Fresh climate change report shows implications for food security

Flooding witnessed in some parts of Lagos State in Nigeria, West Africa

Fresh climate change report shows implications for food security
Funke Atohengbe, Durban

The UN Climate Change Conference in Durban has released fresh evidence of changing climate trends in the Sahel region and West Africa and its implications for food security and regional stability which has further increased the pressure on governments to stay on course so as to reach a new international Climate agreement.

The joint study analyzed regional trends in temperature, rainfall, droughts and flooding in the past 40 years and their implications for the availability of natural resources, livelihoods, migration patterns and conflict in 17 West African countries from the Atlantic Coast to Chad.

Potential risk areas

The study shows that large areas of southern Burkina Faso, western Niger and northern Nigeria have experienced up to ten incidences of floods in the past 24 years.

The report tagged “Livelihood Security: Climate Change ,Migration and Conflict in the Sahel” uses an innovative mapping process to identify 19 “Climate hotspots “ where climate changes have been the most severe and which warrants focused adaptation planning and other follow up activities.

It noted that these hotspots have been mostly affected by flooding and drought which have impacted negatively on the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on natural resources.

This is in addition to population growth and weak governance which have led to greater competition over scarce resources and to changing migration patterns in the region.

UN Under Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner raised the issue of food security as potential risk of climate change during the debate on climate change and security in the UN Security Council in July last year.

“This analysis undermines how competition between communities for scarce resources especially land, water and forests is already a reality in West Africa and that regional cooperation will be key to diffusing tension,” he said.

The study was conducted by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration, the office of the coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations University and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel with technical input from Salzburg’s Centre for Geoinformatics.

Williams