The Impact of Climate Change in Africa

This paper is concerned with the fact that African nations are among the lightest polluters, yet analysts say they will suffer the most from climate change in their pursuit of water and food security, sustainable development, and political and economic sustainability. Therefore the paper reviews the relationships among climate change, water and food security, conflicts, and development. It also argues that there is a need for climate change information in Africa and reviews the status of international climate agreements related to adaptation, mitigation and compensation. In addition, the paper argues that even if climate change by its nature may not necessarily lead to violent interstate conflicts, scarcity of water and food in Africa has already nurtured political tensions among nations, thus retarding efforts towards sustainable development. http://www.iss.co.za/uploads/Paper220.pdf