West Africa: Climate Change and Migration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In West Africa, where many people work in industries susceptible to climate-related weather extremes and sea level rise, the climate problem and migration are becoming more acute. As climate change worsens, it is posing a danger to livelihoods, which feeds conflicts and drives people in poor nations north, where circumstances are, at least temporarily, more manageable. The climate disaster is being felt in real time in West Africa, where people are fleeing for their lives and seeking assistance. In the article that I found it discusses, although there is growing agreement that migration policies in  the north should not be focused only on reducing flows from poor nations, the impact of high emissions from the global north and middle-income emerging market economies on countries in the south is frequently disregarded. It is time to accept the fact that today's most significant cause of livelihood loss in poor nations is climate change. So, it should come as no surprise that migration is a frequent adaptation tactic used by individuals to deal with decreasing living conditions and seek better futures for their children. Although producing only two to three percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, Africa bears a disproportionate amount of the burden. The State of the Climate, which has a particular emphasis on water, warns that by 2030, up to 700 million people might be displaced from their homes due to severe water stress, affecting an estimated 250 million people on the continent. By 2030, it's improbable that four out of five African nations will have water resources that are sustainably managed. That we can predict 

so far in advance how climate change would affect a particular country and area astounds me. According to the article that I have found someone made a statement regarding, “Africa’s climate has warmed more than the global average since pre-industrial time”. They had observed that this is causing coastal floods, erosion, and salinity, all of which are increasing in frequency and severity. In West Africa, migration has a long history and is mostly influenced by networks of kin ship and religion that transcend national lines. Migration flows are also explained by confounding variables including demographics, security, and livelihood difficulties. In recent years, Islamist terrorist issues in Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have also caused many to leave. Yet, there is mounting proof that these tendencies are being exacerbated by climate change. In West Africa, intra-regional migration still makes up the majority of migration (84%). People mostly migrate from the Sahel, where there is a greater reliance on a dry and deteriorating terrain, to nations with more plantations, mining, or other coastal enterprises. Discovering other coping mechanisms besides migration and conflicts over few resources is challenging but crucial. It necessitates concentrating development strategy (and donor assistance) on more long-term adaption tactics. To achieve this, it will be necessary to diversify economic activities away from those that depend on the weather, such as artisanal fishing and traditional agriculture. This can be done by utilizing modern livestock, agricultural, and horticultural practices, as well as by integrating traditional crops and primary products into global value chains.

 

Although having some of the lowest total and per capita global warming emissions  on the globe, Africa is nevertheless predicted to experience some of the worst climate change effects.  Droughts, famines, desertification, and population relocation are just a few of the effects that might already be seen. Increasing access to energy services and enhancing the economic wellbeing of their citizens are priorities for many African countries due to the high rates of poverty and malnutrition in the region. In the past two decades, forests have significantly decreased throughout Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. The Congo Basin Rainforest, which covers 700,000 square miles across six nations, is the second-largest tropical forest in the world. Luckily, there has never been much deforestation or forest degradation in the Congo Basin. ““Logging of forests in the Congo Basin and across East Africa minimizes water storage, evaporation, condensation, and regionally generated precipitation” (Parenti 45). Novel initiatives are being made to guarantee efficient land use planning that balances conservation with local subsistence requirements. Many African nations are turning to renewable energy as a way to meet their expanding energy needs sustainably while working toward workable adaptation strategies to lessen the effects of global warming. They are multiple leading ways in the new renewable energy projects and establishing forward-thinking innovation centers. The industrialized nations that historically have been responsible for the majority of global warming emissions must take responsibility for addressing these adaptation issues as well as the African nations that are now dealing with them. While there has been progress, much more must to be done to meet the continent of Africa's present and future energy and development demands.

 

 

 Discovering other coping mechanisms besides migration and conflicts over few resources is challenging but crucial. It necessitates concentrating development strategy (and donor assistance) on more long-term adaption tactics. To achieve this, it will be necessary to diversify economic activities away from those that depend on the weather, such as artisanal fishing and traditional agriculture. This can be done by utilizing modern livestock, agricultural, and horticultural practices, as well as by integrating traditional crops and primary products into global value chains.

 

 

 

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“Climate Change Is an Increasing Threat to Africa.” Unfccc.int, https://unfccc.int/news/climate-change-is-an-increasing-threat-to-africa. 

“For Millions of Africans, Climate Change Is Already Here.” World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/west-and-central-africa-climate-migrants/.

International Centre for Migration Policy Development. https://www.icmpd.org/file/download/57218/file/ICMPD_Migration_Outlook_WestAfrica_2022.pdf. 

“State of Climate in Africa Highlights Water Stress and Hazards.” World Meteorological Organization, 10 Feb. 2023, https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/state-of-climate-africa-highlights-water-stress-and-hazards.