This book outlines current thinking and evidence on climate change and the impacts such change will have on Africa. Global warming above the level of two degrees Celsius would be enormously damaging for poorer parts of the world, leading to crises with crops, livestock, water supplies and coastal areas. Within Africa, it's likely to be the continent's poorest people who are hit hardest. In this accessible and authoritative introduction to an often-overlooked aspect of the environment, Camilla Toulmin uses case studies to look at issues ranging from natural disasters to biofuels, and from conflict to the oil industry. Finally, the book addresses what future there might be for Africa in a carbon-constrained world.
Author(s): Camilla Toulmin
Series: African Arguments
Publisher: Zed Books
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 187
About the author......Page 5
Contents......Page 8
List of tables, figures and boxes......Page 9
Table 2.1 Clean Development Mechanism projects registered by region......Page 36
Table 2.2 Regional temperature and rainfall projections for 1980/99 to 2080/99......Page 37
Table 6.1 Level of urbanization for different regions, 1950–2010......Page 103
Hydropower and climate change......Page 58
Figure 3.2 The River Niger water basin......Page 61
Box 2.1 Climate vulnerability in the Sahel......Page 40
Box 2.2 Burkina Faso’s National Adaptation Plan of Action......Page 43
Box 3.1 Access to clean water transforms lives......Page 48
Box 3.2 The Intertropical Convergence Zone......Page 51
Box 3.3 The El Niño Southern Oscillation......Page 52
Why is water scarce in Africa?......Page 54
Box 3.5 Traditional water use rights......Page 60
Managing water resources for the future......Page 63
Box 4.1 Smallholder farming in Mali – a complex, diverse livelihood......Page 67
Fisheries and aquaculture......Page 76
Box 4.3 Lake Tanganyika: a valuable asset......Page 77
Box 4.4 Building rural resilience in Burkina Faso......Page 81
Trees and the carbon cycle......Page 87
Box 5.2 Trees – part of daily life in central Mali......Page 94
Box 6.1 Gaborone, the growing capital of Botswana......Page 105
Box 6.2 Lagos – urban growth and vulnerability......Page 110
Box 6.3 Flooding in African cities......Page 114
Fires......Page 118
Box 7.1 Is the conflict in Darfur the world’s first climate change war?......Page 126
Box 7.2 Evidence from northern Kenya......Page 132
Box 7.3 Migration brings handsome returns to households in Mali......Page 136
Looking to the future......Page 140
Box 8.1 AdMit – a novel approach to carbon offsets......Page 144
Box 8.2 Biofuels in Nigeria and Mozambique......Page 148
Rights to ecological space......Page 153
China and Africa......Page 155
Acknowledgements......Page 11
Abbreviations......Page 13
1 | Introduction......Page 16
Global justice, ethics and human rights......Page 24
Background to climate change......Page 30
The causes of climate change – an overview......Page 31
The world’s atmosphere and climate – a situation report......Page 32
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto protocol......Page 33
Predicting subregional climate change in Africa......Page 38
Development and climate change......Page 39
Preparing for climate change – adaptation and building resilience......Page 41
Conclusion......Page 45
Water and development......Page 47
Rainfall and water availability......Page 49
What do the climate models predict?......Page 50
Climate change and access to water......Page 53
More effective use of available water......Page 55
Water storage......Page 56
Water for energy......Page 57
Niger river basin......Page 59
Water wars?......Page 62
Conclusion......Page 64
Background......Page 65
Food systems in Africa......Page 66
Trends in African agriculture......Page 68
Impacts of climate change on crop production......Page 71
Building a climate-resilient agricultural system......Page 79
How does African land use affect climate change?......Page 83
Conclusion......Page 84
Background......Page 85
The impacts of climate change on forests......Page 89
The impact of people on forests......Page 90
Forests for livelihoods......Page 93
Forest tenure......Page 95
Forests and carbon management......Page 96
How might a payments mechanism work?......Page 97
Conclusion......Page 100
Growing cities......Page 102
The impact of cities on the environment......Page 106
Cities at risk......Page 108
Heat island effect......Page 111
Heatwaves......Page 112
Water supplies......Page 113
Coastal cities......Page 116
Balancing adaptation and mitigation......Page 119
Challenges......Page 120
What is a climate change adaptation plan for a city?......Page 121
Conclusion......Page 123
Security and climate change......Page 124
Looking at conflict in Africa today......Page 130
Introduction......Page 142
Access to carbon markets......Page 143
Avoided deforestation and land use changes......Page 145
Energy options......Page 146
Biofuels......Page 147
Where will biofuels be grown?......Page 149
Africa and ‘peak oil’......Page 150
Food miles, carbon and climate......Page 152
Tourism, travel and climate change......Page 154
A voice in international decision-making......Page 156
Strengthening the adaptation process......Page 157
Looking forward: Africa and the global economy......Page 158
9 | Looking forward......Page 160
A stronger voice for Africa in global arenas......Page 164
Notes......Page 168
Bibliography......Page 172
Index......Page 183
