Experiences of climate change adaptation in Africa

Abstract

Africa is a continent blessed with a substantial amount of environmental resources, and many African countries are quite rich with respect to biodiversity, minerals and favourable environmental conditions, which may allow them to harness solar energy, for example. Yet, African countries are also among the most vulnerable ones in respect to climate change. This is the case for three main reasons: 1. Climate change and the various phenomena associated with it may lead to disruptions in water cycle and subsequent increase in droughts, floods, storms and other extreme events, which may rather damage the fragile infrastructure; 2. Climate change may affect food production and pose an additional burden to societies already experiencing serious economic and social problems; 3. The impact of climate change-related events may especially affect the poor and most socially vulnerable people, thus negatively influencing their lives. It is widely acknowledged that, in addition to global and regional efforts to cope with climate change by means of mitigation measures, adaptation initiatives can and perhaps should play a key role in enabling communities from across Africa to better handle the problems related to it. Due to the fact that experiences in climate change adaptation in Africa are poorly documented, this book provides an attempt to address the perceived need for better documentation and dissemination of African experiences on climate change adaptation. This is not to say that mitigation is not needed: it is. But bearing in mind that many measures are needed here and now, instead of in 15 or 20 years time, this book will prove a useful tool in showing what can be done, how, and, by means of concrete case studies, it makes a convincing case for how useful and effective climate change adaptation may be. This book contains some of the papers presented at the conference on ‘‘Climate Change and Natural Resource Use in Eastern Africa: Impact, Adaptation and Mitigation’’, organised by the Ecological Society for Eastern Africa (ESEA). The event was held at the Multimedia University College of Kenya in Nairobi on 19–21 May 2010 and drew nearly 200 delegates from across eastern Africa. It alsoincorporated a great many other papers prepared by a number of African-based organisations, reflecting the diversity of activities taking place in Africa today. The book is structured in such a way that government agencies and aid donors on the one hand, and practitioners and members of NGOs and associations on the other, are able to better understand the scope of climate change adaptation in Africa, with a combination of background research and examples of practical projects. I want to thank all the authors for sharing their knowledge and their experi- ences, as well as Dr. Mihaela Sima for the editorial support provided. Thanks are also due to the ESEA, especially Professor Otienoh Oguge, for organising the conference that marked the start of this book project. The kind support provided by Caroline Lumosi from ESEA is also gratefully acknowledged. It is hoped that this book, which is volume 4 in the ‘‘Climate Change Management Series’’ initiated as part of the ‘‘International Climate Change Information Programme’’ (ICCIP), will be useful and that it will inspire and motivate more projects and initiatives which may help African countries to address the many challenges that climate change poses to them.