ECA to launch paper on climate change in African small islands

As a culmination of assessments of opportunities and vulnerabilities of African small island developing states, ECA will launch the subject paper at a side event during the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on 3 September, 2014 in Apia- Samoa.

The six African SIDS i.e. Cape Verde, Comoros, Guinea Bissau, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the Seychelles face significant development challenges owing to their peculiar characteristics. Climate change is probably the most pressing. African SIDS are inherently diverse, from size to their economic development. For instance, while Seychelles is composed of 115 small islands, Guinea-Bissau just lies along the coastline though it has about 80 islands. Economically, the countries vary in their levels of development. Out of six African SIDS, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe belong to Least Developed Countries (LDC), while Cape Verde, Mauritius and Seychelles are middle income countries. The African SIDS also vary in their vulnerability to climate change and have varying levels of adaptive capacity. Along with exposure to natural and climate related hazards, a number of other factors exacerbate African SIDS vulnerable to climate change.

The ECA paper provides an overview of the vulnerability of African SIDS to climate change impacts and highlights the ‘paradox of the small’ in African SIDS. Authors of the paper define the paradox as the SIDS paying disproportionately for climate change compared to their small size. In effect therefore, the SIDS are overburdened with the cost of managing climate challenges that they are least responsible for, as the combined annual carbon dioxide (CO2) output of all SIDS accounts for less than one per cent of global emissions.

Number of disasters, people affected and economic losses

 

The ECA paper further illustrates resilience building efforts underway to address climate change in the key economic sectors of tourism, agriculture, fisheries and renewable energy in African SIDS and opportunities to enhance these efforts.

Small geographical size, insularity, remoteness, rapid human population growth, poorly developed infrastructure, low economy diversification, limited capacity and exposure to natural hazards make African SIDS extremely vulnerable to exogenous shocks including natural hazards and impacts of climate change.

Despite significant socio-economic challenges attributable to their peculiar characteristics and climate change, problems often bring about opportunities that can galvanize economic transformation through innovative adaptation and mitigation strategies including policies and frameworks that look into sustainable harnessing of ocean rich biological and mineral resources which comprise fisheries, tourism, shipping, sea bed mineral wealth, renewable energy and fair international trade arrangements.

African SIDS have these important marine and coastal resources that are significant resource bases, which can provide opportunities for transforming their economies and enhance their capacity to respond to impacts of climate change predicted by most climate change models. To respond to these challenges, African SIDS need to position their national and regional development strategies to leverage the following:

  1. Geographic uniqueness (drawing lessons from different SIDS regions)
  2. Regional cooperation
  3. Transition to green economy
  4. The move towards food security
  5. Building Institutional and governmental capacity
  6. Innovations and technology transfer

African SIDS tend to be overlooked in the predominant literature on climate change and their differential vulnerabilities are often drowned in a narrative that focuses on biophysical impacts with only superficial reference to social vulnerability. However, with many global processes such as the international conference series on Small Island Developing States, awareness can bolster support at home and enable African SIDS to enter into an institutional renewal phase that will ensure that many of their institutions are fit for purpose and able to identify climate risks and opportunities.

For further information on the ECA side event at the third SIDS conference, click here

To read the full paper, click here

Keyword: 
Sustainable Development