Final Thoughts

In my last blog, I would like to sum up my previous contents and make a self-reflection based on my idea. 

In this topic, I have put my focus on the impact of climate change on Africa countries, specifically via extreme events. My overall contents are around Africa’s flood, which is the most common natural disaster and has become one of the biggest challenges on the continent. However, this continent also suffers from severe droughts every year, which shall also draw our attention to it. At the same time, I placed my focus on the physical cause of these extreme events, such as the unusual climate phenomenon (positive Indian Ocean Dipole) these years. On the other hand, the human-triggered causes behind them, such as deforestation, should also be discussed in more detail.

In my first two blogs, I talked about water and environmental change from a broad perspective. From the relationship between climate change and extreme events, I focused on its overall impact on the weather and water cycle. The rising temperature, the drying up of soils, increased food and water insecurity, floods, are all the consequences of climate change that make Africa struggle. I also emphasized “complexity”, which is the term that we shall not ignore when thinking about this continent. This characteristic increases its vulnerability to any environmental changes as there are so many uncertainties and variables behind every change.

In my following blogs, some real-world examples from Mozambique were presented to illustrate the actual impact of extreme events on Africa. The catastrophic damages caused by the events, including loss of infrastructure and human lives, freshwater and food insecurity, have put these countries in a very difficult situation and added more pressure to Africa when fighting climate change. It is thus quite significant for not only Africa but also all other countries to step out, stick together and making effort for building adaptation to climate change 

My last two blogs discussed the uncertainties for future climate change, and the difficulties encountered when managing a natural disaster for the country. In a warming world, the research and prediction of any future changes based on climatic modelling are essential for having a clear recognition of these changes and making adaptations ahead of any event. Also, there is always a trade-off with two-sides effects behind every political decision, which shall be considered critically in the decision making by the government.

I think in the fight for environmental change, we shall put our attention to the regions that are most vulnerable to climate change, and the associated impacts behind it. Africa’s situation deserves extraordinary attention. Africa itself is a large and complex continent, with agriculture playing a central role in its economy and people’s survival, which makes it be more suffered from climate change. 

Another point that shall draw us attention to the continent is that it has the lowest percentage of total greenhouse gases but suffers the brunt of the consequences: the countries in the sub-Saharan African region that outside South Africa account for just 0.55% of CO2 emissions. As a result, the African negotiators have emphasised the urgent need for putting Africa at the front line. 

 

Thanks for reading!