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A108186 ACTRAV/ITC-ILO COURSE Decent Work, Green Jobs and Sustainable Development Turin Centre, 24 August to 04 September 2015 African Perspective Climate Change and Environment. Presentation Outline. Introduction Climate Change Vulnerability in Africa:
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A108186ACTRAV/ITC-ILO COURSEDecent Work, Green Jobs and Sustainable Development Turin Centre, 24 August to 04 September 2015African PerspectiveClimate Change and Environment
Presentation Outline • Introduction • Climate Change Vulnerability in Africa: • Consequences of Climate Change in Africa • Economic costs of Climate Change Impact on Africa • Shrinking of Lake Chad • AU-NEPAD Environment Action Plan • AU’s Agenda 2063: Climate Action and Decent Work • Adaptation and Mitigation: • Mitigation Measures in Africa • Adaptation Measures in Africa • Potential Benefits of Greening Economy • Sectors with Potential for Green Jobs Creation • Conclusion
Introduction • Environmental Sustainability and Decent Work for All are two of the defining challenges of the 21st century. • By 2050 there will be 9.6 billion human beings in the world and on current trends of PRODUCTION & CONSUMPTION, we would require the natural resources of three planet EARTHS to sustain us. • The overuse of natural resources is increasingly exceeding planetary boundaries • The challenge of Inclusive Social Development and Environmental Sustainability are indeed enormous and urgent: • With over 201 million people unemployed [incl.74 million youth], persistent working poverty and social exclusion affecting more than a billion people globally coupled with rising inequality, declining social cohesion and stability, Job Creation is a social imperative • Developing countries can seize a unique opportunity to address SOCIAL INCLUSION, POVERTY ERADICATION and reinforce SOCIAL COHESION and STABILITY by shifting to a GREENER GROWTH path that will help preserve our Common Home [Planet EARTH]
Economic Costs of Climate Change Impact on Africa Coastlines and sea level rise. up to 20 million people / year in 2100 flooded Costs of several $billion/year by 2030 Up to $50 billion/year by 2100 (AdaptCost) Energy demand. Rising temperatures and demand for cooling rise of 30% by 2030. Heath burden Rising incidence of health burdens (malaria, other vector borne), heat extremes Increasing extremes Costs of flood and drought years already 5 – 8% of GDP. Extreme events could intensify Agriculture yield reductions up to 50% by 2020 and net crop revenues up to 90% by 2100 Loss of ecosystem services Effects on forests, corals, wildlife parks, and on tourism and services Water resources People with high water stress, 75-250 million by the 2020s and 350-600 million by the 2050s Source: Watkiss et al SEI WeAdapt Google Earth Platform/ DFID Economics of Climate Change in East Africa / UNEP AdaptCost / EC ClimateCost
Program Areas of the EAP • Combating land degradation, drought and desertification • Conserving Africa’s wetland • Prevention, control and management of invasive alien species • Conservation and sustainable use of marine, coastal and freshwater resources • Combating climate change in Africa • Transboundary conservation or management of natural resources • Cross-cutting issues: • Health and environment • Assessment of an early warming on natural disasters • The environment directory of NEPAD
AU’s Agenda 2063: Climate Action & Decent Work • Building Africa’s capacity to implement regional and international environmental agreements • Addressing Africa’s environmental challenges Inclusive growth, climate resilient economies and sustainable development • Adopting green economy strategy Agenda 2063 “The Africa We Want” • Encouraging green private investment and ensuring that markets are open for green and clean products • Seizing Africa’s energy & climate opportunities by: • Adopting clean technology • Redirecting subsidies spent on fossil fuel to renewable energy • Pricing carbon out of the market through taxation • Energy labelling • Increasing the capacity of carbon sinks e.g. through reforestation • Combating desertification • Monitoring the environment • Promoting ratification of climate change treaties • Awareness-raising campaigns Participation in global efforts to tackle climate change through mitigation and adaptation measures • Exploiting the potential in biodiversity-based industries • Promoting Decent Work as a key component of national development strategies • Promoting adaptation and mitigation strategies to preserve the environment and attain sustainability
Mitigation and Adaptation • Mitigation refers to an anthropogenic intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks GHGs (IPCC) Mitigation tackles the causes of climate change • Adaptation refers to adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate change stimuli or their effects, which moderate harm or exploits beneficial opportunities Adaptation tackles the effects of climate change • Africa suffers the most from adverse impacts of climate change due to: • Low adaptive capacity • Low resilience • High levels of poverty • The poor suffers the most of the impacts of climate change
Mitigation Measures in Africa • Knowledge analysis and sharing in green economy • Adoption of Green Economy legislation, policies and programs • Awareness raising on Global Warming and Just Transition • Capacity building: human, organizational and institutional • Use of cooking gas and efficient cooking stoves instead of wood fuel [East Africa, West Africa and Central Africa] • Reduction of Emission, Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) [Niger, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Sierra Leone, etc.] • Shift from the use of chemical fertilizers to organic manure or compost [Madagascar] • Shift to “Clean Energy Technologies” as an alternative to Fossil Fuel e.g. solar, hydro, geothermal, wind, biofuel and biomass energies [East Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa and North Africa] • Alliances and partnerships
Geothermal in the Rift Valley ( Olkaria ) Renewables: hydro, solar, Extension of geothermal, with additional 276 geothermal in Rwanda GWh /yr, which will displace electricity produced by e.g. Solar Power Plant ( Jali Hill) is fossil - fuel - powered plants equivalent to 150,000 Africa largest solar power plant tCO e per year, and develop local community 2 (250kW) has reduced dependency benefits. CDCF will purchase emission reductions on diesel - generated electricity. Large potential for micro - hydro Wind Development in Northern Kenya Largest wind development in Africa, 300 MW, near Lake Turkana , potentially meeting 30% of Biomass / Biogas in Rwanda Kenya's current electricity needs, at low Biomass energy strategy, includes marginal cost. Part financed by carbon credits. efficient cooking stoves with additional benefits of reducing air pollution. Large - scale biogas plants already in Micro hydro . Community micro - prisons plus wider opportunities hydro project in Kenyan village of Mbuiru , north of Nairobi Methane recovery and fuel switching, Rwanda Lake Kivu . 100 MW methane emissions from the lake has been used to Displace existing high cost diesel generation and CO emissions 2 ( $0.07/kWh compared to diesel generation at $0.26/kWh ) Crop - residue fired brick Making Tanzania Biofuels Low carbon and poverty reduction project. Also Jatropha plantation provides fuel to replace provides adaptation through increased climate diesel in off - grid generator replacement resilience to extreme weather compared to and also provides fuel for local lamps traditional mud brick houses Efficient cooking stoves, Uganda Investment in high efficiency cooking stoves, funded by voluntary credits (offsets). 300,000 tonnes of CO offset 2 and r eduction in kitchen smoke and improved health Low Carbon Growth East AfricaExamples
Adaptation Measures in Africa • Historical and real time climate observations and forecasts [Improved disaster preparedness, management and response] • Development of more resilient crop varieties [heat, drought, and salt resistant] • Investment in efficient technologies for water conservation and irrigation; waste management (e.g. through recycling) • Adoption of new methods to combat land degradation e.g. construction of dykes and storm surge barriers to protect sandy coasts • Prevent further development on flood plains and beaches • Planned adaptation – policy coherence across sectors • Building bridges between science and policy
Potential Benefits of Greening Economy • Transition to a greener economy could help reach many social goals over the next 20 to 30 years, including: • Creating about 15 to 60 million additional decent jobs • Upgrading jobs and raising incomes, especially in sectors such as agriculture, construction, recycling, and tourism • Contributing significantly to poverty eradication, social inclusions and bridging inequalities • Realizing environmental sustainability
Conclusions • The world of work is a source of solutions and is an indispensable driver to bring about profound transformation of production and consumption • Proactive policies to protect the climate and preserve the environment can actually create substantially more jobs than ‘business as usual’ growth • We must put Green Economy Agenda at the heart of DWCP, National Development Framework and Growth Strategy • A Just Transition for all towards an environmentally sustainable economy is imperative • We must all collaborate to care for OUR COMMON HOME!