Comments on: Climate Change in Africa

By: Africa says do what science requires â€” Hot Topic

Africa says do what science requires â€” Hot Topic — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:15:10 +0000

[...] Toulmin, in Climate Change in Africa, which I reviewed a couple of days ago, worried that in spite of all its problems Africa will be marginalised in the [...]

By: greenfyre

greenfyre — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:39:34 +0000

Daniel
“will reach the magnitude of the impacts of present climatic variability for decades to come, ”
The thing with climate change is it’s not either/or, it’s a 1,2 combo ie you get both. Crudlely speaking, to understand a global 1C temp avg rise:
- double it (land areas are warmer)
- add that to all of the heat waves, and all of the accompanying effects (crop & livestock loss, increased drought for dry areas, etc)

“Communities can barely cope with present conditions, ” are precisely the ones who are already visibly affected and/or will be very soon. Those on the cliff edge notice every tiny movement towards/over the edge much more than those of us shoving from well in the back.

By: Bryan Walker

Bryan Walker — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:14:54 +0000

Daniel, I noticed Toulmin is careful to speak mainly of the future and ascribes no particular current experience to the impact of climate change. And it is apparent in her writing that much of the planning that will be required for climate change impacts is also relevant to the problems African communities already face. I thought her concern is that climate change impacts should not be lost sight of in the pressing concerns of the present and particularly that the developed world should not evade the special responsibility it bears for assistance in preparing adaptation measures, apart from and additional to development aid assistance.

When it came to the BBC’s Bangadesh programme they did not hesitate to ascribe some current experiences to the impacts of climate change, and I thought they were justified in doing so.

By: daniel collins

daniel collins — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:25:13 +0000

From my brief, first-hand experience in Uganda, I doubt the impacts of climate change will reach the magnitude of the impacts of present climatic variability for decades to come, possibly quite a few. Communities can barely cope with present conditions, and many hazards ascribed to climate change were done so incorrectly (i.e., landslides, flooding in the north-east, decline of Nile flows and Lake Victoria level). The demand-side of the resource equation and the community vulnerability are the number one problems.