InDepth
Climate change a stumbling block to Africa’s economies
Taking care of livestock is becoming very difficult for pastoral communities. Photo/FILE
Posted Tuesday, September 15 2009 at 09:03
They can build climate-smart economies that take advantage of the vast amounts of scientific knowledge available. It is estimated that growth in such knowledge is doubling every 14 months.
Power crisis
Building climate-smart economies will involve taking deliberate steps in at least four key areas: infrastructure; technical education; business development; and international diplomacy.
Infrastructure is essential for adapting to climate change. Take energy, for example.
More than 550 million Africans have no access to electricity. Nearly half of African countries have a power crisis.
The continent can therefore lead the way in investing in clean energy. Eastern Africa, for example, can generate over 2,500 megawatts of electricity from geothermal energy
using existing technologies, compared to the current world output of 8,100 megawatts.
Similar adjustments should be made in agriculture. Conventional crops need to be complemented by more resilient food sources such as tree crops. Breadfruit (Artocarpus
alitis), which has been a staple in Pacific islands, is a prime candidate for adoption in diverse African regions.
Creating climate-smart infrastructure will require greater investment in higher technical training. Ministries dealing with agriculture, environment, water, energy and transportation
could play key roles in training local experts in the design of climate-smart infrastructure.
Similarly, African countries will need to invest in fostering “green jobs”. Universities and institutes could help foster the incubation of enterprises that promote sustainability.
The new Victoria Institute of Science and Technology in Kisumu, for example, seeks to advance the use of “green technologies” in economic renewal.
Finally, advancing climate-smart growth strategies will demand new diplomatic leadership.
African ministries of Foreign Affairs will need to strengthen their capacity to engage in science and technology diplomacy.
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I do hope our African governments will take Climate change seriously as most nations have not realised that the Climate challenge dwarfs the current financial crisis in its severity and impact on the economies and populace. The fact that geo-engineering is being flouted as an option when previously was thought of as ludicrous and stuff for the science fiction movies brings home the urgency of acting on climate change. What is sad is the insularity of the leaders and the people, despite all these massive challenges that require real leadership, strategic and deliberate strategies. We should be forward looking.
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