Impacts of Climate Change on Agricultural Productivity: A Comparison of Africa and the Rest of the World

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P Van Den Hazel

Abstract The impacts of climate change are not distributed equally. Some people will experience natural disasters first hand, some will be affected more gradually over time, and some will experience only indirect impacts. There are data from the United nations that show the interest of youth on climate change. Close to half a million youth around the world have taken action on climate change through SGP [small grants programmes] projects in their homes, schools and communities. (UNDP, 2015). 84% of the surveyed young people agree that they need more information to prevent climate change. (UNEP, 2011). Furthermore, about 73% of surveyed youth say they currently feel the effects climate change. (UNEP, GlobeScan Survey, 2008). Some 89% of youth respondents say young people can make a difference on climate change. [UNEP, 2008]. But only 9% of youth are very confident the world will act quickly enough to address climate change. [UNEP, 2008]. Young people are key actors in raising awareness, running educational programmes, promoting sustainable lifestyles, conserving nature, supporting renewable energy, adopting environmentally-friendly practices and implementing adaptation and mitigation projects[UNFCCC]. Action by youth, as protest school strikes or speeches to the UN by Greta Thunberg, urge immediate action from governments, business leaders and school leaders. There are different reasons for this action by youth. The psycho-social impacts of a changing climate are generally under lighted in these reasons. Are the responses by society enough to minimize suffering and promote resilience of youth in the face of the challenging impacts of climate change? Or do governments and businesses enough while they increasingly seem to be moving toward action on climate change, as they proclaim to cut their own emissions or be active in their energy transition? It is not clear whether those actions are enough to satisfy the next generation of customers, employees and decision makers.


2021 ◽  

Abstract This book is a collection of 77 expert opinions arranged in three sections. Section 1 on "Climate" sets the scene, including predictions of future climate change, how climate change affects ecosystems, and how to model projections of the spatial distribution of ticks and tick-borne infections under different climate change scenarios. Section 2 on "Ticks" focuses on ticks (although tick-borne pathogens creep in) and whether or not changes in climate affect the tick biosphere, from physiology to ecology. Section 3 on "Disease" focuses on the tick-host-pathogen biosphere, ranging from the triangle of tick-host-pathogen molecular interactions to disease ecology in various regions and ecosystems of the world. Each of these three sections ends with a synopsis that aims to give a brief overview of all the expert opinions within the section. The book concludes with Section 4 (Final Synopsis and Future Predictions). This synopsis attempts to summarize evidence provided by the experts of tangible impacts of climate change on ticks and tick-borne infections. In constructing their expert opinions, contributors give their views on what the future might hold. The final synopsis provides a snapshot of their expert thoughts on the future.


2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Attaher ◽  
M. A. Medany ◽  
A. F. Abou-Hadid

Abstract. The overall agricultural system in the Nile Delta region is considered as one of the highest intensive and complicated agriculture systems in the world. According to the recent studies, the Nile Delta region is one of the highly vulnerable regions in the world to climate change. Sea level rise, soil and water degradation, undiversified crop-pattern, yield reduction, pests and disease severity, and irrigation and drainage management were the main key factors that increased vulnerability of the agriculture sector in that region. The main objective of this study is to conduct a community-based multi-criteria adaptation assessment in the Nile Delta using a preset questionnaire. A list of possible adaptation measures for agriculture sector was evaluated. The results indicated that the Nile Delta growers have strong perceptions to act positively to reduce the impacts of climate change. They reflected the need to improve the their adaptive capacity based on clear scientific message with adequate governmental support to coop with the negative impacts of climate change.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asako Iwami ◽  
Takanori Matsui ◽  
Michinori Kimura ◽  
Kenshi Baba ◽  
Mitsuru Tanaka

As the effects of climate change increase in severity, organizations across the world are attempting to measures to mitigate these effects. In accordance with the Paris Agreement of November 2015, wherein participating nations agreed to restrict the increase in global temperature below 2 °C, Japan has formulated guidelines on creating adaptation plans that can be implemented by local governments. A Climate Change Adaptive Information Platform was also launched to promote understanding and cooperation by sharing information on climate risks. However, the literature on this topic lacks information related to the organization of requirements and challenges faced by municipal administrative officials that formulate adaptation plans. To address these issues, we examined the four municipal forums hosted at Hosei University to encourage administrative needs for new technological ideas in areas such as climate modeling and impact assessment. We used text mining on the transcripts of the various workshops conducted in these forums and attempted to understand the changes in discussions and to extract issues related to the formulation process. The results showed that various topics, such as creating adaptation promotion systems, assessing the impacts of climate change, formulating adaptation plans, communicating with related organizations and stakeholders, developing human resources, and capacity building, were discussed, and a need for information, procedures, and assistance was identified for the formulation of feasible adaptation plans. This study is expected to provide a useful reference to stakeholders involved in framing adaptation plans to mitigate the effects of climate changes, particularly at the municipal level.


IAWA Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-201
Author(s):  
Rayees Malik ◽  
Sergio Rossi ◽  
Raman Sukumar

Abstract Climate change is expected to be heterogeneous across the world, with high impacts on the Himalayan ecosystems. There is a need to precisely document cambial phenology and wood formation in these regions to better understand climate-growth relationships and how trees face a warming climate. This study describes the dynamics of cambial phenology in pindrow fir (Abies pindrow) along its altitudinal gradient in the Himalaya. The stages of xylem phenology, and the duration and rate of wood formation were assessed from anatomical observations during the growing season from samples collected weekly from three sites at various altitudes (2392–2965 m a.s.l.) over two years. There were significant differences in the duration and rate of cell formation along the altitudinal gradient, which decreased at increasing altitudes. The growing season duration decreased by 5.2 and 3.7 days every 100 m of increase in altitude in 2014 and 2015, respectively, while the rate of cell formation decreased from 0.38 and 0.44 cells /day to 0.29 and 0.34 cells/day in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Cell production decreased from 63.3 and 67.0 cells to 38.3 and 45.2 cells with a decrease of 4.3 and 3.8 cells per 100 m increase in altitude in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The higher precipitation in 2015 increased the growth rate and resulted in a higher xylem production. Our findings give new insights into the dynamics of cambial phenology and help in better understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on tree growth and forest productivity of Himalayan forests.


Author(s):  
B. E. Ikumbur ◽  
S. Iornumbe

Climate change is the single biggest environmental issue facing the world today. It has become a great challenge to our generation and its impact is felt in almost every society in the world. Nigeria is one of the most vulnerable countries in Africa. Nigeria as a developing nation with a population of about 200 million people is likely to be adversely impacted by climate change due to its vulnerability and low coping capabilities. Climate change is evidently linked to human actions, and in particular from the burning of fossil fuels and changes in global patterns of land use. The impacts of human activities, as well as those of natural phenomena on global warming, climate change, and the environment, were presented and discussed. Various manifestations of its impact are evident in Nigeria, which includes temperature rise, increase in draught, and scarcity of food instigated by irregularities in rainfall, over flooding, and so on. This paper examines the concepts of global warming and climate change; its impact on the Nigeria ecosystems. It highlights the climate change-related risks and hazards the nation could face if best practices are not employed to prevent and mitigate its impact. Two sets of measures have been advocated for confronting climate change, these are mitigation and adaptation measures. The review explores possible adaptation strategies that are required to respond to the climatic variations and suggests ways that these adaptation strategies can be implemented.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 807
Author(s):  
Luciana Da Silva Mieres ◽  
Claudinéia Brazil Saldanha ◽  
Arthur Da Fontoura Tschiedel ◽  
Rogério De Lima Saldanha ◽  
Maria Angélica Gonçalves Cardoso

As alterações climáticas estão associadas a graves impactos na agricultura uma vez que o crescimento e o desenvolvimento das culturas dependem diretamente do clima e das interações solo-atmosfera. A umidade do solo é uma informação fundamental no planejamento agrícola, subsidiando a definição das datas de plantio, necessidades de irrigação e produtividades agrícolas. O presente estudo objetivou avaliar os impactos das mudanças climáticas na umidade do solo para uma região de cultura de soja do estado do Rio Grande do Sul através dos cenários estabelecidos pelo IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change). Os resultados indicaram uma tendência ao aumento da precipitação, favorecendo o aumento da taxa de umidade do solo na região do médio alto Uruguai. Em síntese, o fator de umidade do solo apresentou condições favoráveis ao desenvolvimento vegetal e pelos resultados apresentados, verifica-se que o modelo de previsão de umidade do solo, analisado em conjunto com os cenários do IPCC, são importantes ferramentas para os estudos dos impactos das mudanças climáticas na produtividade agrícola. Palavras chaves: mudanças climáticas, soja, umidade do solo.   Climate Projections of Quality Changes in Water Available on the Ground for Cultivation of Soybeans   ABSTRACT Climate change is associated with serious impacts on agriculture since the crop growth and development depend directly on the climate and soil-atmosphere interactions. Soil moisture is fundamental information in agricultural planning, helping to define the dates of planting, irrigation needs, and agricultural productivity. In this study was evaluated the impacts of climate change in moisture soil to a region of the soybean crop in the state of Rio Grande do Sul using the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) scenarios set. The results indicated a tendency to increased rainfall, favoring an increase in the rate of soil moisture in the region of the middle upper Uruguay. The factor of soil moisture showed favorable conditions for plant development and the results presented showed that prediction model of soil moisture analyzed in conjunction with the IPCC scenarios are important tools for studies of the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity. Keywords: Climate change, soybean, soil moisture.


Author(s):  
Opeyemi Gbenga ◽  
H. I. Opaluwa ◽  
Awarun Olabode ◽  
Olowogbayi Jonathan Ayodele

Aim: Agriculture entails majorly crop and animal production. Crop and Livestock production provide the major human caloric and nutrition intake. Assessing the impact of climate change on crop and livestock productivity, is therefore critical to maintaining food supply in the world and particularly in Nigeria. Different studies have yielded different results in other parts of the world, it is therefore, very important to examine the linkage between climate change and agricultural productivity in Nigeria. Study Design: The study utilized secondary data. The study utilize climate data from Nigerian Meteorology Station and Carbon emission, Crop and Livestock production data from FOASTAT. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried in Nigeria and it covers the period between 1970-2016. Methodology: The data were used to estimate the empirical models. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, trend analysis, stationarity, Co-integration and Fully-Modified Least Squares regression. Results: The result of the research reveals that there is variation in the trend of the climatic factors examined and also variation in crop and livestock production over the period covered by the study in Nigeria. The finding also shows that rainfall, temperature and Carbon emission are the climatic factors that significantly affect crop and livestock production in Nigeria. Long term adverse impact of climate change on crop and livestock production index indicates threat to food availability to the country. Conclusion: The study concluded that climatic variables have significant effect on agricultural productivity in Nigeria. The study recommended the need to put in place measures that will reduce the negative effects of climate on agricultural production.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2S8) ◽  
pp. 1754-1757

Cities across the world are the main contributors to climate change but at the same time they are also the most vulnerable to its consequences. Some of the disastrous impacts of climate change include extreme weather events, periods of extreme heat and cold, high precipitation, floods, strong cyclones and storms. There is a need for urban design guidelines to effectively address the issues of climate chanbe and increase the resilience of cities. One way to adapt to this is through engineered infrastructure. Today nearly 70% of the world live in urban areas and in the next 20 years two billion more people are expected to move to the cities. With increasing urban densification land and buildable areas are going to become increasingly scarce. One possible solution is to build downwards instead of upwards. Underground areas are less susceptible to external influences and have the ability to better withstand natural catastrophes and hence can be sustainable solution for an unpredictable future. This paper will analyze the viability of underground cities through examples from history and existing case studies along with new upcoming proposals and probe how using underground spaces can increase the resilience of future cities


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-63
Author(s):  
Jem Bendell

As the impacts of climate change grow in number and severity, so climate distress is increasing around the world and becoming a major issue for psychologists, as both individuals and professionals. Increasing numbers of people assess that the damage that is forthcoming because of existing trajectories of atmospheric heating will lead to massive disruption and ultimate collapse of societies around the world. Some such people have been grouping together to share ideas on the implications for the rest of their lives. Many are using the concept and framework of “Deep Adaptation” to organise their sense making and actions. Their existence and ideas have led to strong criticisms from some commentators and scientists, who argue it is not correct or helpful to discuss collapse risk and readiness. This paper explores the reasons why publicly discussing anticipation of collapse has become helpful, and how criticisms of it are likely involving forms of ‘experiential avoidance’. The problematic objectification of people for ‘doomism’ is explained, as well as the antecedents of authoritarianism that may be emerging in the criticisms of Deep Adaptation. Therefore, a case is made for how psychotherapists and psychologists can help people, including scholars, understand how their aversion to the topic of collapse — and the emotions associated with it — could be preventing dialogue and wise action at this crucial time for humanity.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document