Africa's climate from the year 2000

1. Made by: Simran Khandpur
8-D
Roll no.36

2.  Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in
the world to climate change.
 This vulnerability and the limitations of poor
countries to adapt to climate change challenges
were highlighted in Climate Change 2001, the
Third Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC).
 The report established how human activity
(burning fossil fuels and changes in land-use) is
modifying the global climate, with temperature
rises projected for the next 100 years that could
affect human welfare and the environment.

3. While the exact nature of the changes in temperature,
precipitation, and extreme events is not known,
there is agreement about the following general
trends.
• Global mean surface temperature is projected to
increase between 1.5 °C (2.7°F) and 6 °C (10.8°F) by
2100.
• Sea levels are projected to rise by 15 to 95
centimeters (6 to 37 inches) by 2100.
• Climate change scenarios for Africa indicate future
warming across the continent ranging from 0.2°C
(0.36°F) per decade (low scenario) to more than
0.5°C (0.9°F) per decade (high scenario) (Hulme et
al. 2001; Desanker and Magadza 2001). This warming
will be greatest over the interior of semiarid margins
of the Sahara and central southern Africa.

4.  Biodiversity Loss- Given the heavy dependence on natural resources in Africa, many
communities are vulnerable to the biodiversity loss that could result from climate
change. The impact of climate change on humans will also be compounded by climate
change induced alterations of agriculture, water supply and disease.
 Agriculture- One-third of the income in Africa is generated by agriculture. Crop
production and livestock husbandry account for about half of household income. The
poorest members of society are those who are most dependent on agriculture for jobs
and income.
 Impacts on glaciers and water supply- The snow and glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro act
as a water tower, and several rivers are drying out in the warm season due to the loss
of this frozen reservoir. Other glaciers in Africa (Ruwenzori in Uganda and Mount
Kenya) are also under similar threat.
 Disease- Changes in rainfall will affect the presence and absence of vector- and water-
borne pathogens (IPCC 2001). For example, it can be expected that small changes in
temperature and precipitation will boost the population of disease-carrying mosquitoes
and result in increased malaria epidemics (Lindsay and Martens 1998). Increased
flooding could facilitate the breeding of these malaria carriers in formerly arid areas
(Warsame et al. 1995).
 Human migration- The prolonged drying trend in the Sahel since the 1970s has
demonstrated the vulnerability of nomadic pastoral system groups to climate change:
they cannot simply move their axis of migration when the wetter end already is
densely occupied and permanent water points fail at the drier end. The result has been
widespread loss of human life and livestock, and substantial changes to the social
system.

5.  Biodiversity- Climate change has already affected the
marine animals of Africa. Coral reefs in the Indian
Ocean experienced massive bleaching in 1998, with
over 50 percent mortality in some regions (Spalding
2001). Damage to coral reef systems has far reaching
implications for fisheries, food security, tourism and
overall marine biodiversity.
 Bird Migration- If climatic conditions or specific
habitat conditions at either end of these migratory
routes change beyond the tolerance of the species
involved, significant losses of biodiversity could
result.
 Large Mammal Migration- The impact of climate
change on African migratory systems is uncertain, but
they could be compromised by climate change in the
presence of additional land-use pressures.

6.  Biodiversity- Important floral regions affected by
global warming include Madagascar, the mountains of
Cameroon, and the island-like Afromontane habitats
that stretch from Ethiopia to South Africa at altitudes
above about 2,000 meters (Mace et al. 1998).
 Plant Migration- As the climate changes, plants will
naturally attempt to adapt by migrating, assuming
the landscape is not too fragmented. However, given
that most of the land in Africa is inhabited by
humans, not all species will be able to migrate. From
a conservation management perspective, this
indicates that creating avenues of migration for
critical plant groups might be a useful hedge against
destructive changes in climate.

7.  Climate change will have significant impacts on
biodiversity and food security in Africa.
 Biodiversity must be managed to ensure that
ensure that conservation is occurring both inside
and outside of parks and reserves, and that
adequate habitat is preserved to enable
species—plants, animals and humans—to migrate.
 The conservation of African biodiversity will
ensure delivery of ecosystem goods and services
necessary to human life support systems (soil
health, water, air, etc)
 An integrated approach to environmental
management is needed to ensure sustainable
benefits for Africa.