Africa's Development in a Changing Climate

carol — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:18:19 -0600

Key policy advice from World Development Report 2010 and Making Development Climate Resilient: A World Bank Strategy for
Sub-Saharan Africa - Act Now, Act Together, Act Differently

"Over the past ten years, Sub-Saharan Africa has made a great deal of progress in terms of economic growth. In fact, Africa has the potential to emerge as an exciting new center of growth in the evolving global economy. However, to continue on an accelerated growth path, the region needs to tackle climate variability and climate change, which now pose a daunting risk to growth, development, and poverty reduction. Climate is hardly a new factor in the region's history, but with global warming, Africa's vulnerability is deepening, making it the most exposed region in the world to the impacts of climate change. The hard-won progress of recent years could be reversed with extreme weather, crop failures, and outbreaks of hunger and disease."

Information Provided by Carol Lombard, Department of Social Development Population Website

KM & the Environment

Climate change, population pressure and conflict in South Africa

carol — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:27:23 -0600

Climate change presents humanity with its largest challenge in recorded history. Its predicted eff ects over the coming decades include extreme weather events, droughts, fl ooding, rising sea levels that could affect countries such as Nigeria and Mozambique, retreating glaciers (although not in Africa, but with global impact), changes in habitats and increased spread of life-threatening diseases such as malaria.

Little concrete analysis has been published on the relationship between climate change and conflict, however, and even less on the potential role that population growth plays in intensifying that pressure.

Today Africa is home to the most rapid levels of population growth and of urbanisation in the world and will shortly have more people than China. Already it is inhabited by 14 per cent of the world’s human population – a proportion that will rise to 25 per cent by 2050. Africa will inevitably face greater challenges owing to climate change than any other region."

Climate change, population pressure and conflict in South Africa

Author: Cilliers, Jakkie
Institute for Security Studies (South Africa)
Pretoria: ISS 2009

Information Provided by Carol Lombard, Department of Social Development Population Website

KM & Social Challenges