Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on contributors
- Peer reviewers
- Editor's note
- Foreword
- Foreword
- Foreword
- Foreword
- Preface
- Preface
- Preface
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- List of SI prefixes
- List of unit abbreviations
- List of chemical formulae
- Part I Science
- Part II Sustainable energy development, mitigation and policy
- Part III Vulnerability and adaptation
- 18 Potential impacts of sea-level rise on populations and agriculture
- 19 Sea-level rise and coastal biodiversity in West Africa: a case study from Ghana
- 20 The impacts of ENSO in Africa
- 21 Climate policy implications of the recent ENSO events in a small island context
- 22 El Niño causes dramatic outbreak of Paederus dermatitis in East Africa
- 23 The role of indigenous plants in household adaptation to climate change: the Kenyan experience
- 24 Requirements for integrated assessment modelling at the regional and national levels in Africa to address climate change
- 25 Climate and disaster risk reduction in Africa
- Part IV Capacity-building
- Part V Lessons from the Montreal Protocol
- Index
25 - Climate and disaster risk reduction in Africa
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 December 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on contributors
- Peer reviewers
- Editor's note
- Foreword
- Foreword
- Foreword
- Foreword
- Preface
- Preface
- Preface
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- List of SI prefixes
- List of unit abbreviations
- List of chemical formulae
- Part I Science
- Part II Sustainable energy development, mitigation and policy
- Part III Vulnerability and adaptation
- 18 Potential impacts of sea-level rise on populations and agriculture
- 19 Sea-level rise and coastal biodiversity in West Africa: a case study from Ghana
- 20 The impacts of ENSO in Africa
- 21 Climate policy implications of the recent ENSO events in a small island context
- 22 El Niño causes dramatic outbreak of Paederus dermatitis in East Africa
- 23 The role of indigenous plants in household adaptation to climate change: the Kenyan experience
- 24 Requirements for integrated assessment modelling at the regional and national levels in Africa to address climate change
- 25 Climate and disaster risk reduction in Africa
- Part IV Capacity-building
- Part V Lessons from the Montreal Protocol
- Index
Summary
Keywords
Africa; disaster risk; weather, climate change; disaster risk reduction
Abstarct
Droughts, floods and storms affect millions of people in Africa every year, frequently with devastating impacts. The multiple stresses on African countries, particularly from poverty, infectious disease, fragile environments, limited institutional capacities and unsustainable development, mean that even modest fluctuations in weather or climate conditions can lead to severe consequences. However, there is sufficient understanding of how these vulnerabilities arise and compound each other, and therefore of how to act to reduce the risks. Disaster risk reduction encompasses three main areas of activity – assessing the risks, practices to reduce and manage risk, and policies and institutions to lead and support these activities. Climate change from rising greenhouse gas concentrations is an additional serious long-term threat, though there is little scientific (IPCC) evidence so far of material changes in the frequency or intensity of disaster-producing floods, droughts or storms, contrary to popular belief. Instead, the increased numbers of climate-related disasters over the last few decades appear to be mostly due to growing vulnerability and closer awareness and reporting of events. Attention therefore must remain focused on the vulnerabilities and risks associated with existing climate variability. Nevertheless, climate adaptation initiatives provide a welcome opportunity to advance the reduction of disaster risk. Conversely, disaster risk reduction provides a potent means to advance the adaptation agenda.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Climate Change and Africa , pp. 271 - 284Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005
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