The impacts of climate change on food security and health in Southern Africa

 

 

H L Wlokas

Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town, and the Free University, Berlin

 

 

---

ABSTRACT

Climate change will have a great impact on Southern Africa according to the IPCC. Two closely related topics, food security and health will be affected by the changes in many ways. Difficulties in transporting food through carbon regulations in airfreight, changing conditions for growing food crops and negative impacts on fishery might occur and will very possible lead to an increase in malnutrition in the region. Changes of the climate will also have an effect on the way illnesses are transmitted and cause a number of extreme weather events which can have an extremely damaging consequence on human living. Two main efforts are being work on in terms of dealing with these concerns. At the international, regional and national levels, adaptation and mitigation action is being planned and implemented. Activities at each level are discussed and I argue this in this paper that currently the most efficient way of dealing with the existing and future burdens of climate change impacts are activities at a national level, and enhanced effort has to be made to improve regional and international collaboration in addressing these issues.

Keywords: climate change, food security, health, Southern Africa

---

 

 

Full text available only in pdf format.

 

 

Bibliography

African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Department for International Development, United Kingdom, Directorate-General for Development, European Commission, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Development Cooperation, The Netherlands, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, The World Bank: Poverty and Climate Change. Reducing the Vulnerability of the Poor through Adaptation. 2003.         [ Links ]

Anonymous interview with participant of World Economic Forum in Cape Town on SABC2, 5. June 2008, 2pm.         [ Links ]

Brown, M. & Funk, C.: Food Security under Climate Change. Science 319, February 2008, 580-581.         [ Links ]

Catford, J.: Food security, climate change and heath promotion: opening up the streams not just helping out down stream. Health Promotion International, 23:105-108, 2008.         [ Links ]

Cooper, P, Dimes J., Rao, K., Shapiro B., Shiferaw B., Twomlow, S.: Coping better with current climatic variability in the rain-fed farming systems of sub-Saharan Africa: An essential first step in adapting to future climate change? Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 126 (2008) 24-35.         [ Links ]

Downing, T., Ringius, L., Hulme, M., Waughray, D.: Adapting to Climate Change in Africa. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 2, 19-44, 1997.         [ Links ]

GEF: Climate Change Adaptation. The Climate Change Funds: Linking Adaptation to Development. www.gefweb.org.interior.aspx?id=264, online on 11 June 2008.         [ Links ]

Gregory, P., Ingram, J., Brklacich, M.: Climate change and food security. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (2005) 360, 2139-2148.         [ Links ]

Ellis, J., Corfee-Morlot, J., Winkler, H.: Taking Stock of Progress under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Prepared for OECD and IEA, 2004.         [ Links ]

Engineering News Online: Africa is the worst victim of climate change. www.saeon.ac.za/eNewsletter/Online/2008/february/africa-is-the-worst-victim-of-climate-change/> on 05.06.2008.         [ Links ]

FAO: 31st Session of the Committee on World Food Security. Special Event on Impact of Climate Change, Pests and Diseases on Food Security and Poverty Reduction. Background Document. 23-26 May 2005.         [ Links ]

Hug, S., Rahman, A., Konate, M., Sokona, Y., Reid, H.: Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change in Least Developed Countries (LDCS), 2003.         [ Links ]

IPCC 2001: Climate Change 2001. Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Chapters 10, 11, 17 and 18. Contribution of Working Group II to the 3rd Assessment Report of the IPCC. 2001.         [ Links ]

IPCC WGII 2007: Working Group II Contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report Climate Change 2007: Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Summary for Policymakers.         [ Links ]

Kyoto Protocol: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. UNFCCC Secretariat, 2007.         [ Links ]

Lim, S.: Needs Assessment Report - State of Climate Change Adaptation in South Africa Policy Drivers, Research and Projects. Prepared for SouthSouth-North, 2004.         [ Links ]

McMichael, A., Woodruff, R., Hales, S.: Climate change and human health: present and future risks. Lancet 2006; 367: 859-69.         [ Links ]

Michaelowa, A. 2006;, Jahn, M., Raubenheimer, S, Liptow, H.: HWWA Discussion Paper. Measuring the Potential of Unilateral CDM- A Pilot Study. HWWA Discussion Paper 263, 2004.         [ Links ]

Mwakasonda, S.: Lecture. University of Cape Town, MEC 5090Z, May 2008.         [ Links ]

Nganga, J.: Climate Change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation assessment in East Africa. Presentation at UNFCCC African regional Workshop on adaptation, Accra, Ghana, 21-23 September 2006.         [ Links ]

Niang-Diop, I. & Bosch, H.: Technical Paper 8. Formulating an Adaptation Strategy.         [ Links ]

Oxfam: Adapting to climate change. What's needed in poor countries, and who should pay. Oxfam Briefing Paper. May 2007.         [ Links ]

Patz, J., Campbell-Lendrum, C., Holloway, T., Foley, J.: Impact of regional climate change on human health. Nature 438, November 2005.         [ Links ]

Scharma, R.: Impacts and Adaptation on Climate Change. Presentation at the AIACC Workshop in Nairobi, 11-15 February 2002. SouthSouthNorth a: Designing Adaptation Projects.         [ Links ]

Tyler, E.: Accessing Carbon Finance for Sustainable Energy Interventions in Low-income Housing across South Africa. A Concept Funding Proposal to the National Housing Finance Cooperation. Prepared for SouthSouthNorth, May 2007.         [ Links ]

RSA (Republic of South Africa): A National Climate Change Response Strategy for South Africa. 2004.         [ Links ]

UNDP & GEF (United Nations Development Programme & Global Environmental Facility): The Adaptation Policy Framework. User's Guidebook for the Adaptation Policy Framework. Final Draft. 2003.         [ Links ]

Unknown author: Food Security and Climate Change. Options, Spring 2002, 11.         [ Links ]

Winkler, H.: Climate Change and developing countries. South African Journal of Science 101, July/August 2005.         [ Links ]

WHO (World Health Organization): Indoor air pollution and health. www.who.int/mediacentre/factssheets/fs292/en/index.html, online on the 11 June 2008, published 2005.         [ Links ]

 

 

Received 18 August 2008
Revised 17 November 2008