In a nutshell, all of Africa is predicted to get warmer as
time goes on. It is also predicted that the warming will most likely be larger
than the global, annual mean warming throughout the entire African continent
and in all season. The drier subtropical regions of Africa will experience a
warmer climate more that the moister tropic regions. The annual mean of
rainfall in Africa is predicted to decrease throughout the entire African
continent with the exception of East Africa, and according to the report, there
is uncertainty to the precipitation change in the Sahel, Guinean Coast, and
southern Saharan regions. With the effect of global warming, this comes to me
as no surprise; however, it makes me cringe to think that the entire African
continent, especially in the Saharan region, could get hotter than it is.
That being said, Africa will be hit hard by the decrease in
precipitation. It is projected that by 2020, between 75 million and 250 million
people will be affected due to water stress. This will only worsen the problem
for those who scarcely have access to fresh water. Agriculture will be affected
as a result in the decrease in precipitation. This will affect the agriculture
areas of particular regions, growing season, and crop yields, all of which will
have a negative impact on many Africans, especially the ones who live in arid
areas. In this report, some countries that rely on rain to grow their crops may
lose up to fifty percent of their crop yields by 2020. Not only will Africa be
hit the hardest by climate change, but also it is also not as adaptive to the
change as other continents.
As I’ve mentioned above, Africa, amongst other continents,
will suffer the hardest hits as global climate change progresses. The lack of
precipitation in itself will have a direct toll on the African people in many
ways. Drinking water (water availability, accessibility, water demand) and
agriculture, the basic necessities in sustaining human life, are threatened by
global climate change. To my surprise, climate change can also alter the
ecology of disease vectors in Africa. Diseases such as malaria, dengue fever,
cholera, and meningitis can supposedly be affected by climate change.
The largest threat for Africa in regards t climate change is
definitely the lack of water. Water is needed to sustain life and many Africans
already live in arid areas. It’s sad to imagine an even greater lack of water
for these people. This includes drinking water and water used to grow crops.
The report states that in some countries, crop yields will be cut in half!
There are many people who are starving and don’t get the nutrients they need to
live healthy lives and it is sad to think that not only will they experience
this lack of nutrients, but experience a lack of general food supply
Source: http://www.oecd.org/swac/otherfocusareas/securityimplicationsofclimatechangeinthesahel.htm
Source: sciencemag.org
No comments:
Post a Comment