Climate change: the challenges of adopting green economy model in Africa

Abstract

Experts estimate that developed economies with 15 percent of the global population and utilizing about half of global resources have contributed to large increases in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere through the burning fossil fuels, that have contributed immensely is climate change. African countries are amongst the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, although they have contributed the least to the problem and also have the least infrastructure for managing and adapting to the impact of climate change. According to IPCC assessment reports, while African continent contributes less than 4 percent of global GHG, about 70 million Africans will be exposed to water shortage by 2020. This is a clear indication of the huge vulnerabilities associated with climate change. The vulnerabilities are a testimony to the direct impacts of climate change on development with regard to climate-sensitive activities such as agriculture. Indeed, the crisis is a significant threat for people living in African countries due to the high reliance of their livelihoods on climate-sensitive economic activities such as; rain-fed agriculture, livestock rearing, forestry and marine eco-systems. This shows that climate change is expected to exacerbate existing challenges such as land tenure insecurity, inequality and marginalization of rural populations, weak natural resource governance and management, slash and burn agriculture and its attendant soil degradation problems and lack of access to alternative energy sources. In the context of the impacts of climate change on socio-economic development and its exacerbation of the existing vulnerabilities, policies and strategies for adaptation and mitigation of the old and new vulnerabilities associated with climate change, by the African countries become not only a priority but also an imperative. However, such policies and strategies have to be underpinned by adopting a green economy model. The model is defined as “an economy that aims to improve human welfare and social equity and concurrently reduce environmental risks and ecological scarcities”. The objective of the paper is to analyze the kind of challenges that Africa faces in adopting the model. The challenges range from those of raising awareness amongst stakeholders, donor dependence, weak and low capacities for planning and enforcement, to Africa’s low voice in global economic, social and political affairs.