the Chief Executive officer of Blue Forest, told the Associated Press. “There are around one million hectares of mangroves forests in Africa. Collectively they’re able to sequester more carbon dioxide than the total annual emissions of a country like Croatia or Bolivia.” He added these projects would create green jobs and promote biodiversity.

Africa’s major mangrove forests have been decimated in recent decades due to logging, fish farming, coastal development, and pollution, leading to increased blue carbon emissions and greater exposure of vulnerable coastal communities to flooding and other threats to livelihood.

Mozambique’s mangrove restoration project — announced in February alongside its UAE-based partner Blue Forest — hopes to turn 185,000 hectares (457,100 acres) in the central Zambezia and sout…

15/05/2022

For East Africa’s pastoralists, climate change already fueling violence, hunger

In 2008 and 2009, a severe drought swept through much of Kenya and Tanzania. Nomadic herders, or pastoralists, such as the Maasai people in Tanzania, pushed south in search of greener expanses, bringing tens of thousands of cattle with them.

What happened next was largely unprecedented: Locals from a region of Tanzania called Manyara, who were also Maasai, evicted the newcomers, beating some so badly they ended up in the hospital.

Terrence McCabe, professor of anthropology at CU Boulder, has lived and worked with pastoralist groups in the region for more than 30 years. For him, that sudden and shocking violence was a symbol of a changing East Africa—a warning sign that people such as the Maasai may not be able to move across the landscape as freely as they used to. Survey results from the last two years in central Kenya show that life for pastoralist peoples may be getting even worse. Herders are struggling to feed their families in the midst of a pandemic, a historic locust invasion and drought after drought.

“Traditionally, pastoralists have been able to deal with uncertainty in their environment through mobility,” said McCabe. “The less mobile you are, the less able you are to cope with a changing climate.”

What became known as the “Manyara drought” also might look like a textbook case of something scientists have worried about for years: Could warming temperatures around the world push already-vulnerable people toward armed conflict?

East Africa is undoubtedly getting hotter. A report from the World Meteorological Organization, for example, suggests Mount Kenya, Africa’s second tallest peak at 17,000 feet, might lose all of its glaciers to melting by the 2030s. Those soaring heat waves will likely deliver more of the kinds of drought that forced the Maasai from their homes in 2008.

For centuries, East Africa peoples like the Maasai and Turkana have survived by herding cattle, moving these animals across miles of wide-open grasslands to keep them fed. Now, worsening droughts and a host of other challenges are threatening that nomadic existence.