Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 28 September 2020 (ECA) – The Economic Commission for Africa’s African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) is proud and delighted to have contributed to the milestone championing climate literacy around the globe celebrated one week ago by the One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (UN CC:Learn) at UNITAR.
Climate change is acknowledged to be among the most serious threats to food supply systems and their capacity to meet the growing food needs of populations. Indeed, it is predicted that agriculture in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries will be seriously affected by climate change, but the magnitude and impact of that change will vary across landscapes. The present working paper looks at various agro-climatic zones (ACZs) and investigates the potential impact of climate change on land allocation and crop production in the ECOWAS region.
The impact of climate change on agriculture is expected to have a profound effect on the African continent if nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and if no appropriate adaptation strategies are put in place (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014; Rosenzweig and Parry, 1994). There is now consensus that reductions in these emissions require global agreements between industrialized countries emitting large quantities of those gases.
Hydropower dams in Ethiopia have enormous economic, social and ecological benefits but their sustainability is threatened, inter alia, by unprecedented siltation. Hence, reclaiming degraded areas around the water reservoirs through afforestation and reforestation programmes is particularly important to build ecosystem, social and infrastructure resilience while contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, August 6, 2020 (ECA) – The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) on Thursday hosted a webinar in which participants discussed ways through which member States and institutions can strengthen the engagement of women in climate information and services (CIS) which they can utilize to support the CIS value chain for the benefit of their countries and communities.
Addis Ababa, 7 July 2020 (ECA) - The Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management Division (TCND) at ECA is leading a study on unleashing the potential of the private sector to drive green growth and employment in Africa. Reports are currently being drafted by national consultants on 6 selected countries (Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia). Besides the country case reports, a regional study will be conducted.
There are many parallels between COVID–19 and climate change, and many lessons can be learned from the COVID response. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimates that COVID-19 could cause Africa’s economies will contract by between 1.8 – 2.6%, potentially pushing 27 million people into extreme poverty[1].
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 23 June 2020 (ECA) - A post coronavirus recovery in Africa should address the fundamental causes of vulnerabilities and go beyond fiscal and monetary adjustments whose sole aim is to ensure the survival and perpetuation of the current system of production, consumption and distribution which is responsible for the climate crisis, according to a new discussion paper published by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
The World is currently in the throes of unprecedented health and economic crisis brought on by the global spread of the novel corona virus-induced COVID-19. COVID-19 has already infected millions of people worldwide, with tens of thousands of fatalities. The globalized and interconnected nature of our society and economy have quickly morphed a public health event into a global political, economic, psychological and social crisis of epic proportions.