Above all, it requires international cooperation and commitment based on an accurate understanding of the relevant issues. Climate change is an issue impacting many countries right across the world, including many in Africa. The first-ever stocktake of Africas forests and landscapes, which was released on Wednesday finds slow progress in repairing Africas degraded lands and urges ramped up efforts for climate action. Environmental issues like climate change, air pollution and water scarcity do not stop at national borders. Difficulties with longer-term finance, land tenure and property rights are major challenges, according to the assessment. 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. Swimming pools of the rich driving city water crises, study says. The survey results suggest that South Africans would rather see efforts go into tackling other challenges even though climate change will intensify those challenges. University of the Witwatersrand provides support as a hosting partner of The Conversation AFRICA. Some of the less obvious side effects of Russias illegal war on Ukraine are its impact on global environmental pollution. Climate change poses a significant threat to economic, social and environmental development in Africa. Yet the continent has a woefully inadequate structure for the governance of the environment. If not, then competing and conflicting sectoral strategies towards human and natural development are inevitable. However, less developed countries also have competing challenges. Africa is the second largest and the second most populated continent in the world. WebAfrican environmental issues are caused by human impacts on the natural environment and affect humans and nearly all forms of life. In 1960 the first peacekeeping operation in Africa was deployed in the Republic of the Congo to ensure the withdrawal of Belgian forces and to assist the Government in maintaining law and order. 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. 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. And while the overall trend is moving downward, net loss of forests is still increasing in Africa, with four million hectares of forest disappearing every year. 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. The African Peer Review Mechanism can play a role. In the survey, 3,173 adults chose what they saw as the three most important challenges in South Africa at the time. Write an article and join a growing community of more than 163,400 academics and researchers from 4,609 institutions. Out of all the respondents, 65% listed unemployment (1st), 15% stated HIV/AIDS (2nd) and 11% cited crime and safety (3rd) as the top three challenges in the country. Africa is more dependent on renewable natural resources and ecosystem services than other regions. Integration across all sectors is needed for regional environmental governance to work. The African continent will be hardest hit by climate change. Swimming pools of the rich driving city water crises, study says. In 2002, the OAU became the African Union. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. To advance its support for Africa even further, the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa was established in 2003 to enhance international support for African development and security and to improve coordination of UN system support. Refugee crises and high poverty rates are chief among them. Credit: WMO/Cornel Vermaak. Fourth, more funding is needed to promote sustainable development practices, such as creating more resilient communities and climate-proofing cities to help Africans prepare for and respond to the inevitable impacts of climate change (Grant, 2015). Chaos at port as thousands rush to leave Sudan, Air strikes pound Sudan capital as truce extended, Suspected IS chief killed in Syria, Turkey says. 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. Some of the less obvious side effects of Russias illegal war on Ukraine are its impact on global environmental pollution. [We] will continue to push forward on solving these great environmental challenges so that we can ensure that our children and our grandchildren will have a healthy planet., The War in Ukraine and Impact on Environmental Degradation and Climate Change. Transitioning to sustainable development offers a unique opportunity for cross-collaboration among non-traditional partners toward a more holistic approach to the African development experience. Males and urban residents were more likely to have negative attitudes to environmental issues than females and rural residents. https://www.unenvironment.org/regions/africa#:~:text=Africa%20faces%20serious%20environmental%20challenges,extreme%20vulnerability%20to%20climate%20change. Agenda 2063 strives to enable Africa to remain focused and committed to the ideals it envisages in the context of a rapidly changing world. Africa is in need of global climate leadership that can administer international financing and ensure an adequate balance among adaptation, mitigation, and resilience in the face of environmental threats. Many African countries are still rich in natural resources. No other region has documented such a long and spatially extensive drought. Still, there are tribal areas where people rely on hunting and simple vegetation for food. Issues include deforestation, soil degradation, air pollution, water pollution, garbage pollution, climate change and water scarcity (resulting in problems with access to safe water supply and sanitation ). In 2011, South Sudan became Africas newest country when it gained independence from the rest of Sudan. The continent's economy grew by roughly 3.4 percent in 2019, creating one of the longest stretches of uninterrupted positive economic expansion in Africa's history. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Environmental issues like climate change, air pollution and water scarcity do not stop at national borders. So it is possible that if asked today, climate concerns might rank even lower in the list of priorities for the South African population. This is an important step towards treating climate change as a national priority. 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. 6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, Suite 211 Irvine CA 92603. Is climate change killing Australian wine? To combat these threats, Africa's leaders should evaluate numerous policy solutions. The URL has been copied to your clipboard. The worsening of the state of food security and nutrition in Africa is spurred on mainly by conflicts, climate change and economic slowdowns following the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the projects assessed in the Review have a strong climate change dimension that not only aims to sequester carbon but also to create jobs and reduce the vulnerabilities of rural people to food insecurity. Displacement due to environmental change has been on the rise across the continent. It is now serving as the first development agency of the African Union. For the continent's development to be sustainable, its countries need to focus on five inter-related dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, ecological, physical, and political. Here are some of the biggest issues affecting the continent. It certainly has made a number of longstanding commitments to safeguard the environment. Land degradation from climate change and the expansion of agriculture, cities and infrastructureundermines the well-being of 3.2 billion people, the UN chief said on Wednesdayin hismessageforWorld Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. WebAbstract. Climate change poses a significant threat to economic, social and environmental development in Africa. Africa has many endangered species of flora and fauna. Droughts, fires, floods, heatwaves theyre all contributing to our supply-chain problems and brutal inflation Thu 27 Apr 2023 06.08 EDT Last modified on Fri 28 Apr 2023 16.08 EDT WebCurrent Issues Deforestation. 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! But so far, only 12 have done so. Second, they can support green development. Moreover, Africa's environmental health is deteriorating in both rural and urban settings, causing an increase in poverty and hampering development. Published: 10 Apr 2023 . It also works to facilitate global deliberations on Africa, particularly with respect to the New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD) a strategic framework adopted by African leaders in 2001. The advanced technology used to get oil is very dangerous and hazardous for the environment. Extending this effort has been a key goal of the UN-HABITAT Initiative. But due to the deforestation and the need of land for agriculture, there is a huge loss of biodiversity. Climate change poses a significant threat to economic, social and environmental development in Africa. 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. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. This results in water pollution. Temperatures there are predicted to rise by five degrees or more, particularly in the parts of Namibia, Botswana and Zambia that are already intolerably hot. 21 April 2023 Climate and Environment. For example, activists in Kenya and South Africa have played a leading role in advocating for climate justice. Interventions should not cost the public more and make the population more vulnerable. This includes activities towards social and economic development. Second, efforts to reduce the competing challenges could create an opportunity for more awareness around environmental change and development concerns. Africa's environmental challenges threaten not only the continent's public health but also its economy and social fabric. WebCurrent Issues Deforestation. Africa has the highest regional female entrepreneurial activity rate in the world. Its our planet, and if we cannot save it, then no one else can. Deforestation has become one of the major factors, which is affecting the ecological balance of not only Air Pollution. Climate change intensifies many existing challenges in Africa. We've had tremendous agreement around the world that we need to work together to solve these environmental challenges because we can't solve them alone. These issues have become a serious concern for not only the continent, but also for the entire world. For many, many countries that are also feeling the devastating impacts of sea level rise or huge floods like the one we saw in Pakistan, or droughts like the one that they're experiencing in the northern part of Africa or the one we're seeing here at home, we know that climate change is also very destructive.. The survey was carried out five years ago and the COVID-19 pandemic has since had a huge impact on peoples lives. These must span across multiple sectors like water, transport, energy, agriculture and the environment. Droughts, fires, floods, heatwaves theyre all contributing to our supply-chain problems and brutal inflation Thu 27 Apr 2023 06.08 EDT Last modified on Fri 28 Apr 2023 16.08 EDT Though the countries of this continent do not contribute much to the world air pollution, the increasing Water Pollution. Deforestation is one of the main factors that harm the ecological balance of the entire planet, not 2. 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. "In African contexts, sustainability must incorporate improvements in housing, living, and working conditions for the poor to complement environmental initiatives" (Grant, 2015). Addressing the challenges posed by protracted conflicts and longstanding disputes on the African continent has been a major focus for the UN. 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. The continent's biggest environmental challenges are water pollution, air pollution, and droughts, which directly impact the health of Africans. Here are six charts that tell the story: Sub-Saharan Africa will be the worlds slowest growing region in 2021. African countries face a wide array of environmental problems that pose a major threat to people in the region. 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. Every year Africa loses 3 percent of GDP as a result of degradation, forest and land restoration is essential.Learn more from this new publication by @FAO and @NEPAD_Agency Review of Forest and Landscape Restoration in Africa 2021Download https://t.co/uKor47bsSQ pic.twitter.com/BwO0HAQqtV. In South Africa, for example, poverty, inequality, violence and access to education and employment tend to overshadow climate change efforts. Third, they can begin growing crops that tolerate more heat and less rain and withstand summer droughts. Read about our approach to external linking. Water pollution is among the top problems. 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. 8, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1280367/, BBC News, "How Africa Will be Affected by Climate Change," BBC News, (December 2019), https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50726701, Amadou Sy, "Africa: Financing Adaptation and Mitigation in the World's Most Vulnerable Region," Brookings Institution, (February 2016), https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/global_20160818_cop21_africa.pdf, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, "Africa Can Play a Leading Role in the Fight Against Climate Change," Brookings Institution, (January 2020), https://www.brookings.edu/research/africa-can-play-a-leading-role-in-the-fight-against-climate-change/, Caroline Kende-Robb, "Five Steps to Save Africa from Climate Change," World Economic Forum, (December 2015), https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/12/5-steps-to-save-africa-from-climate-change/, OECD, "Policies to Enhance Sustainable Development," Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, (April 2001), https://www.oecd.org/greengrowth/1869800.pdf.
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