Contributions to Climate Change:
Though Africa may be seen as an uncivilized section of the world by a lot of people living in America and other wealthy sections of the world this is absolutely untrue. They may not be producing the same amount of carbon as the United States but they are still contributing to the CO2 problem that is causing global climate change. Yes there are the tribes that live out in the country still and live off the land, but there are also large cities in all of the African countries. In these cities there are a lot of cars being driven, electricity being used and factories pumping CO2 into the atmosphere. Cape Town is one of South Africa’s capital cities and is on par with major cities in the United States. The average person in South Africa is producing 9.2 metric tons of carbon per year which is almost half of what the average person in the US produces.
Impact of Climate Change
Climate is and will continue to change in the world. Due to many circumstances the climate has already being changing so far in some regions of the world, for example, the Sub-Saharan Africa. The Sub-Saharan Africa is vulnerable to climate change because of its dependence on natural resources. In sub-Saharan Africa, people clear-cut forests which cause climate change. According to Southwick, “forests reduce soil erosion, maintain water quality, transpire great quantities of water vapor into the atmosphere, contribute to atmospheric humidity, and cloud cover, migrate certain types of air and water pollution, absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, and maintain rich assemblages of plant and animal life” (p118). Climate change in the sub-Saharan Africa is expected to rise due to their dependence on natural resources. The sub-Saharan Africa production of greenhouse gases has been small compared to developed countries like Canada. This will possibly reduce their carbon footprint to a low percentage or number.
Proposed Solutions to Climate Change:
Africa has made various efforts to not only bring awareness to the implications of climate change and global warming, but to also take action to decrease outputs and sequester carbon. The African Climate Solution, established in 2008, is “the most ambitious initiative towards climate mitigation, adaptation and improved rural livelihoods for the continent”, according to news.mongabay.com. Efforts to reduce greenhouse gases throughout sub-saharan Africa include reforestation, agro-forestry, natural resource regeneration, re-vegetation of degraded lands, reduced soil tillages, more sustainable agricultural practices, and attempts to bring more general awareness to people in urban and rural areas. Because Africa is particularly vulnerable to extreme climate change, governments have also demanded to be a part of the global market for carbon emissions so poorer farmers can be educated and lifted out of poverty. With these various outreach programs and the African Climate Solution, Africa has set the framework for the creation of an African Fund, used as a financial mechanism to fund direct sustainable and agro-forestry projects. It is believed that with the success of these programs, Africa can be an international example of carbon decreasing and sequestering and can alleviate land degradation and poverty.
Sources used:
http://news.mongabay.com/bioenergy/2008/12/africa-proposes-own-solution-to-climate.html
