For this week’s post, I have decided to return to a recurring topic in my blog, which is that of climate change. In my last 2 blogposts, I went into detail about two different water resource management strategies (IWRM & IUWM) that have been proposed or adopted by African cities. However, those strategies tend to only emphasise on resolving the issue of the uneven distribution of water as well as introducing and improving existing water infrastructures. This got me thinking if there were any responses made towards reducing the impacts of climate change in the region, since it has been predicted that it will affect water resources. It has been projected that in two years (!) time, about 75 to 250 million Africans will be subjected to more water stress resulting from impacts of climate change.
Ever since the impacts of climate change became acknowledged as a worldwide pressing issue, it has led to several international conferences and agreements. The most recent one is the Paris Agreement, referred to as PA from here on, which was formulated on December 12, 2015. The PA primary goals are firstly, to intensify world-wide response to the dangers of climate change through maintaining global temperature increase below 2 degrees C, with continuous efforts to limit this amount to remaining below 1.5 degrees C if possible. Secondly, the agreement also hopes to enhance the capability of countries to combat climate change effects, especially for Global South countries. What distinguishes the deal from its ineffective precursor, the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, is that it is signed and supported by both developed and developing countries (Huq, 2017). Additionally, the deal states that richer countries are required to help their poorer neighbours financially manage with climate change (Briggs, 2017). The graphic below displays important characteristics of the agreement.
In the context of Africa, the PA hopes to rely on current prospects in the renewable energy sector to acclimatise and alleviate impacts of climate change in the region. Similarly, it also promises to attain sustainable industrialisation with as little harmful emissions as possible (Munang and Mgendi, 2016). According to Munang and Mgendi’s (2016), a way to initiate the deal is through an ecosystem-based agenda, like the Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA), which the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) established together with the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), and other stakeholders in 2015. The EBAFOSA framework serves as an implementation proposal for all vital partners and agents included in the whole Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EBA) influenced agriculture value chain. An agriculture value chain is defined as the process consisting of all the goods and services required for an agricultural commodity to move from the farm to the final consumer. It is a term adapted from Michael Porter’s “value chain” concept. EBAFOSA is an important step for African cities to combat the impacts of climate change, especially because of the huge focus on transitioning to using clean, renewable energy in the agricultural sector. The types of renewable energy harnessed in Africa includes hydro, wind, geothermal, solar, stranded gas, and biomass.
Another example of an EBA framework is that of a coastal EBA for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). A case study can be seen in Seychelles, where UNEP has kickstarted a project there to improve the “resilience and adaptive capacity” of societies that rely on coastal ecosystem services that are supported by coral reefs and associated ecosystems. According to Simonson and Mant (2017), SIDS are exceptionally more exposed to the dangers arising from climate change due to their high reliance on the coastal ecosystems and their amenities for development purposes. Sea-level rise may flood “economically productive land” and salinise water supplies and the increased sea surface temperature could affect fish farms negatively. Similarly, acidification of the ocean causes coral reefs to die, consequently affecting their abilities to protect the coast and produce beach sand. This also impacts the ecotourism industry, which is a major sector in many SIDS economy, accounting for over 25% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in at least seven SIDS (UNWTO, 2014). In Seychelles, the EBA is being funded by the Adaptation Fund.
One such project, as reported by Ernesta (2018), is the construction of gabion barrages at the Bougainville Wetland in the Takamaka district, located south of the main island of Mahe (Figure 3). The completed gabion is 40m lengthwise and can contain about 35 million litres of water. It has been successful in boosting climate change resilience and benefiting Seychellean water resources for both human and non-human uses. Additionally, it serves as a substitute to desalination plants, which can be very costly in the long run. The Bougainville gabion has been so successful that the EBA project has selected seven other locations around Mahe island to implement these environmentally friendly barrages. The project team has also enlisted the help of local farmers, contractors, construction students in the Seychelle Institute of Technology, and interested residents. This is advantageous as it indicates the inclusiveness of the project, which is key in ensuring that future generations would be able to replicate the construction process, thus guaranteeing continuity. Pascal Octave, a trainer of the project, emphasises that the use of gabions is extremely helpful in countering problems of water shortages and storage in Seychelles. It is also touted as the most natural way to keep water, due to its natural filtration system. The water stored can be utilised during defined periods of dry weather. There are several pros of adopting the gabion barrages. It is easier and cheaper to construct than conventional dams and does not change or impact the environment drastically. It is also locally made, and most importantly, contributes positive feedback on the Seychellean island ecosystems through downstream benefits. These include reef protection from sediment pollution during times of intense downpour.
In conclusion, it appears that the way forward to adapt to and mitigate against climate change impacts in an African context is through proposals that ensures sustainability. Yet, we cannot assume that these projects are the endgame in the fight against climate change, especially in developing countries. Projects of such calibre are extremely costly to run and must always be responsive to any sudden fluctuations in the actual environment or amongst important decision-makers. Similarly, the time scale of these projects, which is influenced by the long timescale of climate change, complicates the cost benefit analysis of its entirety. Hence a lot of cooperation is needed between international, regional, and local stakeholders in order to sustain the project. Regardless, it is still a good step taken towards dealing with climate change.
Ever since the impacts of climate change became acknowledged as a worldwide pressing issue, it has led to several international conferences and agreements. The most recent one is the Paris Agreement, referred to as PA from here on, which was formulated on December 12, 2015. The PA primary goals are firstly, to intensify world-wide response to the dangers of climate change through maintaining global temperature increase below 2 degrees C, with continuous efforts to limit this amount to remaining below 1.5 degrees C if possible. Secondly, the agreement also hopes to enhance the capability of countries to combat climate change effects, especially for Global South countries. What distinguishes the deal from its ineffective precursor, the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, is that it is signed and supported by both developed and developing countries (Huq, 2017). Additionally, the deal states that richer countries are required to help their poorer neighbours financially manage with climate change (Briggs, 2017). The graphic below displays important characteristics of the agreement.
Figure 1: Key points of Paris Climate Agreement (source: Huq, 2017
In the context of Africa, the PA hopes to rely on current prospects in the renewable energy sector to acclimatise and alleviate impacts of climate change in the region. Similarly, it also promises to attain sustainable industrialisation with as little harmful emissions as possible (Munang and Mgendi, 2016). According to Munang and Mgendi’s (2016), a way to initiate the deal is through an ecosystem-based agenda, like the Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA), which the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) established together with the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), and other stakeholders in 2015. The EBAFOSA framework serves as an implementation proposal for all vital partners and agents included in the whole Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EBA) influenced agriculture value chain. An agriculture value chain is defined as the process consisting of all the goods and services required for an agricultural commodity to move from the farm to the final consumer. It is a term adapted from Michael Porter’s “value chain” concept. EBAFOSA is an important step for African cities to combat the impacts of climate change, especially because of the huge focus on transitioning to using clean, renewable energy in the agricultural sector. The types of renewable energy harnessed in Africa includes hydro, wind, geothermal, solar, stranded gas, and biomass.
Another example of an EBA framework is that of a coastal EBA for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). A case study can be seen in Seychelles, where UNEP has kickstarted a project there to improve the “resilience and adaptive capacity” of societies that rely on coastal ecosystem services that are supported by coral reefs and associated ecosystems. According to Simonson and Mant (2017), SIDS are exceptionally more exposed to the dangers arising from climate change due to their high reliance on the coastal ecosystems and their amenities for development purposes. Sea-level rise may flood “economically productive land” and salinise water supplies and the increased sea surface temperature could affect fish farms negatively. Similarly, acidification of the ocean causes coral reefs to die, consequently affecting their abilities to protect the coast and produce beach sand. This also impacts the ecotourism industry, which is a major sector in many SIDS economy, accounting for over 25% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in at least seven SIDS (UNWTO, 2014). In Seychelles, the EBA is being funded by the Adaptation Fund.
Figure 2: Gabion Barrage in Bougainville Wetlands in Takamaka District (Source: Salifa Karapetyan in Sharon Ernesta's article, Seychelles News Agency)
Figure 3: Map of Mahe Island in Seychelles. The red-lined area is Takamaka District, where the Bougainville Wetland Gabion Barrage System was successfully built. (Source: Google Maps)
One such project, as reported by Ernesta (2018), is the construction of gabion barrages at the Bougainville Wetland in the Takamaka district, located south of the main island of Mahe (Figure 3). The completed gabion is 40m lengthwise and can contain about 35 million litres of water. It has been successful in boosting climate change resilience and benefiting Seychellean water resources for both human and non-human uses. Additionally, it serves as a substitute to desalination plants, which can be very costly in the long run. The Bougainville gabion has been so successful that the EBA project has selected seven other locations around Mahe island to implement these environmentally friendly barrages. The project team has also enlisted the help of local farmers, contractors, construction students in the Seychelle Institute of Technology, and interested residents. This is advantageous as it indicates the inclusiveness of the project, which is key in ensuring that future generations would be able to replicate the construction process, thus guaranteeing continuity. Pascal Octave, a trainer of the project, emphasises that the use of gabions is extremely helpful in countering problems of water shortages and storage in Seychelles. It is also touted as the most natural way to keep water, due to its natural filtration system. The water stored can be utilised during defined periods of dry weather. There are several pros of adopting the gabion barrages. It is easier and cheaper to construct than conventional dams and does not change or impact the environment drastically. It is also locally made, and most importantly, contributes positive feedback on the Seychellean island ecosystems through downstream benefits. These include reef protection from sediment pollution during times of intense downpour.
In conclusion, it appears that the way forward to adapt to and mitigate against climate change impacts in an African context is through proposals that ensures sustainability. Yet, we cannot assume that these projects are the endgame in the fight against climate change, especially in developing countries. Projects of such calibre are extremely costly to run and must always be responsive to any sudden fluctuations in the actual environment or amongst important decision-makers. Similarly, the time scale of these projects, which is influenced by the long timescale of climate change, complicates the cost benefit analysis of its entirety. Hence a lot of cooperation is needed between international, regional, and local stakeholders in order to sustain the project. Regardless, it is still a good step taken towards dealing with climate change.
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