THE NEED FOR IMPROVED POLICY PROCESS TO SUPPORT CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

IN AFRICA

Gender & Climate Change WorkshopDakar, Sengal

June 2-3, 2008

By:-Dr. Sumaya Ahmed Zaki-Eldeen, Khartoum University, Institute of Environmental Studies zakields@yahoo.com- Nagmeldin Goutbi Elhassan Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources – Sudan goutbi@yahoo.com

Adaptation

Refers to adjustment made in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate stimuli or their effects in order to moderate harm or make use of beneficial opportunities.

Adaptation has to be seen as an essentially dynamic, continuous and non-linear process, this has considerable implications for the tools and methods needed to guide it

Climate change the scientific basis (IPCC)

Based on observations and projections, IPCC AR4 concluded that climate change is occurring now.

Past emissions are estimated to involve some unavoidable warming even if atmospheric GHG concentrations remain at 2000 levels.

There are some impacts for which adaptation is the only available and appropriate response

There are barriers, limits and costs for adaptation, but these are not fully understood

Con... A wide array of adaptation options is available,

but more extensive adaptation than is currently occurring is required to reduce vulnerability to future climate change.

There are barriers, limits and costs, but these are not fully understood. For developing countries, availability of resources and building adaptive capacity are particularly important

Adaptation alone is not expected to cope with all the projected effects of climate change, and especially not over the long run as most impacts increase in magnitude

Climate change international policy

UNFCCC was adopted in 1992 and came into force in 1994 with the aim of avoiding dangerous anthropogenic interference with climate system

Kyoto protocol was adopted in 1997 and came into force in 2005

Bali Road Map and future agreements

Adaptation: under UNFCCC and KP

UNFCCC Buenos Aires programme on adaptation and response

measures (art. 4.8 & 4.9). Nairobi work programme on adaptation. Work programme for LDCs (art. 4.9) and LDCF (NAPA) NAI national communications, Capacity building and training, education and public

awareness (art. 4, 6) Research and systematic observations Technology for adaptation (art. 4.5)

Kyoto Protocol Adaptation fund (KP CDM) Flexibility mechanisms

Adaptation: under UNFCCC and KP

Buenos Aires programme on adaptation and response measures (art. 4.8 & 4.9).

Nairobi work programme on adaptation. Work programme for LDCs (art. 4.9) and LDCF (NAPA) NAI national communications, Capacity building and training, education and public

awareness (art. 4, 6) Research and systematic observations Technology for adaptation (art. 4.5)

Kyoto Protocol Adaptation fund (KP CDM) Flexibility mechanisms

Climate Change and the LDCs

www.unctad.org/template/webflayer

Climate change and Africa

Africa, one of the most vulnerable continents to climate variability and change.

The band from Senegal to Sudan very vulnerable to droughts, severe reduction in river flows, impacts on agriculture.

Most vulnerable are the rural poor who depend largely on agriculture and the ecosystem.

Vulnerability aggravated by the interaction of climate and other ‘multiple stresses’.

Con...

Mapping vulnerability of Africa revealed that climate change has affected the livelihoods of people (sub Sahara Africa) mainly through:

Increasing water constraints; Increasing vulnerability of agricultural

production in the form of crop failure Increases in the prices of agricultural

commodities, Loss of and/or increase in variability of livestock

production, Human migration, Destruction of infrastructure, Negative impacts on health and Wild fires

Con…

The African continent has wealth of coping strategies that could be , documented strengthened and up-scaled

Lessons from vulnerable communities in Sudan clearly showed that adaptive capacity can be improve where people have better access to resource, market, technology, information, social service, high level of awareness, skills, security , strong institutions and effective organizations

Constraints to adaptation

(based on Ethiopia (Nile Basin) and South Africa (Limpoepo Basin)

Lack of credit, Lack of access to water, Lack of access to market, Lack of property rights  others

How to overcome Constraints?

Many institutions in sub-Saharan Africa recommended the following for increasing resilience of vulnerable communities the :

awareness and capacity building; direct intervention in agriculture by increasing

water availability; improvement of accuracy of weather forecasts

and educating users; construction of earth dams in arid and semi-arid

lands; provision of information to sensitise and

influence policy formulation; Research institutions role in ensuring climate

change research products reach the intended users, whether policy makers, development organisations or

Con...

Important activities that have been done by African countries (focal points) to address vulnerability and adaptation to climate change :

National Communications (NCs) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (top-down approach)

National Adaptation Plans of Action (NAPA) which is LDCs’ program (bottom-up approach)

Others (e.g in Sudan involvement in AIACC & CLACC programs)

The most vulnerable sectors to climate change

based on NAPAs of some African countries (Malawi, Sudan, Burundi, Niger, Mauritania) these were:

-          Agricultural-          Cattle breeding-          Human health -          Energy -          Fisheries (traditional and non-traditional)-          Wildlife -          Water -          Forestry -          Gender-          wetlands. Sources: NAPA documents (UNFCCC .int

Adaptation measuresSome of the adaptation measures suggested by the

National Communications for Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan suggested the following:

• Increase irrigation to boost crop production• Introduction of drought resistant varieties & adoption of

sustainable water resource management policies (Seasonal rainfall harvest; water quality control)

• Increase capital investment for infrastructure• Use of water conserving technologies• Make water resources management an attractive career

and field of investment• Institute policy mechanisms to control unsustainable forest

clearing and forest consumption (plans for reforestation and afforestation projects with a primary concentration on Hashab trees)

• Promote techniques for tackling emergency food shortage• Adjust farming areas and reduce animal population• Promote use renewable energy sources instead of

inefficient woodstoves and charcoal stoves• Comprehensive study of malariaSources: MLWE, 2002; RoS, 2003; and URT, 2003

Con… NCs' and NAPAs' proposed measures and options

would require large capital investments not readily available in poorer countries  

The NAPA preparation is quite good for awareness raising and for drawing attention to indigenous copying strategies

There is no up to date guaranteed funding (lack of commitments) for the NAPAs implementation which appears to be the main issue, in addition to knowledge and technology

Each least developed country would need several hundreds million dollars for its urgent and immediate needs

Mainstreaming climate change adaptation into the development process

means including climate change and vulnerability considerations in all development policies.

It entails integration of sustainability principles into a development strategy. Such an approach will have additional benefits within other sectors (water, health, agriculture and poverty)

The inherent link between climate change and development continues to be ignored in many African countries. In spite of the fact that the problems impeding development in the poor countries are the same problems that increase climate change vulnerability.

Opportunities for mainstreaming

Presence of many directly or indirectly related plans, policies and strategies (such as National sustainable development strategies, Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (BSAP), climate-related plans (NAPA, NC) etc.

Presence of relevant institutions and development NGOs e.g In Sub-Saharan Africa many institutions are performing valuable activities regarding environmental conservation (e.g tree planting, food security, provision of timely weather information, water harvesting and construction of dams in the arid and semiarid lands) Findings of completed NAPAs gave emphasis to countries’ efforts to mainstream adaptation as well as recommendations regarding policy reform

Role of UNFCCC’s focal points Presence of programs and initiatives (Nile Basin)

and active network (e.g CLACC, HOAEN)

Lessons learned from Sudanese communities

Assessment impact and adaptation to sahelian drought showed that:

Involvement of women was found to be very influential factor in increasing women resilience to climate variability/change particularly when the following were considered:

Decision making (involvement in committees) Training (para vets, income generating activities) Market and finance (women gardens, revolving

funds) Improvement of access to the available reources Improvement of living standards (better houses,

improved stoves, safe drinking water

Adaptation and gender

Adaptation is quite scattered between the articles of the convention and the protocol

As compared to mitigation, adaptation lacks guidelines and genuine commitments

This is some how explain the absence of explicit gender issues

However, NAPA the most promising programme gave a lot of emphasis to gender, as its guidelines made gender one of the important criteria for identification of the adaptation options

LDCs’ NAPAs and Gender Climate change may affect men, women and the

youth differently. Women have a key role of looking after the households. They spend long hours during drought in search of water and firewood depriving them of productive hours for other productive economic activities.

- The NAPA process carefully considered a balanced representation of the views of both men and women. Accordingly women were highly involved in the NAPA consultation (as individual, women’s committees, and as consultant and resource persons)

Con... The NAPAs identified the most vulnerable group for

the sectors under study for the different LDCs (e.g of Vulnerable groups: women, elderly, children, refugees).

- Policy Recommendations of some countries stated the importance of the effective participation of women in projects that target adaptation to climate change (NAPA projects)(Sudan)

- The rational of many NAPA projects enhance the adaptive capacity (livelihoods in general) of the local people, especially the women.

In some of LDCs’ National plans and policy frameworks gave clear indicators for improving the welfare of women (e.g Malawi)

-as a selection criteria some countries gave emphasis to poverty reduction especially among women beside women empowerment (Burundi)

Con.

Certain NAPAs include identified specific project for the benefit of women (e.g providing initial

  good sheep breeding stock for women headed

households and the poor in general (Eriterea) Participatory reforestation for energy and Agro-

forestry in the agricultural zones (Mauritania) Support for income-making activities through

livestock farming for women and purchase, rent and land exploitation by women (Niger) etc.