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230 K.vanderGeest et al.
Fig.9.5 ThedryingofLakeChad. SourceUNEP(2016)
InotherpartsoftheSahel,rainfallrecoveryinrecentdecadeshasbroughtflooding
because the rainfall arrives inmore intensecloudbursts rather than inamoreevenly
distributedmanner (Giannini et al. 2013). In 2007, for example, rainfall extremes
and consequent flooding inSenegal’s peanut basin led to loss of property and crop
lossbecause farmersoftencultivate inandaroundnaturaldepressions (Fig.9.6).
Research ineasternSenegalonhouseholdperceptionsoffloodanddrought indi-
cate thatclimatevariabilitybringscrop, livestockandothereconomic losses (Miller
et al. 2014).Over thedecadepreceding the survey, onaveragehouseholds reported
experiencing 2.5–3 years of drought and 0.2–0.5 yearswith flooding, with higher
incidenceinthenorththanthesouth.Itisunclearhowclimatechangemightinfluence
theSahelinfuture,withsomeclimatechangeprojectionssuggestingtheremightbea
shift towetterconditionswhileotherprojectionssuggestthatconditionswillbecome
muchdrier (Druyan2011).Despite theuncertainty about thepotential influenceof
human-inducedclimatechangeintheregion, thereisampleevidencetodemonstrate
thevulnerability toclimate shocks, aswell aspotential shifts inclimate.
AdaptationmeasuresimplementedintheSahelincludecrop-livestockintegration,
soil fertilitymanagement,plantingofdrought-resistantcrops,waterharvesting,dug
ponds for watering animals, livelihood diversification, and seasonal or permanent
migration. A number of these methods have been practiced for generations and
are the norm for semi-arid regions.However, in a changing climate such practices
will have to be scaled up and newmethods developed, as adaption has not been
sufficient to prevent losses.Newmethodsmay include breeding ofmore drought-
resistantcrops,or innovationssuchas index-based insurance.For the latter,payouts
toparticipatingfarmersandherdersarenotmadeonthebasisofactual lossesbuton
thebasisofchanges in rainfallordrought indices, therebyreducing theoverheadof
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