scholarly journals Africa and Climate Change

Utafiti ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-294
Author(s):  
Robin Attfield

Abstract Africa is affected by climate change in multiple ways. Like other continents, its coastline is in danger of being flooded, and its islands are in danger of being inundated. Many people are forced by climate change to migrate, and this increases the flows of refugees moving both north towards the Mediterranean and south towards the Cape, seeking a viable homeland. It is in the interest of African countries to develop in ways that are climate-friendly. More electricity needs to be generated to enhance people’s quality of life, but this should be generated in environmentally friendly ways. Large schemes of tree-planting are also needed, to restore the forests of areas where they have been lost in civil conflicts (as in central and northern Ethiopia) and at the same time to sequestrate some of the carbon dioxide of the atmosphere. As well as mitigation, collaborative efforts are needed in the field of adaptation, so as to limit the impacts of climate change. Developing countries should assist such measures, but they should be adopted whether or not such assistance materialises.

Spatium ◽  
2013 ◽  
pp. 37-39
Author(s):  
Sophie Schetke

Also German cities -as many other cities worldwide- will be affected by impacts of climate change. Starting from the German Adaptation Strategy to climate change, the paper presents a short literature review on impacts of climate change and on fields of action for German municipalities and urban planners to adapt to it. The literature review shows that main negative impacts of climate change in Germany are due to rising temperatures and cities will also need to cope with altered precipitation regimes. But also positive impacts such as reduced heating costs are reported. Additionally, the paper highlights a second phenomenon, which also causes specific demands for urban planners regarding human health and quality of life in German cities: demographic change. Altering demographic patterns within the society will lead to altered demands for healthy living conditions. Moreover, findings from the literature show that specific groups of the society - such as the elderly - are especially vulnerable towards impacts of climate change. A concrete sensitivity towards overheating or bad air is reported. Both phenomena may simultaneously impact on German urban structures and will demand closer attention now and in the future. Consequently, specific fields of action to adapt to climate change will be presented highlighting their possible contribution sustaining quality of life in cities.


2012 ◽  
Vol 174-177 ◽  
pp. 2222-2225
Author(s):  
Fei Lv ◽  
Yuan Sheng Guo

In recent years, climate change has been getting more serious. How to mitigate and adapt to climate change has caught the concerns of governments and academia. Firstly, this article briefly addresses the causes of climate change and its impacts, and then analyzes the link between climate change and urban settlements and the impacts of climate change to urban settlements in winter city. Finally, according to the Characteristics of winter city, the paper presents some optimization strategies of urban residential quarter in winter city addressing climate change including reducing carbon emissions, ensuring settlements security and guiding residents to public participation. Reducing urban settlements carbon emissions includes improving internal functions, combing the internal transportation system, optimizing the green mode and applying special techniques. Protecting the safety of urban settlements includes improving emergency response system, strengthening the vertical and horizontal connection and optimizing the layout of public space. Guiding residents to public participation includes establishing the information banks of urban settlements addressing to climate change and improving the quality of the residents.


Author(s):  
Temitope Ben-Ajepe ◽  
Ifechukwu Benedict Nwogu ◽  
Damilola Quazeem Olaoye ◽  
Abdulhafeez Ayodele Mustapha ◽  
Theogene Uwizeyimana ◽  
...  

AbstractAfrica as a continent has experienced a continuous increase in the cost of healthcare as its demands increase. With many of these African countries living below the poverty threshold, Africans continue to die from preventable and curable diseases. Population increases have led to an increase in demands for healthcare, which unfortunately have been met with inequitable distribution of drugs. Hence, the outcomes from healthcare interventions are frequently not maximized. These problems notably call for some economic principles and policies to guide medication selection, procurement, or donation for population prioritization or health insurance. Pharmacoeconomics drives efficient use of scarce or limited resources to maximize healthcare benefits and reduce costs. It also brings to play tools that rate therapy choice based on the quality of life added to the patient after a choice of intervention was made over an alternative. In this paper, we commented on the needs, prospect, and challenges of pharmacoeconomics in Africa.


Author(s):  
Adela Salas-Ruiz ◽  
Andrea A Eras-Almeida ◽  
Rocío Rodríguez-Rivero ◽  
Alberto Sanz-Cobena ◽  
Susana Muñoz-Hernández ◽  
...  

Abstract More than 26 million people are recognized globally as refugees and have been forced to flee from their home countries because of poverty, human rights violations, natural disasters, climate change, and other social and political conflicts. What is more, most host communities are usually poor and face social and economic crises. This is why supporting integration between refugees and host communities is imperative at the global humanitarian context. Thereby, this research presents the NAUTIA (Need Assessment under a Technological Interdisciplinary Approach) methodology, an innovative mixed-method approach designed by the Platform on Refugees of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The main objective of NAUTIA is to identify the basic needs of refugees and locals to improve their quality of life through interdisciplinary and inclusive intervention proposals based on technology. The methodology was applied in the permanent Shimelba Refugee Camp (Ethiopia), where energy, shelter, and food security solutions have resulted essential to improve the living conditions of both population groups. The results are useful for researchers, stakeholders, and practitioners from the humanitarian sector as they provide a more innovative and comprehensive way to support the unprecedented global human mobility there is nowadays.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 65-77
Author(s):  
Marta Joanna Jamontt ◽  
Karol Kociszewski ◽  
Johannes Platje

Participatory budgets are a popular form of co-decision of residents about public space and quality of life in the city. Projects submitted to participatory budgets respond to needs such as recreation, health, communication and safety. This article evaluates the projects from 2016-2018 of the Wroclaw Participatory Budget in terms of aspects related to the wider issue of natural capital and climate change. The results obtained indicate that despite increasing financial outlays on projects that can contribute to strengthening environmental and climate aspects, the share of investments directly targeted at their implementation is relatively small. A total of 201 projects were analyzed, of which 12% directly and 18% indirectly referred to issues related to natural capital and/or climate change.


Author(s):  
Gordon Conway ◽  
Ousmane Badiane ◽  
Katrin Glatzel

This chapter explores threats to food security. It reveals many challenges arising from a range of threats external to the farm household, including severe biological threats from pests, disease, and weeds. Moreover, healthy, fertile soils are the cornerstone of food security and rural livelihoods, but African soils are degrading. Water is just as important for the productivity of plants, and lack of water leads to chronic and acute stress. Indeed, Africa is already battling the impacts of climate change. Rising temperatures and variable rainfall are increasing the exposure of smallholders to drought, famine, and disease. Agriculture is an important emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), not only carbon dioxide but also such powerful gases as methane and nitrous oxide. In addition, there are often severe socioeconomic challenges, including unstable and high prices of basic commodities. Finally, conflicts cause disruption to food security.


Author(s):  
Kathryn C. Kaufman

This chapter addresses the lack of adequate global infrastructure and the limits imposed on global growth, prosperity, and quality of life. Inadequate infrastructure causes loss of lives, constrains economic progress, and exacerbates climate change. To address the infrastructure gap between what is being constructed and what is genuinely required, the author proposes the creation of a development fund, which will require international collaboration and cooperation, to make available a substantial amount of capital and dedicate it to projects that contribute to the betterment of society. This development fund will not only improve infrastructure but also enhance the quality of many lives.


Author(s):  
Moda ◽  
Filho ◽  
Minhas

The literature on the potential impacts of climate change on the health of outdoor workers has received limited attention as a whole, and in sub-Saharan African countries in particular. Yet, substantial numbers of workers are experiencing the health effects of elevated temperature, in combination with changes in precipitation patterns, climate extremes and the effects of air pollution, which have a potential impact on their safety and wellbeing. With increased temperatures within urban settlements and frequent heats waves, there has been a sudden rise in the occurrence of heat-related illness leading to higher levels of mortality, as well as other adverse health impacts. This paper discusses the impacts of extreme heat exposure and health concerns among outdoor workers, and the resultant impacts on their productivity and occupational safety in tropical developing countries with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, where there is a dearth of such studies. Aside from the direct effects caused by extreme heat exposure, other indirect health hazards associated with increasing heat among this group includes exposures to hazardous chemicals and other vector-borne diseases. In addition, reduced work capacity in heat-exposed jobs will continue to rise and hinder economic and social development in such countries. There is an urgent need for further studies around the health and economic impacts of climate change in the workplace, especially in tropical developing countries, which may guide the implementation of the measures needed to address the problem.


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