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9 The ImpactsofClimateChangeonEcosystemServices… 227
9.4 CaseStudy:Multi-annualDrought in theDrylands
of theSahel
While climate change impacts on ecosystem services are already highly localised,
this applies evenmore to the resulting losses and damages to people and society.
Differences between places in terms of culture, social organization, governance,
development and adaptive capacity cause the local specificity of climate change
impacts in human systems. This section uses aWestAfrican case study to further
exploreconceptual linksbetweenclimatechangeandlossesanddamages toecosys-
tem services, and consequently to humanwell-being. The following questions are
explored:
• What is theweather-related stressoranddoesclimatechangeplaya role?
• Howdoes the stressoraffect ecosystemsand the services theyprovide?
• Howdoes thechange inecosystemservicesaffecthumansystems?
• What are adaptation options, and howeffective are these at avoiding losses and
damages?
• What is theevidenceon lossesanddamages?
• What can be done in terms of better preparedness or adaptation to avoid future
lossesanddamages?
TheSahel and the semi-arid drylands of EastAfrica are emblematic of climate
changevulnerability.The regionshave facedchallenges suchas cropand livestock
losses, food insecurity,displacement,cultural losses including traditional livelihood
systems,andconflict.Amajor factor in thesechallenges isclimatevariabilityexac-
erbatedbyclimatechange.Incontrastwithotherpartsof theworld,mostagriculture
inAfricaisrainfedandthereforecropsyieldsareextremelysensitivetoclimaticcon-
ditions (Zaal et al. 2004). Inearly2015anestimated20.4millionpeoplewere food
insecure as a result of ongoingdrought—mostly inNiger,Nigeria,Mali, andChad
whereconflict andpovertycompoundfood insecurity (ReliefWeb2015).Anumber
of climatic changes are occurring in the region. For one, it is becominghotter, and
this is clearly consistent with climate change. Temperature increases varywidely
within the region, up to asmuchas0.5 °Cper decade from1951 to thepresent (or
3.5°Ctotal) ina largepartofSudanandSouthSudan;andarealsohigh,0.2–0.4°C
per decade, in large parts ofMauritania,Mali,Niger,Chad andUganda (Fig. 9.2).
Recent studies suggest that in someAfrican regions the pace ofwarming ismore
thandouble theglobalandtropicalaverage(CookandVizy2015;Engelbrechtetal.
2015).Higher temperatures increase evaporation from soil andwater surfaces and
transpiration fromvegetation—aprocess knowncollectively as evapotranspiration.
Therefore, even inplaceswhere rainfall increases, itmaynot be sufficient tooffset
overallsoilmoistureloss,affectingprimaryproductivityandfoodproduction,which
are supportingandprovisioningecosystemservices respectively.
In thedrylandsofAfrica, there is high rainfall variability fromyear toyear, and
even from decade to decade. Figure 9.3 shows the rainfall variation for the Sahel
Loss and Damage from Climate Change
Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Title
- Loss and Damage from Climate Change
- Subtitle
- Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Authors
- Reinhard Mechler
- Laurens M. Bouwer
- Thomas Schinko
- Swenja Surminski
- JoAnne Linnerooth-Bayer
- Publisher
- Springer Open
- Date
- 2019
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-319-72026-5
- Size
- 16.0 x 24.0 cm
- Pages
- 580
- Keywords
- Environment, Climate change, Environmental law, Environmental policy, Risk management
- Categories
- International
- Naturwissenschaften Umwelt und Klima