Monday, November 2, 2009

Climate change in Africa

The Grantham Institute for Climate Change has just released an excellent scientific study on the impact of climate change in Africa. It concludes that northern and southern Africa will become much hotter. Eastern Africa, the Horn of Africa and parts of central Africa are likely to see an increase in rainfall. It is not clear, however, that this will result in an increase in the flow of water in the Nile. Vector borne diseases such as malaria and dengue may spread and become more severe. There continues to be a poor understanding of the drivers of Africa's climate and their complex interactions. The best assumption is that many regions of Africa will suffer from droughts and floods with greater frequency and intensity. Prepared by Gordon Conway, professor of international development at Imperial College London, the twenty-four page report is titled "The Science of Climate Change in Africa: Impacts and Adaptation" and dated October 2009. You can access it here (in PDF). Image: "Climate change canvas" by oxfam international via creative commons on flickr. "My illustration shows how time is running out for Africa – and it's in our hands," says the artist who is from Melbourne, Australia. "I feel that Africa will suffer most. As we all experience global warming, Africa’s resources are stretched to help overcome starvation and loss of livelihood."