Africa need to prepare against unpredictable effects of climate change
Thursday, October 29th, 2009Nations, communities and families in Africa need to safeguard their homes and livelihoods against the unpredictable effects of climate change, according to a discussion paper written by Imperial College London’s Professor Sir Gordon Conway, published on 28 October 2009.
The paper describes how predicting climate change’s impact on specific countries, regions or towns in Africa is extremely difficult. Africa’s climate is driven by three very complex factors – the cycle of hot air and rain in the tropics, the monsoons and the El-Niño/ La Niña phenomena in the Pacific ocean. This makes it hard to forecast what will happen, when and where.
Climate change could cause more frequent and severe floods, droughts and other extreme weather events; decreased access to drinking water; damage to agricultural land and crops; and the spread of diseases like malaria into previously unaffected areas – all of which could have serious consequences for the poorest members of society.
