Impacts of and Adaptation to Climate Change

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Impacts of and Adaptation to Climate Change

• February 2009

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Africa

• The continent comprises of 54 countries.
• Human population of about 840 million.
• Most economies are natural resource based.
• Agriculture is a source of livelihood for 70 of
  the population.
• 4 of the arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa is
  irrigated.
• Impacts of climate variability change are
  affecting a large number of people.
• Climate variability and change, combined with
  other factors threatens achievement of MDGs.

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Key Impacts

• Increasing temperatures
• Shifting seasons
• Changes in the amount of rainfall
• Increasing intensity frequency of extreme
  weather events
• Melting glaciers rising sea level

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Major Consequences

• Greater food insecurity
• Greater water stress/scarcity
• Greater threats to health ... and fewer resources
  to prevent ill-health
• A decline in the productivity (and viability) of
  natural resource-based livelihoods
• An increase in the frequency intensity of
  natural resource conflicts
• More humanitarian disasters
• More people on the move in search of safe havens

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Key Points

• Climate change is about people and their ability
  to create secure, dignified lives for themselves
  and their families.
• Mean cost of climate change about 2.7 of GDP in
  Africa by 2100.
• Climate change affects different social groups
  differently. Women and girl children are
  especially hard hit.
• Declining water availability hampers the
  achievement of energy security, a major
  constraint to Africas development.
• Climate change has the potential to wipe out the
  last 25 years of development gains in some parts
  of the world. And is already a key underlying
  cause of poverty.
• Climate-driven reduction in GDP would exacerbate
  poverty and raise child mortality rates.

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Solutions

• Adaptation to climate variability and change
  offers viable, sustainable solutions among the
  poor in developing countries.
• Community-based adaptation (CBA) is about
  reducing peoples vulnerability to the impacts of
  climate change.
• CARE targets the worlds most vulnerable
  populations
• And delivers solutions that reduce their
  sensitivity to the impacts of climate change
  whilst building adaptive capacity.

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CBA in practice

• Promoting climate-resilient livelihood
  technologies and strategies.
• Reducing the risk of disasters.
• Building citizens and governments understanding
  of and capacity to respond to climate change.
• Increasing peoples access to essential services
  social protection systems.
• Empowering people to participate in government
  plans to address climate change.

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Adaptation

• Mangrove restoration, Tanzania

Boreholes in El-Wak, Kenya
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Adaptation
Transforming this to
this
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Other Components

• Making carbon finance mechanisms work for poor
  people
• Piloting pro-poor forestry and domestic energy
  projects.
• Developing the premier social and environmental
  standards for forestry-based projects (with
  partners including Conservation International,
  WWF and the World Agroforestry Centre).
• Advocacy
• Influencing the policy decisions that really
  matter.
• Appropriate emissions reductions.
• Effective adaptation assistance to the worlds
  most vulnerable populations.
• The regulation of carbon finance mechanisms to
  protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and
  local communities.

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Other Components

• Organizational change
• Evolving what CARE does in the face of challenges
  presented by climate change. This entails
• Managing our own carbon footprint.
• Educating and training staff.
• Developing tools such as CVCA and CRiSTAL to help
  integrate climate change into the design and
  implementation of projects in highly sensitive
  sectors (e.g. water and agriculture)
• Integrating climate change into CAREs Long Range
  Strategic Plans and Emergency Preparedness Plans

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Why Fund Adaptation?

• The need is great in developing countries.
• Significant cost savings would be realized if
  communities are empowered to adapt to climate
  change impacts.
• Funding and supporting adaptation would help
  reduce poverty and promote development that is
  sustainable.
• Avert potential problems such as increased
  insecurity that may arise due to climate change
  refugees.
• Honoring commitment made under the UNFCCC to help
  provide adaptation funding. (UNFCCC 1992 Article
  4).

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Thank you

• Cynthia Brenda Awuor
• CARE International in Kenya
• cynthia_at_care.or.ke