21 / 100
21
a result, it is expected that the region will experience
less severe droughts. These scenarios indicate that
there is high certainty of an increased intensity in
rainfall, which in turn, increases the risk of flooding
in the region (Shongwe et al., 2010; IPCC, 2013).
Impacts of climate change on
vulnerable sectors
Africa is recognized as one of the most vulnerable
continents to climate change and climate variability,
due to ‘multiple stresses’ such as endemic poverty, weak
governance and institutional arrangements, ecosystem
degradation, complex disasters and conflicts, and
limited access to capital, infrastructure and technology
(IPCC, 2007). As a result of these factors, Brooks et al.
(2005), rated Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia and Rwanda as
some of the most vulnerable countries in the world to
climate change, and Kenya and Uganda as moderately
to highly vulnerable. The sectors presented below are
particularly vulnerable in the mountainous areas of
East Africa due to a combination of factors such as
high exposure to climate-related hazards or trends,
low adaptive capacity and the importance of the
sector to the region.
Water availability
The mountains in East Africa receive more rain than
lowland areas and play a key role in capturing, storing
and purifying water. As such, these mountains are
Climate Change effects
Changes in annual temperature
projected for 2080-2099 compare to 1980-1999
Changes in annual precipitation
projected for 2080-2099 compare to 1980-1999
Source: IPCC,2007, “ClimateChange2007:ThePhysicalScienceBasis.Contributionof
WorkingGroup I to theFourthAssessmentReportof the InterngovernmentalPanelon
ClimateChange”,CambridgeUniversityPress.
Copyright©2015GRID-Arendal ·Cartografare ilpresente/NievesLópez Izquierdo
ºC
4.0
5.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
%
+20
+15
+10
+ 5
0
- 5
- 10
- 15
- 20
- 30
- 50
1 000 km
People drawing water from the Mago River in Omo Valley, Ethiopia