climate change and Africa's agricultrural future

The deep ignorance about climate change in Nigeria is unsettling giving the enormity of the problem for the populace. This ignorance is not limited to the average man in the street but to senior government officials, high level politicians and even in the academia. To counter this will be one of the first challenges facing the climate change campaigners in the country. At the moment, most governments in Africa are focusing in the funds from the international donors, without realizing (or knowingly)that they have to develop the awareness and the capacity to utilize the funds. This lack of awareness is troubling because if the impacts of climate change happens as predicted, our whole development effort will be wasted. We have to start using the resources - human, material, knowledge - we have to do our own bit without waiting for the donor funds.

Back from the cold

Hello, am back, fully back. Sorry about the long break. It has been a long layoff but am back now. I will be uploading pictures of variuos environment scenes from Nigeria.

More than ever, this is the time to put our acts together in Africa for a better tommorrow. Climate change is really a very big opportunity for a holistic and speedy economic growth.

I will be writing more on that in follow up blogs.

THE G20 SUMMIT WHAT’S IN IT FOR AFRICA?

The G20 Summit have come and gone but did Africa get from it? The African face at the summit was South African President, Kgalema Motlanthe.
As it concerns Africa, the communiqué reaffirmed their commitment to increase ‘social security’ funds and flexible debt financing to the developing country. They also pledged to tackle climate change through green investments in low carbon technology.
These look good on paper but will it be different from other pledges made to Africans or other developing countries? I will like to be optimistic but then recent history has shown that until you see the effects on the ground there is no reason to believe this one will be different. This comes at a time most politicians are feeling the pressure to deliver the goods for their own people first.

How will they make sure that the commitment to Africa comes with green technology? What are the adaptations measures to climate change built into the measures to tackle unemployment in Africa? The debt relief is good but the Aid for Trade in an era of low production and closing down of factories? In an era when most African countries still depend on raw materials export. That will not help in the short - term and in the long term even if the world economy gets greener. Thus, other mechanisms must be sought to boost the African economies.
Agricultural production is still low and cases of hunger and malnutrition still on the increase.
One of the most important issues in my mind is to help the African economies boost agricultural output. There is still so much hunger and malnutrition in Africa and large parts of the continent is still ravished by famine. The help to boost agricultural production will have to go with infrastructures to sustain it in the form of transport or storage. This has been recognised in several publications, for instance, FAO and
CFR.

Consequently, what can be done in Africa’s case is not in question but whether the will to provide the necessary resources is available. And also, to see it to fruitful conclusion.

Economic Damage Control: The G20 Meeting.

The meeting of the G20 group of countries will be held this week in London. Already, there are signs that they may not come up with any coherent measure to tackle the global recession. One thing they do not have is the luxury of postponing measures to tackle the climate change.
The measures they should adopt must include facilities for climate change adaptations for the developing countries especially in Africa. If the measures are properly designed with checks and monitoring, economic growth in this region will be boosted and climate adaptation measures implemented. This is killing two birds with one stone. Thus, whatever facility they deemed necessary to be given to the developing countries must be tied to climate adaptation and mitigation.

The climate change issue is not receiving adequate attention in most African countries and the economic crises have virtually forced it out of the radar of most governments. This is a sad situation considering that these countries will be hardest hit and the impact have started appearing in some areas. Increased investments in micro generation and agriculture (with climate change in mind) will enhance the standard of living in many of the countries in Africa. These will address the mitigation and adaptation measures at the same time.

I hope the leaders of the G20 do not miss this great opportunity to address the most pressing problem facing humanity - climate change. The cost of postponement will be higher than the cost of the current bailout of the financial system both in terms of economic and human costs. We are on the verge of making global history by addressing the regulation of world financial system and addressing the climate change

Terms and impacts

Credit Crunch +
Economic crisis +
Recession +
Bankruptcy +
[Depression?]
G20 +
Quantitative easing +
Climate change impact

What do they add up to?

An in the case of Africa
Poverty +
War/civil strife +
poor health & nutrition = ?

Climate change is no longer something that may happen in the future. The impacts are being felt NOW. Check this BBC News piece.

Blogging blues

Blogging. I have not blogged for a while because I was trying to write something very cute. Something that will get immediate attention, make a strong impact. That has cost me a number of days of inactivity. I have learnt my lessons I think.
The experience (blogging) is tasking but exciting. And with climate change [plus economic crisis] equally more important to express an opinion and join in the debate about our Earth's future.
I will express my thoughts and not worry about some cute writing or tsunami write-up. I will also, try to bring the different thinking across the world on the issues together.

Economic climate

In the face of the deepening global recession, what can African governments do concerning the treats of global warming?
Apart from the rhetorics and promises,what practical steps can they take to tackle both the economic crisis and climate change adaptations?

Some suggestions on how they can go about it include
• Input climate change adaptation measures in every program or project designed to tackle the economic crisis.
• Reduce the number and level of current stressors while taking climate change into consideration.
• Make all the major programs grassroot oriented for sustainable success and remove politics from it.

Climate Adaptations In Tough Economic Climate

The news from the economy gets worse each day. Before the current economic crises, the environment was not high or regarded as a high priority sector in Africa. What will happen in this current economic climate? How will the climate change adaptation measures be affected?

African governments will do well not to loose interest in environmental issues, especially climate change adaptation. Investing in the environment will actually help the economies grow, reduce unemployment and improve the general well being of the citizen, and in the process prepares the economies to buffer against the global warming.
The incoming American administration has promised to create half a million new ' green jobs' as part of efforts to stimulate the economy. The UK government has a similar scheme also.

All these point to the fact that despite the economic downturn, investing in the environment still makes economic sense.
In the case of Africa, investments in agriculture, including combating land degradation and desertification, sustainable fisheries (including cleaning the aquatic environment), use of sustainable and efficient low cost energies (biogas, charcoal briquettes and solar systems) and complete recycling of wastes, will not only help in creating jobs but will also boost the economy. This will touch other aspects of the livelihood as well. For instance, use of alternatives to firewood will reduce the cutting of trees, which causes land degradation and poor agricultural output and also reduce the ill health effect of using firewood and inefficient stoves.

In the process, the economy is not only stimulated, but adaptation measures to climate change are introduced which will help buffering the economy in the long run.

New Year Resolution

New year new hope. As always in the beginning of each year, there is always hope that new resolutions will be made and lived up to. With the world in economic crisis, is there any hope for a resolution on environment on the part of the African leaders?


I wish African leaders will pay greater attention to environmental issues especially as pertaining to climate change. The environment as has been well reported is linked to a number of stresses bedeviling the continent including poverty, health and food security.

The economic challenge is a big one, so also is climate change and which [climate change] can infact wipe out all economic gains made unless it is incorporated into the economic decisions.


I hope climate change adaptations is woven into all the fabrics of policy decisions and actions this year.