“The global climate change is
projected to impact Africa’s ecosystem”. Basing on IPCC Fifth assessment report
chapter 22, for Africa region, and the other four references, justify this
statement.
Climate
change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns that
last for a long period of time (Schneider et al, 2007). These significant
changes ranging from decades to millions of year, climate changes may be caused
by factors such as oceanic process, biotic process, plate tectonic,and
insolationand anthropogenic. An ecosystem is a community made up of living
organisms and non-living components such as air, water and mineral soil that
interacting with each other (Mooney, 2002). It includes the interaction between
living things andnon-living things with their surroundings. An ecosystem can be
terrestrial or aquatic ecosystem such as forest and water bodies.Climate is
among the external factors which affect the ecosystem in the world. Therefore, the
global climate change affects the world’s ecosystems .Among all continents,
Africa is at more risk to face severe impacts due to its geographical position
in the tropical zone, limited adaptive capacity, high poverty level and low
level of development of science and technology. Africa is likely to be the
continent most vulnerable to climate change (Schneider et al, 2007). Also the
intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) report in 2007 recorded a
warming rate of approximately 0.7oC over most of the continent
during the 20 century, a decrease of rainfall over large portion of the Sahel
and an increase in rainfall in Eastern Central Africa. Therefore the global
climate change is projected to impact African’s ecosystem as follow.
Water
stress, climate change particularly an increase in temperature and low
precipitation has been affecting the quality and quantity of water hence lead
to water stress among African countries. Change in run off, change of ground
water recharge, increase in organic matter decomposition and an increased
incidence events of drought and flood are among the noticed effect that lead to
water stress, which in turn affects various ecosystems, both water and
terrestrial. A decrease in run off of about 17% over the past decades in Africa
reported in (IPCC, 2007). However IPCC also recorded a warming rate of
approximately 0.7oC over most of the continent during the 20 century
and changes in rainfall in eastern central Africa. Therefore those changes are
likely to affect the ecosystems due to water stress that appears as a result.
The water shortage faced by some countries is going to be worse by climate
changes. Those countries without water shortage now will be at risk then; this
is particularly true in North Africa. By 2050 the population at risk for
increase water stress, inadequate access to good quality for house hold use and
agriculture could rise to 350-600 Million (IPCC, 2007).
Increased
disease, global warming is likely to threaten human health, causes increased in
number and spread of invasive and pests species like trypanosome in central
Africa, more frequent lift valley fever in East Africa, an increase in water bone
and vector bone diseases .Malaria existed in West Africa but due to climate
change Malaria transmission will shift from Coastal West Africa to an area in a
central Africa, Congo and Uganda (Africa high lands). Increase rainfall in East
Africa will increase the land area where Malaria is endemic. Currently Malaria
kills about 900,000 people annually in Africa, 70% of them children (IPCC,
2007). However pregnant women and children are likely to be affected by climate
change because of their greater vulnerability to heat, infectious diseases and
inadequate food.
Shift
in range of some species and biodiversity loss, the climate change is starting
to affect the biodiversity of Africa with species moving their ranges as
climate shift (Foden et al, 2007). Temperature increase, drought and flood,
acidic rainfall and diseases lead to the shift in range of some species, extinction
of vulnerable species and change in communities of both terrestrial and aquatic
plants and animals. Climate change impacts are dramatic in some of the drier
parts of Africa such as North-Eastern Africa, Western Sahel and parts of South-Western
Africa, migratory species dependent on seasonal wetland. Also the changes in
Africa ecosystem are already seen in Southern Africa about 25-40% of mammals
species in National parks in Sub-Saharan Africa may become endangered in 21
century (IPCC, 2007). With a 1.5 degree
rise in global temperature Africa may lose 30 percent of its animals and plant
(Smith, 2014).
Diminished
agriculture with increased hunger, crop growth and production is severely
affected in many African countries due to climate change. The reduction of ecosystem
such as land size caused by alteration of spatial and temporal pattern of
temperature, rainfall, solar insolation and winds lead to poor crop production.
Loss of rainfall may be severe in some areas especially in semi-arid areas.
IPCC, 2007 report projected to see a shortening of growing season of more than
20% by 2050, where large area of land may be forced out of production. In South
Africa, temperature is expected to rise over the next 50 years and rainfall is
expected to become less regular and unpredictable hence the production of
Agriculture is expected to take a large hit, which in turn will result a
significant effects in an ecosystem.
Coastal
and ocean degradation, Coastal and Ocean are projected to be affected due to
increase of oceanic temperature and change of nature of rainfall. Sea level is
rising at about 1 Millimeter peryear, which in turn causes loss of inshore,
coral reefs and mangrove forest. This degradation will lead to catastrophes to
marine animals.
Generally,
climate change is a global problem, and is likely to exert negative effects to
both developing countries and developed ones. Therefore, there is a great need
for all countries to unit and join together to minimize the cause of climate
change. There should be measures such as imposition of tax to nations with
large industrial emissions, encourage afforestation and reforestation among
countries in the world, the use of friendly energy resources and the discovery
of engine that will totally burn the
fuel.
REFERENCES
Chapin F. Stuart, Harold A. Mooney
(2002). Principles of Terrestrial
Ecosystem Ecology.New York: Springer.
Dallas HF, Rivers-Moore N, Ecological
Consequences of Global Climate Change for Fresh Water Ecosystem in South
Africa. South Africa J. 2014.Scarborogh.
Inter-governmental panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report of 2007 AND 2016.
The stage of Biodiversity in Africa, Ms.
Elizabeth Maruma&Kamar Yusuf published by Word Conservation and Monitoring
Center (WCM) and United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) 2016. New York.
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