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Adaptation and mitigation
IMPACT AND VULNERABILITY
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Central Africa
West Africa
North Africa
East Africa
Southern Africa
Western Indian
Ocean Islands
Climate Change Vulnerability in Africa
Sources:AnnaBallance,2002.
The vulnerabilities
Desertification
Sea level rise
Reduced freshwater
availability
Cyclones
Coastal erosion
Deforestation
Loss of forest quality
Degradation of woodlands
Coral bleaching
Spreadof malaria
Impacts on food
security
North Atlantic Oscillation a key factor in
international climate vulnerability, with
impact on fisheries industries
Rainfall variability modulated
by vegetation dynamics, surface
properties in the Sahel; empirical
evidence of species changes
High proportion of population concentrated in coastal
areas in West African cities such as Lagos and Banjul,
thus especially vulnerable to sea-level rise
Regional climate modeling experiments show
deforestation in Central Africa will impact
climate in distant south (teleconnections)
Coastal marine fishery likely to
be negatively affected by
changes in Bangwuela current
Long-lasting impacts of drought on national
economies for SADC region
Complete loss or displacement of
Succulent Karoo biome projected
under climate change, and many
species losses in other biomes
Intensity of extreme events increased significantly
over South Africa; biome shifts will favor
horticulture over plantation forestry; malaria risk
areas projected to expand southward
Floods in 1999 severely affected coastal
population and infrastructure, with long-
lasting economic and development impacts;
adaptation and recovery very costly and
beyond the means of African countries
East African Great Lakes and
reservoirs respond to climate
variability with pronounced
changes in storage
Important commercial
agriculture adapted to
bimodal rainfall; shifts
in rainfall patterns
would have far-
reaching impacts
Horn of Africa heavily affectted by
recurrent droughts
Egypt/Cairo/The Nile: Coastal areas
threatened by sea-level rise; Nile
river basin sensitive to climate, with
regional implications
CLIMATE CHANGE
Sensitivity, Adaptability, and Vulnerability
Sensitivity
is the degree to which a system is affected,
either adversely or beneficially, by climate-related stimuli.
Climate-related stimuli encompass all the elements of
climate change, including mean climate characteristics,
climate variability, and the frequency and magnitude of
extremes. The effect may be direct (e.g., a change in crop
yield in response to a change in the mean, range or
variability of temperature) or indirect (e.g., damages
caused by an increase in the frequency of coastal flooding
due to sea-level rise).
Adaptive
capacity is the ability of a system to adjust to
climate change, including climate variability and extremes,
to moderate potential damages, to take advantage of
opportunities, or to cope with the
consequences.
Vulnerability
is the degree to which a system is suscep-
tible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate
change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulner-
ability is a function of the character, magnitude and rate of
climate change and variation to which a system is
exposed, its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Including Variability
Policy Responses
Human Interference
Planned
ADAPTATION
to the Impacts and
Vulnerabilities
MITIGATION
of Climate Change via
GHG Sources and Sinks
Exposure
Initial Impacts
or Effects
Autonomous
Adaptations
Residual or
Net Impacts
IMPACTS
VULNERABILITIES
When we are talk about climate change in our modern setting, we refer to changes brought about
by industrialisation as seen in the increased use of energy sources that emit harmful gases into the
atmosphere. These gases have a warming effect that effects climate patterns.
In Africa this has lead to shifts
in rain patterns over the years.
African communities are more
vulnerable to changes in rainfall
and other aspects of climate.
Most activities and planning are
tied to the seasons. The fact
that climate change has resulted
in unpredictable seasons has
resulted in crop failures.
Africa’s development is mostly
linked to rain-fed agriculture
as opposed to irrigation. Rural
communities have relied on
predictable rainfall patterns for
their crops, and whole economies
are driven by this activity.
Changes in rainfall patterns have
implications for other aspects of
life, including health. Unexpected
flooding gives rise to parasites
in the water that may in turn
cause epidemics like cholera.
When the highlands get warmer
mosquitoes are able to survive,
and they conquer these areas too.
The consequence is the spread
of malaria. Studies have also
shown that the glaciers of Mount
Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya
are greatly reduced. Yet it is well
known that these glaciers are the