Scientists, researchers and academics are arguing the case for better research on climate change in Africa, pointing out how improved knowledge and investments in early warning systems therefrom could protect communities in Africa from the ravages of climate disasters.
It is coming on the heels of information to the effect that, on average, African countries are losing 2%-5% of gross domestic product (GDP) and many are diverting up to 9% of their budgets responding to climate extremes, according to a University World News report. The rest of the report goes as follows:
One set of Africa’s most vulnerable categories to climate change on the move
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the cost of adaptation is estimated to range from US$30 billion to US$50 billion annually over the next decade, or 2%-3% of the region’s GDP, according to a report of the World Meteorological Organization that was presented at the 10th Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, or AMCEN.
It took place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 30 August to 6 September, and was held alongside the 12th Climate Change and Development in Africa, or CCDA, Conference, with various speakers using the opportunity to call on African scientists, researchers and academics to amplify their efforts in the fight against climate change through knowledge-sharing and specialised training as well as innovation and technology to drive the needed solutions.
“Africa is in need of better climate-related research and improved expertise in early warning systems as extreme weather continues to affect the continent. The training of more meteorology specialists at universities, the provisioning of scholarship opportunities for knowledge exchange and the development of the needed scientific tools will help the population to better predict and prevent them from falling prey to, extreme weather disasters,” Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire Robert Beugré Mambé said.
He emphasised the need to adopt a circular economy that will protect Africa’s natural resources, develop the right human resources with the ability to anticipate meteorological forecasts, also noting that investing in and the training of experts on advanced weather and climate forecasting tools can help the population prepare for the worst.
The conference was held under the theme, ‘Raising Africa’s Ambition to Reduce Land Degradation, Desertification and Drought’.
‘We Are All in This Crisis Together’
United Nations Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell called for collective efforts to develop solutions against climate extremes.
“The economic and political reality in an interdependent world is, we are all in this crisis together. We rise together, or we fall together,” he said in his address.
He noted that, if the climate and economic crises are globally interlinked, so, too, are the solutions.
“So it’s time to flip the script. From potential climate tipping points to exponential changes in business, investment and growth – changes that will further strengthen African nations’ climate leadership and vital role in global climate solutions on all fronts,” he said.
A scene from the recent nasty taste of climate change related shocks in Nigeria’s Maiduguri City
Early Warnings for All
According to the 2023 World Meteorological Organization, or WMO, report, one of the key solutions to the climate crisis is for African countries to prioritise increased investment in National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, and accelerate implementation of the Early Warnings for All initiative to save lives and livelihoods.
“This will help mitigate risks, build adaptive capacity, boost resilience at local, national and regional levels and guide sustainable development strategies,” says the report.
The report, released by WMO, the African Union Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, or UNECA, and the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology, notes that Africa bears an exceptionally heavy burden because of climate change and disproportionately high costs for essential climate adaptation.
“By 2030, it is estimated that up to 118 million extremely poor people (living on less than US$1.90 per day) will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat in Africa if adequate response measures are not put in place. This will place additional burdens on poverty alleviation efforts and significantly hamper growth,” the report warns.
Home-grown Innovative Solutions
It is against this backdrop that African scientists, researchers and academics were enjoined to step up to the plate in their collaboration and knowledge-sharing efforts for Africa to make use of its untapped human resources that could be a solution to the worst environmental crisis the world is faced with.
UNECA Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist Hanan Morsy, in her remarks, underscored that climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss are not just environmental issues, they are economic and social challenges that threaten the very fabric of our societies, demanding immediate and united action, urgent collaboration and knowledge-sharing among the different stakeholders.
“The challenges we face are immense, but so are the opportunities for Africa to lead with innovative, sustainable solutions. By leveraging our collective strengths and deepening our collaboration, we can protect our ecosystems, empower our communities and drive sustainable development,” she said.
“This path forward will require commitment in resources, policy and action. Together, we can build a resilient future for Africa for our children and future generations. Let us transform our ambition into action,” she urged.
Also reflecting on some figures, Morsy noted that climate change was costing African economies up to 15% of GDP annually. Governments are diverting up to 9% of their budgets to cope with extreme weather, while grappling with debt distress, facing difficult trade-offs between climate action and meeting critical development needs, such as health and education.
Climate activists also agree that having experts who can provide frequent and reliable data to the urban and rural population can help to predict and plan for future extreme weather events, mitigating their impact on human life.
“Weather stations in many African countries, including Cameroon, are sparse, unevenly distributed and poorly equipped, leading to huge gaps in climate data.
“In many cases, the stations don’t have the needed specialists and this may lead to significant margins of error in the information provided,” Augustin Njamnshi, the executive director of the African Coalition for Sustainable Energy and Access, or ACSEA, told University World News.
Climate change is an everyone and everywhere war, including Trinity College, one of Europe’s most established university
“It is in the interest of Africa, in particular, and the world at large to invest in the needed infrastructure and human resources for quality climate research and integrate weather information services for effective adaptation and mitigation strategies,” he added.
In the meantime, John Walshe reports for the University World News the story about Trinity College Dublin (TCD) defending the sponsorship of a new chair of climate change by multi-billion euro cement and materials giant CRH which is headquartered in Ireland. According to the report, critics have warned of a possible conflict of interest as CRH is, almost by definition, a major polluter. The full report:
Irish Cement, which is part of the CRH group, was Ireland’s third largest industrial emitter of carbon dioxide last year, its two plants in Limerick and Drogheda between them producing more than 1.7 million tonnes of carbon, according to a local news report.
The chair at Trinity has been filled by Professor Karen Wiltshire, a distinguished Irish climate ecologist and expert in coastal research.
The Trinity alumna has returned for the role from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany where she served as vice-director in combination with a professorship in shelf sea ecology at the University of Kiel.
The sponsorship deal is worth up to €1.7 million (US$1.87 million) over a 10-year period.
The donation from CRH, which operates in 28 countries, was agreed over two years ago, and the position of chair of climate science was advertised in September 2022.
‘Attempted Absolvent’
Wiltshire’s appointment was only announced by the university recently when it said: “This pioneering position is funded by CRH as part of its continued investment in research and innovation, to accelerate the transition to a more sustainably built environment.”
There has been a lively debate online and in print about the sponsorship deal and its implications.
Those who cannot cut into climate change beyond the rule of the thumb through research risk perishing
TCD Environmental Society said partnership with CRH and other polluters amounted to “attempted absolvement of their enormous contributions to the climate crisis. It assists in greenwashing of corporations and actively shields them from scrutiny”, it said.
The outgoing environment officer of TCD Students’ Union Nathan Hutchinson Edgar argued that the donation was damaging to the university’s credentials as an institution claiming to take the climate crisis seriously.
Impactful Research
Responding to criticism, the university told the student newspaper Trinity News: “We work with industry because we want to make things better. Trinity warmly welcomes CRH’s support for the Chair in Climate Science. We also look forward to the impactful research that will emerge from this position.”
Trinity Provost Professor Linda Doyle stated that “it has never been more urgent for universities to pursue ground-breaking climate research”.
The sponsorship had been discussed in advance by the Gift Acceptance Committee at Trinity – a reputation watchdog comprising university managers, academics, trustees and external members, one of whom must have “an expertise in business ethics”.
Trinity policy states that: “The committee will not set unreasonably high standards for donors and will make decisions cognisant of the significant benefit the university accrues from philanthropy.”
Wiltshire has rejected outright the notion that her title, CRH Chair of Climate Science, will have any bearing on her work. “The government that paid my salary in the past never told me what to do, and the same applies with CRH,” she told the Sunday Independent when asked about possible greenwashing.
