Africa risks Europe - like climate refugees

Sep 21, 2015

With two million Syrian refugees knocking on every door of Europe, the rest of the continents are expected to experience such kind of crisis soon. Africa, agreeably, will be the next, if appropriate measures are not cultivated to fathom the widening breadth of challenges initiated by climate change

By Boaz Opio

With two million Syrian refugees knocking on every door of Europe, the rest of the continents are expected to experience such kind of crisis soon. Africa, agreeably, will be the next, if appropriate measures are not cultivated to fathom the widening breadth of challenges initiated by climate change.

The flood of these refugees into Europe has spurred European leaders to call for "Ambitious, robust and binding global climate deal". This was the mood set by European commission President Jean-Claude Juncker who noted that "climate refugees will become a new challenge if the world does not act swiftly".

To Africa, Climate refugees are not news at all. In 2011, Sub-Saharan Africa experienced flocks of people trying to escape drought in Somalia, the epidemic that incited World Food programme (WFP) to declare as the worst draught in 60 years. More than 600,000 people were displaced across northern Kenya, Ethiopia, south Sudan and Northern Uganda.

The same affected South Africa and BBC reported that nearly 100,000 people are yet to face the problems triggered by climate change.

In Uganda, the northern districts of Abim, Arua, Soroti...among others are often the worst affected. As minor as it seems in relation the 2011 draughts, it fuels internal displacement of people. Uganda for instance has for long grappled with rising populations of urban centers; city authorities such as the KCCA (Kampala Capital City Authority), constantly laments about increased rural urban migration. Understanding that the root of all these problems is the rapidly changing climate that is rendering Agriculture a gamble, speedy actions needs to be taken in joining global anti-emissions trains of thought and movements.

Giving the first annual state of the Union address, Mr. Juncker also pinpointed climate change to be "one of the root causes" of the much lamented refugee crisis. The strong words may be seen by some as a warning as Juncker wanted it to be very clear "to our international partners" that the EU will not sign "just any deal" at the upcoming UNFCCC COP21 in Paris. This, he concluded, will include a strong global carbon-emissions reduction target of at least 60% by 2050.

Meanwhile, experts from climate Analytics looked into 15 different national plans to cut carbon emissions by 2030. These included the US, China and EU which together account for 51% of global emissions. What they found out is that recent trends for countries to submit emission reduction targets by 2030 could blindfold countries trying to walk on eggshells, leading them down a dangerous paths whereby holding global warming below 2 degrees Celsius could become infeasible and 1.5°C beyond reach" said Bill Hare of Climate Analytics. He advised that this may in fact lock in recklessly high emissions until 2030, and that the UN Urgently should step in to enforce a 2025 target that would allow especially African Countries to revise their emission reduction plans.

The linkage of climate Woes and Syrian refugees has been inspired by the proceedings of National Academy of sciences arguing that "Drought, in addition to its mismanagement by Assad regime, contributed to the displacement of 2 million in Syria".

It’s upon mismanaging of climate change dealings that it's feared that African continent might catch the refugee epidemic owing to its slow response to climate change as seen in only a few African countries that have already submitted their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

Submission of these predetermined intentions of actions is usable in predicting the future of Africa we want to see.

The writer is a student

 

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