Africa

situation analysis

Setting sustainable public transport
in motion in South Africa
The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
provided
a grant of US$11 million
to reduce the transport sector’s carbon footprint.

Africa will be the continent hardest hit by climate change because it faces more severe climatic effects than other regions, its economies rely on climate-dependent sectors such as agriculture and its capacities to cope and adapt are generally limited. Fast facts

The World Bank estimates that Africa’s average annual temperature is likely to rise an additional 3-4 degrees by 2099. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, by 2020, 75 to 250 million people across sub-Saharan Africa could face water shortages, and rain-fed agriculture could contract by 50% in some African countries.

Climate change is an urgent developmental challenge with the potential to derail progress towards achieving all eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa. From Morocco to Mozambique, the poor, and especially women, will be the hardest hit. They rely on natural resources and ecosystems for their livelihoods, are vulnerable to the spread of tropical diseases such as malaria and dengue fever and are more likely to be affected by extreme weather events.

With its presence in every African country and its extensive network of partners across the continent, UNDP provides services to help African countries and regional institutions to respond to climate change by working on the following four areas:

UNDP's mission and examples of our work on the ground

• We support the capacities of decision-makers so they can tackle climate-related issues
  
  For instance, thanks to a $5.6 million initiative called “Boots on the Ground”, we mobilized climate experts in 15 African Least Developed Countries, helping them to grasp climate-related issues; craft climate policies; and access and implement climate financing.
  
  
• We help African countries to adapt to climate change
  
  Under the $92 million Africa Adaptation Programme, UNDP supports 20 countries in Africa to develop integrated and comprehensive climate change adaptation actions and resilience plans.
  
  
• We assist them in developing low-carbon development strategies
  
  In November 2011, with technical and financial support from UNDP and the British Development Agency DFID, Ethiopia developed a $150-billion strategy for green growth over two decades, aiming for middle income country status by 2025 with constant carbon emissions.
  
  
• We also support countries in minimizing the impact of climate-related disasters
  
  For instance, UNDP has been supporting Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) so it could shift its agenda from responding to emergencies to reducing risks and preventing disasters.
  
  
• We reach out to people so they can get involved in fighting climate change
  
  UNDP held training events for dozens of African journalists throughout 2011, boosting their understanding of the issues at stake and increasing the quality of their coverage.