Solutions to Global Warming in Africa
Solutions to global warming in Africa include effective land use planning to avoid forest degradation, developing renewable energy, and limiting the expansion of coal-fired power plants.
Although the countries of Africa have some of the lowest overall and per capita global warming emissions on the planet, they are also likely to suffer from some of the worst consequences of climate change. These impacts may already be unfolding in the form of droughts, famine, desertification, and population displacement. In the context of high levels of poverty and malnutrition, the priority for many African countries is increasing access to energy services and improving the economic welfare of their people.
Africa, along with South America and Southeast Asia, has experienced a significant loss of forests in the past two decades. The Congo Basin Rainforest is the world's second largest tropical forest and spans 700,000 square miles in 6 countries. Fortunately, deforestation and forest degradation in the Congo Basin are historically low. New efforts are underway to ensure effective land use planning, balancing local subsistence needs with conservation.
By pioneering new renewable energy projects and establishing forward-thinking innovation centers, many countries in Africa are looking to renewable energy as a solution to meet their growing energy needs in a sustainable way, while working toward practical adaptation strategies to mitigate global warming impacts. Meeting these adaptation challenges is the responsibility not only of the African nations that are facing them, but also of developed countries that bear the historical responsibility for most global warming emissions. While progress is being made, much more needs to be done to address current and future development and energy needs on the African continent.
Learn More
- The Union of Concerned Scientists works to address deforestation through international agreements and U.S. legislation that reward African countries for slowing deforestation and degradation, thus reducing their global warming pollution.
- The African Development Bank views tackling climate change as an essential component of advancing its mission of poverty reduction and economic growth.
- Chapter 9 of the report Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability by Working Group II of the IPCC Fourth Assessment synthesizes the vulnerabilities facing Africa and what steps African countries can take to adapt to climate impacts; chapter 12 details the relationship between Sustainable Development and Mitigation.
- The Climate Action Network has regional networks in East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa.
- The Africa-Europe Energy Partnership seeks to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency in Africa by mobilizing "increased financial, technical and human resources in support of Africa's energy development."
- The Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa promotes the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in Southern African countries.
