WebCurrent Issues Deforestation. 21 April 2023 Climate and Environment. In January 2015 the Heads of State and Governments of the African Union adopted Agenda 2063. Senior Research Fellow, Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation, University of Pretoria. Environmental issues did not appear in the top 10 most important challenges they identified. These issues have become a serious concern for not only the continent, but also for the entire world. But that change seems to depend on exactly where future heating in the central Sahara peaks, emphasising cruelly the region we least understand. Among respondents who believed that more tax money should be spent on the environment, 62.28% were male and 37.72% female. Environmental issues did not appear in the top 10 most important challenges they identified. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules, What Europe's royals could teach King Charles. Africa's environmental challenges threaten not only the continent's public health but also its economy and social fabric. As part of the response, on 19th September 2014, the international community established the first ever emergency health mission the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response. Extreme weather like widespread drought is causing economic losses amongst farmers in Africa. In 2020, 281.6 million of Africans suffered from hunger. Though the countries of this continent do not contribute much to the world air pollution, the increasing population has shown an increase in the air pollution as well. They are contributing to global warming which is an alarming condition. At the same time, international financing institutions are restricting investment in electric power projects in Africa to wind and solar on grounds of environmental concerns. Fifteen AU countries need to ratify it for it to come into effect. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our site includes quite a bit of content, so if you're having an issue finding what you're looking for, go on ahead and use that search feature there! Only 0.09% of the respondents reported environmental issues as the most important priority in the country. Published: 10 Apr 2023 . Richard Grant, "Africa: Geographies of Change," Oxford University Press: New York, (2015). Africa's complex climate system is, unusually, influenced by the three main global ocean basins. Here are some of the biggest issues affecting the continent. We hope you enjoy this website. Analysis of responses revealed that 77.62% of respondents had negative attitudes towards the environment and 22.37% had positive attitudes. From promoting the development of democratic institutions, to establishing peace between warring nations, the UN is present on the ground supporting economic and social development and the promotion and protection of human rights. In South Africa, one in every four women aged 1849 years old has experienced violence from an intimate partner. Deforestation. The AUs latest Strategic Plan also places importance on environment and natural resources management. Although environmental policies vary in each African country, the continent's general climate plan trajectory is not on a sustainable platform. There are 25 UN entities operating in Sudan. However, in 2020, Africa experienced a 3.4 percent contraction in GDP. There are 25 UN entities operating in Sudan. And while it is beyond doubt that the war is an existential threat for Ukraine, it is also compounding the degradation of the environment and creating enormous new problems that may affect the global environment long into the future. It certainly has made a number of longstanding commitments to safeguard the environment. The institutional arrangements for implementation, monitoring and enforcement of environmental commitments are generally weak or absent. We have new insights brought through that scientific ingenuity. Strategies that focus on including females and rural residents, among others, should be developed to inform and assist the public to reduce carbon footprints and create sustainable technologies. According to Chatham House, an independent policy institute based in London, the war has directly caused the release of some 100 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere within the initial seven months of fighting. The list of second most important priorities was led by: crime and safety; service provision; corruption. The results point unambiguously to an increase in both rainfall intensity and the length of dry spells, and we have strong reason to believe them. Launched during Africa Climate Week, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the Review of Forest and Landscape Restoration in Africa 2021, shows, that more needs to be done to tap the continents opportunity to return land to sustainable production, protect biodiversity, and shield livelihoods in the battle against climate change. Environmental issues did not appear in the top 10 of the second or third most important challenges either. The AU is ideally positioned to coordinate a pan-African approach for dealing with cross border environmental problems. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. African countries face a wide array of environmental problems that pose a major threat to people in the region. There are 25 UN entities operating in Sudan. Deforestation. Swimming pools of the rich driving city water crises, study says. Credit: WMO/Cornel Vermaak. The outbreak has been the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976. Since then thousands of peacekeepers have been deployed in more than 30 peacekeeping operations to African countries, including Angola, Mozambique, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Burundi and Sudan. Extending well beyond tree-planting, forest and landscape restoration is an all-encompassing approach to returning trees and forests to landscapes where they have been lost and is of great benefit to sustainable food production, building resilience and disaster risk reduction, said Nora Berrahmouni, FAO Senior Forestry Officer covering Africa, and one of the reviews lead authors. Africa's explosively growing urban areas will face several impacts of climate change in the near future. The relentless advance of climate change brought more drought, flooding and heatwaves to communities around the world last year, compounding threats to peoples lives and livelihoods, the UNs World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday. The tragic dilemma is that although Africa is the continent that contributes the least to the earth's environmental change, it is the most vulnerable to its impact. These results tell us that economic, social and health competing interests currently overshadow environmental interests in South Africa. Swimming pools of the rich driving city water crises, study says. It can be expanded to include reporting on progress towards effective regulatory environmental frameworks. Some of the MDGs should be altered to include building African capacity, creating more sustainable cities, and eliminating poverty. We also have a sub-regional office for West Africa in Cte d'Ivoire, a liaison office in Ethiopia and offices in South Africa and Tanzania. Environmental issues did not appear in the top 10 most important challenges they identified. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Sign up to receive the latest and greatest articles from our site automatically each week (give or take)right to your inbox. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. WebUN Environment Programme, Africa Office, is located in Nairobi, Kenya. But so far, only 12 have done so. WebAnd the benefits of limiting climate change to 1.5 C are enormous, with the report detailing the difference in the consequences between a 1.5 C increase and a 2 C increase. For example, until 2003, the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources - an African wide agreement on the environment - had no provision for a Conference of the Parties or a Secretariat. Its a long-term process but it is a sustainable, forward-looking solution, she added. Here are six charts that tell the story: Sub-Saharan Africa will be the worlds slowest growing region in 2021. WebAbstract. With 61 percent, Rwanda has the highest proportion of women parliamentarians in the world. In 2002, the OAU became the African Union. The 2021 report, entitled "Africa, Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition," published by the African Union Commission, FAO and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, calls for all of the continent's countries to transform the food industry. Climate change has not been prominently featured in most countries' development programs, and few national development projects have a climate change focus from the initial planning stage (Grant, 2015). WebAfrican environmental issues are caused by human impacts on the natural environment and affect humans and nearly all forms of life. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. To foster sustainable development in Africa, several policy solutions should be considered. African countries face a wide array of environmental problems that pose a major threat to people in the region. Africa led research and knowledge is essential and currently insufficient to develop sound environmental policies. In southern Africa we are seeing a delay in the onset and a drying of early summer rains, which is predicted to worsen in forthcoming decades. They are part of a set of young scientists joining the race to set adaptation to climate change in motion before Africa is overwhelmed. If not, then competing and conflicting sectoral strategies towards human and natural development are inevitable. 2023 BBC. The UN Security Council established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to "prosecute persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda and neighbouring States in 1994". South Africans regard these as urgent issues warranting immediate attention. But due to the deforestation and the need of land for agriculture, there is a huge loss of biodiversity. It is also the first international tribunal to define rape in international criminal law and to recognise rape as a means of perpetrating genocide, as well as the first international tribunal to hold members of the media responsible for broadcasts intended to inflame the public to commit acts of genocide. Read about our approach to external linking. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. It is not known how dust storms affect the climate in the long-term, Africa's capacity to adapt to climate change is low - and this year led to landslides in Kenya, Rainforests play a huge role in driving global weather systems, More than 1,000 people died after Cyclone Idai hits Mozambique and Zimbabwe, Wilfried Pokam (2nd left), who leads researchers in Cameroon, is among scientists helping to analyse Africa's changing climate, African governments have generally failed to prioritise climate change. Though the countries of this continent do not contribute much to the world air pollution, the increasing Water Pollution. Although the government has taken initiative for growing more plants, the imbalance in nature cannot be covered by just a little effort. The list of third most important issues was dominated by: poverty; corruption; education. First, African countries can expand access to energy. The African Peer Review Mechanism can play a role. The AU can play an important role in promoting and supporting such research. These must span across multiple sectors like water, transport, energy, agriculture and the environment. Here are some of the biggest issues affecting the continent. And while it is beyond doubt that the war is an existential threat for Ukraine, it is also compounding the degradation of the environment and creating enormous new problems that may affect the global environment long into the Despite our efforts, every year more forest disappears, costing the continent a three per cent loss of GDP, said Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO) Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa. Its our planet, and if we cannot save it, then no one else can. African countries and their partners need to continue to scale-up their efforts in forest and landscape restoration as a viable solution to climate change and building forward better in response to COVID-19, while also protecting their natural capital, said Ms. Berrahmouni. A more collaborative effort to tackle climate change in Africa will require several additional centers of Africa-based knowledge. According to a 2019 NASA study, 780,000 premature deaths in Africa each year can be attributed to air 3. UN Climate Change News, 27 October 2020 Increasing temperatures and sea levels, changing precipitation patterns and more extreme weather are threatening human health and safety, food and water security and socio-economic development in Africa, according to a new report devoted exclusively to the Also, greater use of indigenous knowledge should be integrated into Africa's economic, agricultural, scientific, and governance systems. Top Environmental Issues in Africa in 2023 1. The UN supports economic and social development and the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa, and has seven active peacekeeping operations. Fourth, they can prioritize local input at the forefront of policy discussion and implementation. These challenges include land degradation, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and other climate-related vulnerabilities. The two most extensive land-based end-of-century projected decreases in rainfall anywhere on the planet occur over Africa; one over North Africa and the other over southern Africa, Finally, the capacity for adaptation to climate change is low; poverty equates to reduced choice at the individual level while governance generally fails to prioritise and act on climate change. We've created informative articles that you can come back to again and again when you have questions or want to learn more! The relentless advance of climate change brought more drought, flooding and heatwaves to communities around the world last year, compounding threats to peoples lives and livelihoods, the UNs World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday. According to the report, the numbers vary across the subregions; the number of undernourished people reaches about 44% in Eastern Africa, 27% in Western Africa, 20% in Central Africa, 6,2% in Northern Africa and 2,4% in Southern Africa. These cookies do not store any personal information. Camilla Adelle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Human waste has also contaminated the water bodies and access to fresh and clean water has become very difficult. According to a 2019 NASA study, 780,000 premature deaths in Africa each year can be attributed to air 3. Globally, corporate interests continue to undervalue the voices of climate activists and ordinary citizens advocating for more resilient climate policies (Grant, 2015). This predicament is partly due to obvious constraints on national governments. 6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, Suite 211 Irvine CA 92603. But Africa will suffer more acutely than other regions if the AU fails to act. Sudan has a population of 48 million. According to a 2019 NASA study, 780,000 premature deaths in Africa each year can be attributed to air 3. While we are working hard to help the Ukrainian government overcome the environmental challenges that they face as a result of the heinous war that Russia is perpetrating against their people, we are also working hard to help people who are being negatively impacted by the ravages of climate change as well, said Assistant Secretary Medina. PIP: Half of Africa's almost 450 million inhabitants have no access to health services, while two-thirds lack safe drinking water, according to a 1991 report by the World Bank. Environmental issues were on the list they could choose from. Males and urban residents were more likely to have negative attitudes to environmental issues than females and rural residents. Water pollution is among the top problems. 70% of the energy is generated by burning coal and wood, which results in deforestation, soil erosion, air pollution, and ecological imbalance. But due to the lack of education and lack of proper rules, the extraction of oil is done through the same methods. It can: institutionalise climate change as a security issue and develop a climate security policy, establish a climate change commission and climate change directorate, develop a general framework and plan of action on climate change and, improve public awareness and civil society involvement. WebClimate change. It is a matter of social justice that we succeed. This is because institutions can be unstable, scattered and lacking in trained personnel and capacity. Each region and sub-region of Africa is changing differently but an emerging commonality is a shift towards more intense rainfall - even where there is observed and projected future drying. Many of them burn up lands and forests in order to find animals easily. In 2011, South Sudan became Africas newest country when it gained independence from the rest of Sudan. Here are six charts that tell the story: Sub-Saharan Africa will be the worlds slowest growing region in 2021. Both are central to the implementation of the convention. Read about our approach to external linking. No other region has documented such a long and spatially extensive drought. The survey results suggest that South Africans would rather see efforts go into tackling other challenges even though climate change will intensify those challenges. The major source of energy here is wood. This is part of the approach we are adopting - to find out exactly how the models simulate the changing weather. (FILE) Ukrainian service members walk next to destroyed buildings as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. The environment ranked 17th among respondents top priorities. At the same time, international financing institutions are restricting investment in electric power projects in Africa to wind and solar on grounds of environmental concerns. The groups that were inclined to be negative about the environment were: older than 16-19; female; black; less educated; unemployed. The war in Ukraine is having a terrible impact on the environment, said Monica Medina, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental And Scientific Affairs. The URL has been copied to your clipboard. Africa has one billion hectares of drylands, 393 million hectares of which need restoration in Africas Great Green Wall areas.. AFR100 has committed 31 African Governments to restoring 100 million hectares by 2030 a challenge already exceeded.. Africa has an estimated additional 132 million hectares of degraded cropland, which The region is projected to grow by 3.4 percent, buoyed by the global recovery, increased trade, higher commodity prices, and a resumption of capital inflows. April 2023. They are global challenges, said Assistant Secretary Medina. https://www.unenvironment.org/regions/africa#:~:text=Africa%20faces%20serious%20environmental%20challenges,extreme%20vulnerability%20to%20climate%20change. This last group of respondents were all male. Emerging from one of those rapidly warming oceans, tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth in March and April 2019 destroyed parts of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, with Kenneth following a particularly unusual path over Tanzania. Climate change poses an additional risk to current and future endeavours to protect livelihoods, grow the economy, and prevent disease and loss of life. The transportation of oil through the sea route has also polluted the sea water due to improper packaging and transport. WebAfrican environmental issues are caused by human impacts on the natural environment and affect humans and nearly all forms of life. Read more, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NWWashington, DC 20004-3027, 2023 The Wilson Center. It is therefore capable of all sorts of surprises, Third, the degree of expected climate change is large. Rapid urbanization also means that urban infrastructures in Africa are poorly equipped to deal with the effects of climate change on biodiversity, food security, health, water access, and migration. Deforestation is one of the main factors that harm the ecological balance of the entire planet, not 2. A staff member at the Environment and Agribusiness Laboratories (ENVAL) in Cte dIvoire. Environmental issues did not appear in the top 10 most important challenges they identified. For Africans to deal effectively with climate change, they should not be merely the recipients of advice but also participants in discussions on how to best deal with the challenge. Climate change is an issue impacting many countries right across the world, including many in Africa. In Nigeria, for example, "A sea level rise of one meter could displace 6.3 million people in Lagos alone and change the spatial distribution and density of both formal and informal urban settlements (Grant, 2015). Credit: WMO/Cornel Vermaak. Moreover, Africas drylands are increasingly more vulnerable to climate change and their restoration is a priority for adaptation and building resilient and sustainable food systems. The vision and ideals in the Agenda serve as pillars for the continent in the foreseeable future, which will be translated into concrete objectives, milestones, goals, targets and actions/measures. whether more taxes should be spent on the environment. At the same time, international financing institutions are restricting investment in electric power projects in Africa to wind and solar on grounds of environmental concerns. This shows there is a common group within the population that could be targeted for environmental and social change movements. The causes of water pollution, and its effects on people, flora and fauna, is currently one of the biggest environmental threats to Africa. The New Partnership for Africas Development or NEPAD, an official programme of the AU, also highlights the environment as one of its priorities. Central to that rainfall change is the behaviour of thunderstorms, which deliver around 70% of African rain. One of the earliest conventions adopted by the AUs predecessor the Organisation of African Unity was the 1968 African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. This may be due to the industries, which are set up in the parts of countries where labor is easily available. Local Experts Weigh in, Colombias President Is a Difficult U.S. AllyExcept on Climate, Women at the Forefront of Environmental Protection in Oman, African Women in Agriculture Burdened by Climate Change, Holding Russia Accountable for the Crime of Ecocide in Ukraine, Arctic Temperatures are Impacting Weatherin India, Canusa Street Episode 66: Greening the Economy, Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy, Environmental Change and Security Program, North Korea International Documentation Project, Nuclear Proliferation International History Project, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, The Middle East and North Africa Workforce Development Initiative, Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative, Science and Technology Innovation Program, Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition, These challenges include land degradation, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and other climate-related vulnerabilities, https://www.unenvironment.org/regions/africa#:~:text=Africa%20faces%20serious%20environmental%20challenges,extreme%20vulnerability%20to%20climate%20change, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118568446.eurs0002, https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2013/03/unep-highlights-environmental-impacts-health-africa/, https://globeafrique.com/africa-faces-some-serious-environmental-problems-greenpeace/, http://web.mit.edu/africantech/www/articles/EnvChall.htm, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1280367/, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50726701, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/global_20160818_cop21_africa.pdf, https://www.brookings.edu/research/africa-can-play-a-leading-role-in-the-fight-against-climate-change/, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/12/5-steps-to-save-africa-from-climate-change/, https://www.oecd.org/greengrowth/1869800.pdf.
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