June 1-15 , 2019
Year after year, climate change reports across the world have become more and more dismal . Though it has become the core economic issue and central agenda of global conferences, lack of political will and consensus among countries have restrained any concrete action to arrest the global warming. At least , there is consensus that it is going to have huge consequences across the world with more serious ramifications for Africa. Some of the recurrent natural calamities in Africa are manifestations of these threats. Over the last three months, we’ve seen parts of Mozambique devastated by cyclone Idai in March and again hit by cyclone Kenneth later. The economic cost of the destruction to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi by Idai alone has been estimated at $2bn.
Under the historic Paris Agreement, members have committed to limit climate change to well below 2° C. Efforts to limit the global warming to 1.5 degree” would require unprecedented changes,”said Jim Skea, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the world’s foremost authority for assessing the science of climate change. According to scientists, even if the countries did everything they promised, global temperatures would rise by 3° C this century.
For sub-Saharan Africa, which is already under the spell of intense climate extremes like frequent droughts and floods over the past decades, the consequences of the global warming by more than 1.5° C would be disastrous. Any additional warming for Africa will mean greater droughts, severe floods , more heat waves and more crop failures. Regions in Africa within 15 degrees of the Equator are projected to be more vulnerable to heat waves. According to the IPCC, particularly West Africa and parts of Southern Africa like Namibia, Botswana, northern Zimbabwe are all set to be seriously affected. To add to the suffering,Climate change also acts as a crisis stimulator, aggravating existing problems, like conflicts.
So how can Africa brace up to face the challenge?
First, aggressive action is needed across sub-Saharan Africa to raise awareness of the worst realities of a changing climate. Governments should gear up to face vulnerabilities in existing water, energy and urbanisation. Secondly, small and medium sized businesses, which are the key drivers of economic growth across sub-Saharan Africa should be protected and nurtured by governments and policy makers. This should include better access to information about the timing and severity of anticipated disruption to water and electricity supplies, as well as support to invest in coping strategies such as alternative sources of energy.
Greenhouse gas emissions are pushing the world towards record global warming. Africa, which is still largely reliant on fossil fuels for energy and has a large infrastructure deficit has to address these issues on a war footing. The latest IMF report on fiscal policies in the climate change age focuses on how carbon taxes or equivalent pricing for fossil fuels can help mitigate carbon dioxide emissions on fiscal, domestic, environmental and economic grounds.
However, one cannot ignore some of the pro-active steps adopted by some African countries . Africa’s anti-plastic drive for a cleaner environment has made remarkable success. In fact, the African continent is leading the world in plastic bag regulations showing that taking action can quickly lead to an improved environment. This is the spirit that should pervade Africa’s crusade against climate change
