Africa
- Created by: keeels
- Created on: 09-05-14 14:31
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- Africa
- Africa has a range of different different climates from dry deserts to tropical rainforests
- Areas that are already dry (arid and semi-arid environments) are getting drier
- wetter areas (tropical and sub-tropical environments) are getting wetter
- The whole continent is getting warmer - around 0.5 warmer in the last century
- Vulnerable popuation
- Poor people have a reduced capacity to cope e.g subsistence farmers, who only grow enough to meet the needs of their family and have no income, will be at risk of starvation if climate change affects their crops
- Poorer countries are less able to prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change
- Political turmoil can mean the appropriate responses aren't made, making the impacts of climate change worse
- Examples
- Global warming is causing desertification- the process by which fertile land becomes unusable for agriculture. It's a major problem in the sahel region (the belt between the sahara desert and the fertile area to the south)
- This causes a decrease in agricultural production, which leads to more poverty, unemployment, malnourishment and starvation
- Global warming has caused a reduced growing period over much of the continent. This decreases agricultural production . In the Sahel region agricultural forms around 70% of the employment, so any reduction leads to increased unemployment, poverty , malnourishment and starvation
- Global warming means tropical areas are experiencing longer growing periods, and may financially benefit from better agricultural conditions
- Global warming may have improved conditions in some areas of Africa for mosquitoes that spreads malaria - a disease which kills over a million people each year.
- The costs of heath care and the reduction in productivity (combined with interest in tourism and investment) mean the economies are put under strain and prevented from growing
- Global warming is causing a more erratic climate e.g MOZAMBIQUE suffered drought and widespread crop failure in 1995, then flooding in 2000, which displaced lots of people. Homes and infrastructure are destroyed in areas where people are unable to rebuild and recover
- Global warming is causing desertification- the process by which fertile land becomes unusable for agriculture. It's a major problem in the sahel region (the belt between the sahara desert and the fertile area to the south)
- It is an unfair world - the poorest people of Africa have contributed little to the causes of global warming and yet suffer the most.
- The economic losses that would be minor in well developed countries can have more disastrous consequences in poorer countries, resulting in loss oflife
- Africa has a range of different different climates from dry deserts to tropical rainforests
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