Africa bears little blame for the world’s current climate crisis, yet is one of the continents most effected by and most vulnerable to climate change and variability.  Isn’t it ironic that after a connecting with kids in the UK and USA  over the summer, 16 year old Ruth Mbabazi in rural Uganda (Gasiza parish) said she’d learned “that the whole world is fighting against climate change, I thought we were the only ones doing it”

It is because people across Africa are suffering the effects, along with the wildlife and habitats around them, and are looking for solutions, that we produced the PACE – Climate Change module.  It explains in simple terms what climate change is, where greenhouse gases come from, the impact of climate change on people, wildlife and habitats, how we can each help to slow the rate of change and how we can adapt to changes already taking place. It has examples of what both ordinary and some very innovative people and organisations around Africa are already doing in response to climate change.

Climate Change adaptation is especially important for many our partners.  Unpredictable  seasons, rains coming late, not at all, or in unexpected amounts, has devastating effects, especially on rural communities that are typically conservative in their ways, depend on local water supplies, and subsistence agriculture.  Climate Change Adaptation refers to ways we can adjust what we do, to live better, in these changed conditions.  Adaptation makes us less vulnerable to the harmful effects of climate change and more able to take advantage of opportunities of climate change.  Solutions covered in the module, through case studies and practical technical briefs, that individuals can use to help themselves, include to –

  • Increase the diversity of crops that we grow.
  • Try new crops, suited to a variable or our new climate.
  • Learn from other peoples successes.
  • Assess the best time to plant – take advantage of different growing seasons.
  • Be health aware, prevention is better than cure.
  • Establish alternative sources of income –diversify to reduce risk.
  • Plant trees – for shade, fruit, fuel, income and much more.
  • Learn and be open to new knowledge, options and opportunities.
  • Try new technologies and new techniques.
  • Teach your children to be creative, resilient and adaptable.
  • Education throughout life – school years are only the start of education, learning is life-long.

Photo from Carbon Green Africa, Zimbabwe.