TRU GEOG 3991 Global Climate Change and Regional Impacts
ASSIGNMENT 2 Thompson Rivers University
SECTION B: ESSAY
VULNERABILITY OF HUMAN AND NATURAL SYSTEMS
Impact of Climate Change: Drought-Prone Countries in Africa
Climate change has become a major issue for the international
community. Its impact on human and natural systems is receiving increasing
attention, but knowledge in this area is still limited; uncertainties remain as
to the nature of mechanisms involved, the number of people affected and
the geographic areas concerned. For some years now, some Africans
countries have experienced significant droughts. Today in the context of
climate change we can wonder what the impact of climate change is on the
natural system including the water cycle and the humans To answer this
problem we should study the physical changes that have occurred or will
occur, the impacts on populations and finally the adaptations at the national
levels.
▪ Physical changes that have occurred in the past and will occur in the
future
I chose the countries in the Sahel region that forms an African band from
Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon,
Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, to Ethiopia (see
Appendix 1) The Sahel region experienced terrible droughts in the 70s and
80s with over a 30% decrease in rainfall (Held, n.d.). If current trends persist,
climate change predicts that by 2050, sub-Saharan Africa will be 0.5°C to
2°C warmer and will also be drier, with 10% less precipitation inland and an
increased water loss due to higher rates of evaporation (Shepard, 2019).
▪ Impacts of climate change on the Saharan population
The poverty of sub-Saharan countries and the strong demographic growth
make the population particularly vulnerable to climate change which thus
slows down human development. In recent decades, the impacts have been
felt in terms of access to water and therefore in agriculture, fishing, livestock,
, and health. The increase periods of droughts have a negative impact; in fact,
it decreases the flow of the rivers or lakes which causes problems at the level
of the growth of the agricultural plants, to feed the cattle and decreases the
quantity of available water per person. For instance, Lake Chad shared by
Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger is provides important water resources
for the local population (NASA, March 2001). Due to irrigation and the rise of
temperature the Lake Chad has shrunk by 20 times (NASA, March 2001). In
Appendix 2, the surface of Lake Chad has considerably shrunk from 1963 to
2007. Furthermore, successive droughts in the Sahel undermine food
security in the region and cause problems of malnutrition. IPCC Report and
Human Security, women and children are the most affected (Adger et al.,
2014). And if the crops are not fruitful it can lead to death. As for diseases,
diarrheal diseases including cholera are the most common and appear to be
a major cause of preventable death (Keusch et al., 2006). They are due to
the consumption of non-potable water or food grown with such water.
However, the lack of water due to high temperatures can reduce diseases
transmitted by an insect, such as the mosquito. The mosquito is responsible
for the transmission of malaria (Kibret, April 2018). The life of the mosquito
being intimately linked to the presence of water, I can conclude that the
droughts will reduce these diseases in the Sahel region.
▪ Adaptations at the national levels
After taking a look at appendix 3, we can see that only Sudan and Nigeria
are emitting a lot of Carbone dioxide in the Sahel region. It will be
preferable for these countries to reduce CO2 emissions to suffer less from
climate change. Thinking about human security, the population has to
move.
All in all, climate change has physical and human consequences in the
Sahel region. The situation will be worse in the coming years with the
increase in temperatures. It would, therefore, be imperative to find
solutions and actions to stop this scourge.
ASSIGNMENT 2 Thompson Rivers University
SECTION B: ESSAY
VULNERABILITY OF HUMAN AND NATURAL SYSTEMS
Impact of Climate Change: Drought-Prone Countries in Africa
Climate change has become a major issue for the international
community. Its impact on human and natural systems is receiving increasing
attention, but knowledge in this area is still limited; uncertainties remain as
to the nature of mechanisms involved, the number of people affected and
the geographic areas concerned. For some years now, some Africans
countries have experienced significant droughts. Today in the context of
climate change we can wonder what the impact of climate change is on the
natural system including the water cycle and the humans To answer this
problem we should study the physical changes that have occurred or will
occur, the impacts on populations and finally the adaptations at the national
levels.
▪ Physical changes that have occurred in the past and will occur in the
future
I chose the countries in the Sahel region that forms an African band from
Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon,
Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, to Ethiopia (see
Appendix 1) The Sahel region experienced terrible droughts in the 70s and
80s with over a 30% decrease in rainfall (Held, n.d.). If current trends persist,
climate change predicts that by 2050, sub-Saharan Africa will be 0.5°C to
2°C warmer and will also be drier, with 10% less precipitation inland and an
increased water loss due to higher rates of evaporation (Shepard, 2019).
▪ Impacts of climate change on the Saharan population
The poverty of sub-Saharan countries and the strong demographic growth
make the population particularly vulnerable to climate change which thus
slows down human development. In recent decades, the impacts have been
felt in terms of access to water and therefore in agriculture, fishing, livestock,
, and health. The increase periods of droughts have a negative impact; in fact,
it decreases the flow of the rivers or lakes which causes problems at the level
of the growth of the agricultural plants, to feed the cattle and decreases the
quantity of available water per person. For instance, Lake Chad shared by
Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger is provides important water resources
for the local population (NASA, March 2001). Due to irrigation and the rise of
temperature the Lake Chad has shrunk by 20 times (NASA, March 2001). In
Appendix 2, the surface of Lake Chad has considerably shrunk from 1963 to
2007. Furthermore, successive droughts in the Sahel undermine food
security in the region and cause problems of malnutrition. IPCC Report and
Human Security, women and children are the most affected (Adger et al.,
2014). And if the crops are not fruitful it can lead to death. As for diseases,
diarrheal diseases including cholera are the most common and appear to be
a major cause of preventable death (Keusch et al., 2006). They are due to
the consumption of non-potable water or food grown with such water.
However, the lack of water due to high temperatures can reduce diseases
transmitted by an insect, such as the mosquito. The mosquito is responsible
for the transmission of malaria (Kibret, April 2018). The life of the mosquito
being intimately linked to the presence of water, I can conclude that the
droughts will reduce these diseases in the Sahel region.
▪ Adaptations at the national levels
After taking a look at appendix 3, we can see that only Sudan and Nigeria
are emitting a lot of Carbone dioxide in the Sahel region. It will be
preferable for these countries to reduce CO2 emissions to suffer less from
climate change. Thinking about human security, the population has to
move.
All in all, climate change has physical and human consequences in the
Sahel region. The situation will be worse in the coming years with the
increase in temperatures. It would, therefore, be imperative to find
solutions and actions to stop this scourge.
