Over the recent past, the climate has been changing and causing global warming. Due to the extreme changes, this essay will focus’ on analyzing global warming and the effects to which climate change has impacted livelihoods in Africa. Research has provided evidence that the ozone layer has been drastically influenced by the changing gaseous composition of the atmosphere. The main factors behind these changes are human activities. However, the world has not understood the magnitude of the changes, and the debates still surround the role of countries in taking active initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions among other gases. Failure would result in unsustainable food production, unbearable climatic conditions, acidic rain, and probably extension of some species of plants and animals. The study will, therefore, discuss challenges associated with global warming. It shows that Africa will not be able to sustain its natural ecosystem within the tropical savanna because of the global warming. The major impact of these changes will be felt on general food production in the continent thereby affecting the lives of the animals and plants.
Keywords: global warming, climate change, Africa, tropical savanna
Effects of Global Warming on Africa’s Economic and Social Organization
Africa is only made up of developing nations. These are countries whose economic sectors such as industries and other human activities have a lesser impact on climate than their developed counterparts. Carbon footprints of African communities are lower than the global average. Despite this continent making the least contributions in terms of emissions and other factors that impact climate change, it stands as one of the regions that are most affected. Discussions on the impact of climate change have continued to be undermined by countries that are the largest contributors towards the trend. In 2004, Gore gave a speech highlighting how technology, the thinking of human beings and population growth are the biggest contributors towards climate change (Gore, 2007). This paper was motivated by Gore’s speech. It presents a discussion on the cause-effect relationship between global warming and negative social and economic effects on the African continent. This essay will discuss how the continent with the least human activities towards climate change is the most predisposed to the effects of this change. Africa is made up of various climatic regions. However, the paper will focus on countries within the tropical savannah climate. The discussion begins with a description of how African countries have been making the least contribution towards climate change. This is followed by a description of how the continent still relies on the natural climate for most of the activities related to economic and social sustenance. Specific attention is given to agriculture as the key economic activity among many African nations and one of the most significant factors associated with health and social wellbeing. The essay prepones that climate change has the gravest effects on African countries, despite being the least contributors towards this change.
The African Continent as one of the Least Contributors Towards Global Warming
The African continent is the least contributor towards global warming, going by the footprints of key greenhouse gases. The threat of these trends has grown bigger with the advancement of economic sectors such as industry and manufacturing, forestry, mining, energy and agriculture. The advancement of these economic sectors, among others has been associated with advancement of technology that has resulted in water, air, soil, thermal and other forms of pollution. Global warming is one of the most significant forms of climate change. It has led to an increase in temperatures. According to Gore (2007), the past one century has seen the fastest rate of increase in temperatures ever recorded in the history of the universe. Despite this increase, there are deniers who argue that there has been a slowdown or a pause in the rise of global temperatures. The economic activities listed above emit carbon dioxide, greenhouse gases and other pollutants that settle in the lower atmosphere. These particles absorb sunlight and solar radiation after it bounces off from the earth’s surface. This phenomenon is referred to as the greenhouse effect. Initially, with the absence of these pollutants, these radiations would bounce off the earth’s surface. An activity such as forestry depletes vegetation, which acts as a carbon sink, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Most of these economic activities are not advanced in many African countries as is the case in developed nations around the world (Funk et al., 2008). In the process of emitting the particles that result in global warming, the rest of the world has developed capabilities that help the countries protect their people from climatic change (Frantz and Mayer, 2009; Gore, 2007). The African continent lacks these capabilities that can help it mitigate on the effects of global warming.
Effects of Global Warming on Africa’s Economic and Social Organization
Many African countries have constrained budgets due to the underdeveloped economic sectors. This situation is worsened by the effects of global warming that have to be mitigated using funds from these limited budgets. Governments on the African continent have a hard time getting funds to ensure that the economic and social wellbeing in the face of the effects of global warming. Lobell et al. (2008) notes that despite the Tropical Savannah climate being able to sustain growth of crops such as pulses, wheat, rice and maize, many countries within these regions experience food deficits and have to meet the nutritional demands of their people through imports. Many African countries rely on rain-fed agriculture as the largest economic sector. African countries rely on this sector for creation of employment, raw materials for other sectors, exports, and markets for local industrial goods (Hulme et al., 2001). Global warming and other forms of climate change have an aggravating effect on rain patterns. It is associated with heavy downpours, heat waves, increased flooding and new pests. Developing countries within the savannah can only mitigate against some of these changes by investing in research. The research process should come up with new varieties that can adapt to the new conditions and discover solutions for the new pests and diseases. Other sources of food such as fisheries are also heavily affected by these changes. Unreliability have caused large losses for farmers within the tropical savannah climate. Those who are too risk aversive opt out of the activity due to fear that uncertain climatic patterns will result in loses. Serdeczny al. (2017) note that lack of sufficient food on the African continent has adverse effects on the population in form of malnutrition, especially chronic malnutrition and stunting.
More than two thirds of the African population live in rural areas. Many of these people draw their water from natural sources such as rivers, rain, springs and water pans. These sources of water are directly replenished by the natural water cycle. Climatic changes interfere with these water sources. The communities are unable to retrieve water for domestic and other uses when the water cycle is interfered with, for instance, through unprecedented dry spells. Occurrences such as flooding results in contamination of these natural water sources. These have adverse effects on the population as they sometimes result in water borne diseases such as bilharzia and typhoid (Denton, 2002). As the global warming affect the water cycle, the supply of water available to households and firms has become irregular and unpredictable. This affects agricultural and industrial output (Powlson, 2014). The overall effect of these changes is constraining of the countries’ budgets.
Unpredictable rain patterns have been giving stakeholders a hard time in their efforts to prepare for events such as high rainfall. Hulme et al. (2001) notes that floods have become yearly occurrences on many parts of the continent. Many economic and social activities are interrupted by these extreme weather occurrences (Rosenzweig et al., 2001). Property is destroyed and lives are lost in such situations. Rising sea levels have resulted in coastal flooding that become catastrophes in the regions bordering the sea.
Tourism has been one of the fastest growing sectors in the economies of many African families. Some of the unique tourist attractions in the region rely on low global temperatures. For instance, glaciers and snow caps on Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro. Global warming has resulted in the melting of these special features that earn the countries’ foreign exchange. Gore (2007) notes that the glaciers on the Kilimanjaro are melting and the mountain is soon losing its beauty. Geographical ranges, migration patterns and seasonal activities of many marine and terrestrial species on the continent have shifted (O'reilly, 2003). The loss of these attractions consequently denies the developing nations foreign exchange that comes in with development of the tourism sector. African ecosystems have lost their sustainability due to climatic changes.
Rising global temperatures have resulted in various adverse health impacts. The health conditions resulting from these changes further strain the budgets of developing countries across the tropical savannah. According to Powlson (2014), health needs in many countries across the world have increased due to global warming. Reduced air quality and heat waves results in respiratory problems. Asthma, allergies have resulted from direct inhalation of the air pollutants and the heat waves. Infectious disease outbreaks have resulted from the spread of favourable conditions to pathogens. For instance, mosquitoes thrive in warm temperatures. The tropical savannah is around the equator and this means that the cold season is very short. Global warming has elevated the temperatures in this region and many parts hardly experience cold temperatures. The cold temperatures were essential in breaking the breeding cycle of mosquitoes thus reducing the spread of malaria. Rising temperatures mean that these regions are hot throughout the year and mosquitoes continue to multiply. Malaria and other diseases spread by related insects have become more rampant and severe (McMichael et al., 2006). They result in loss of lives and further strain the budgets of these countries.
Vulnerable populations such as expectant women, children, the elderly and the sick have become burdened by the effects of Global warming. These individuals are getting additional duties (McCarthy, 2001). Though pastoralism is becoming rare in the Savannah with many people adopting a sedentary lifestyle, some communities that still rely on this activity are hard hit by the changing climatic patterns. Men have to move around in search of water, pasture and other resources for the benefit of their communities (Dong et al., 2011). They leave the vulnerable populations to fend for themselves. Most of these vulnerable populations cannot effectively perform the additional duties. They are thus exposed to physical and emotional dangers and illnesses that adversely affect their wellbeing.
Intense droughts and severe flooding has resulted in many catastrophes that countries in the tropical Savannah are not always prepared to deal with. These severe weather conditions are associated with destruction of homes, shelters and public infrastructure (Douglas et al., 2008). The money spent on helping the population recover from these occurrences constrains the budgets of these countries further. People are displaced during extreme weather conditions. The local and international community has to intervene through donations (Mirza, 2003). The money spent on charities during these occurrences would have been used on other pressing issues on the continent such as dealing with HIV/AIDS infections. Destroyed public infrastructure interrupts other key economic sectors such as transport, communication and energy supply.
Climate change, especially global warming, has resulted in conflicts at the communal, national and international levels. The changes render certain resources useless. Wilms and Werner (2009) observes that many natural resources, water sources and arable land have been rendered useless by aspects of climate change such as irregular rainfall patterns, flooding and heat waves. This puts a strain on the viable natural resources as all the people look up to them for survival. According to Costello et al. (2009), conflicts occur as individuals and jurisdictions try to lay claim to the few remaining resource.
Conclusion
The African continent is one of the least contributors towards climate change and global warming compared to other regions of the world. All the countries within the tropical savannah climatic region are developing and thus rely on natural conditions for their economic and social sustenance. Climate changes affect these natural conditions and predispose the continent to various adversities. Many countries outside the African continent have industrialized. Industrialization and general economic development prepares these nations to mitigate the effects of climate change and specifically, global warming. The economic activities of industrialized nations have increased their carbon footprints to unprecedented levels. Agriculture and food security are some of the biggest issues facing African countries. The agricultural sector is one of the most hit by climatic changes. As countries become more food insecure, their budgets are constrained by the health effects of malnutrition and unproductivity of their labour sectors. Changing weather patterns due to global warming and other aspects of climate change has a negative impact on many other economic and social issues of these countries.
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