Investment in climate change adaptation tonic to SADC’s transformation

Lazarus Sauti

British naturalist, Charles Darwin, once said it is not the strongest species that survive, or the most intelligent, but the ones who are most responsive to change.

Borrowing from Darwin’s quote, the United Nations Environment Programme – the voice for the environment in the United Nations system – believes countries that are most responsive to investment in climate change adaptation can stimulate and transform their economies through more efficient use of natural capital, job creation and increased household incomes.

“Investment in climate change adaptation can help ensure that the impacts of climate change - including a projected 20 to 50 per cent decline in water availability – do not reverse decades of development progress in Africa,” asserts a new report “Keeping Track of Adaptation Actions in Africa – Targeted Fiscal Stimulus Actions Making a Difference”, recently released by the United Nations Environment Programme.

The first graphical report that presents practical examples of successful low-cost adaptation solutions from around sub-Saharan Africa in one concise handbook takes in examples of successful adaptation projects that have provided the impetus for large-scale government investments and policy action.

“With 94 per cent of agriculture dependent on rainfall, the future impacts of climate change – including increased droughts, flooding, and seal-level rise – may reduce crop yields in some parts of Africa by 15 to 20 per cent,” says United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner.

He goes on to say: “Such a scenario, if unaddressed, could have grave implications for Africa’s most vulnerable states. Using projects implemented in various countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the “Keeping Track of Adaptation Actions in Africa” report clearly demonstrates how investment in adaptation actions can provide, not just low-cost solutions to climate change challenges, but can actually stimulate local economies through more efficient use of natural capital, job creation and increased household incomes.”

As the Southern African Development Community is at the mess of climate change, regional leaders must, without fail, invest in climate change adaptation as well as integrate adaptation strategies in national and regional development policies.

“By investing and integrating climate change adaptation strategies in national and regional development policies, governments can provide transitional pathways to green growth and protect and improve the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of Africans,” Steiner concurs.

For this to work, governments and key stakeholders especially in the SADC region must close climate adaptation gaps first so as to improve the health and functioning of ecosystems, build community capacity to sustainably manage eco-systems, improve agricultural productivity, and innovatively store water.

Sadly, the most recently Adaptation Gap study published by the United Nations Environment Programme stated that Africa lags behind as far as adaptation projects to support vulnerable groups are concerned. SADC countries are no exception as most governments in the region have not done enough to close the adaptation gap. In fact, they still think climate change is a western problem.

Moreover, this lag must be blamed on SADC’s low capacity to develop and invest in mitigation as well as adaptation facilities. For instance, the regional bloc SADC recently admitted that it is ill-prepared to deal with natural disasters.

SADC director for Infrastructure and Services, Remigious Makumbe, admitted that member states were not prepared for earthquake early detection and disaster mitigation, and this seriously shows that the region is in dire need of capacity building of a regional institution responsible for mitigation and adaptation.

Ronald Chimunda, an agricultural research technician, says SADC leaders should invest in research to effectively close climate change adaptation gaps as well as supporting vulnerable groups. He believes leaders and other players in the environment sector must research and acknowledge climate change and try to use research findings to solve the problem.

“Research is vital if the region wants to invest in climate change adaptation strategies and effectively sustain its environments. This means SADC member state, through their leaders, must show more commitment to research as the region needs an effective climate change adaptation policy. The policy should also be in sync with other protocols that protect the environment and propagate socio-economic transformation,” he says.

To show that they care for this generation and others to come, says Chimunda, regional leaders and other stakeholders must also invest in programmes that effectively sustain and ensure continuous environmental management. This means they should rethink and invest in climate change adaptation strategies and start spreading investment in rural and deserted regions so as to reduce climate induced security risk and migration.