The UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) has published a report titled ‘Keeping Track of Adaptation Actions in Africa: Targeted Fiscal Stimulus Actions Making a Difference,' which reviews, for both policy makers and other stakeholders, the current and future implications of climate change impacts in Africa.
August 2014: The UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) has published a report, titled ‘Keeping Track of Adaptation Actions in Africa: Targeted Fiscal Stimulus Actions Making a Difference,’ which reviews, for both policy makers and other stakeholders, the current and future implications of climate change impacts in Africa.
The report highlights that: Africa’s population is expected to double to two billion by 2050; nearly 65% of African livelihoods are directly linked to agriculture; and 97% of agricultural land is irrigated while water availability is expected to decrease by as much as 20%. It underlines that targeted solutions that ignite action, build resilience and provide opportunities are critical.
The report further describes solutions for responding to the challenges posed by climate change, including sustainable ways to enhance environmental and ecosystem resilience, such as: buffer strips; on-site water conservation; use of native species; cropping system changes; landscape-scale management; water resource protection; use of natural infrastructure; and the incorporation of local knowledge into agro-ecological production systems.
The report features sections elaborates on climate risks in Africa and addresses population and economic development related issues, such as, inter alia, income, agriculture, food prices, land use, deforestation, energy and renewables, water, sea-level rise, health and aggregated climate change threats.
The report uses projects conducted in various sub-Saharan African countries to show the direct benefits of adaptation actions and their capability to provide transitional pathways to green growth and sustainable development. It describes aquatic ecosystem projects that were carried out in Togo, Mozambique and Seychelles; forest ecosystem projects carried out in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda; and agricultural ecosystem projects carried out in Malawi and Zambia. [Publication: Keeping Track of Adaptation Actions in Africa: Targeted Fiscal Stimulus Actions Making a Difference] [UNEP Press Release]