Download or read book Domestic Politics and Drought Relief in Africa written by Ngonidzashe Munemo and published by Firstforumpress. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ngonidzashe Munemo challenges the conventional wisdom that African governments lack the technical capacity and political will to respond to drought and the threat of famine. Through a comparative analysis of three politically disparate countries¿Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe¿Munemo demonstrates that differences in the ways that governments face similar drought-induced food crisis are the result not of incompetence, but of rational political considerations. His original analysis shows why, in democracies and authoritarian regimes alike, the less effective option is so often the policy choice.
Download or read book Drought Flood Fire written by Chris C. Funk and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-05-27 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The latest science and compelling stories describing the impacts of droughts, floods, and fires in the context of climate change.
Download or read book Droughts Food and Culture written by Fekri A. Hassan and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-05-08 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent droughts in Africa and elsewhere in the world, from China to Peru, have serious implications for food security and grave consequences for local and international politics. The issues do not just concern the plight of African peoples, but also our global ecological future. Global climatic changes become manifest initially in regions that are marginal or unstable. Africa's Sahel zone is one of the most sensitive climatic regions in the world and the events that have gripped that region beginning in the 1970's were the first indicator of a significant shift in global climatic conditions. This work aims to bring archaeology with the domain on contemporary human affairs and to forge a new methodology for coping with environmental problems from an archaeological perspective. Using the later prehistory of Africa as a comparison, the utility of this methodological strategy in interpreting culture change and assessing long-term response to current, global climatic fluctuations is examined and understood.
Download or read book Climate Change and Water written by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change / Working Group Technical Support Unit and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Technical Paper addresses the issue of freshwater. Sealevel rise is dealt with only insofar as it can lead to impacts on freshwater in coastal areas and beyond. Climate, freshwater, biophysical and socio-economic systems are interconnected in complex ways. Hence, a change in any one of these can induce a change in any other. Freshwater-related issues are critical in determining key regional and sectoral vulnerabilities. Therefore, the relationship between climate change and freshwater resources is of primary concern to human society and also has implications for all living species. -- page vii.
Download or read book The United Nations World Water Development Report 2020 written by UNESCO and published by . This book was released on 2020-03-27 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 2020 edition of the WWDR, titled Water and Climate Change illustrates the critical linkages between water and climate change in the context of the broader sustainable development agenda. Supported by examples from across the world, it describes both the challenges and opportunities created by climate change, and provides potential responses – in terms of adaptation, mitigation and improved resilience – that can be undertaken by enhancing water resources management, attenuating water-related risks, and improving access to water supply and sanitation services for all in a sustainable manner. It addresses the interrelations between water, people, environment and economics in a changing climate, demonstrating how climate change can be a positive catalyst for improved water management, governance and financing to achieve a sustainable and prosperous world for all. The report provides a fact-based, water-focused contribution to the knowledge base on climate change. It is complementary to existing scientific assessments and designed to support international political frameworks, with the goals of helping the water community tackle the challenges of climate change, and informing the climate change community about the opportunities that improved water management offers in terms of adaptation and mitigation.
Download or read book Drought Challenges written by Everisto Mapedza and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2019-09-25 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drought Challenges: Livelihood Implications in Developing Countries, Volume Two, provides an understanding of the occurrence and impacts of droughts for developing countries and vulnerable sub-groups, such as women and pastoralists. It presents tools for assessing vulnerabilities, introduces individual policies to combat the effects of droughts, and highlights the importance of integrated multi-sectoral approaches and drought networks at various levels. Currently, there are few books on the market that address the growing need for knowledge on these cross-cutting issues. As drought can occur anywhere, the systemic connections between droughts and livelihoods are a key factor in development in many dryland and agriculturally-dependent nations. - Connects the biophysical, social, economic, policy and institutional aspects of droughts across multiple regions in developing world - Analyzes policy linkages between government agencies, public institutions, NGOs, the private sector and communities - Includes a discussion of gender dimensions of drought and its impacts - Presents a multi-sectoral perspective, including the human dimensions of drought in developing countries
Download or read book Drought written by Ben Cook and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2019-04-30 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water is fundamental to all life. From the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, to the extreme water shortages that have struck California in recent years, modern societies often take its abundance for granted until it unexpectedly becomes scarce. Drought is one of the many problems anthropogenic climate change may exacerbate, but it is also a complex phenomenon at the intersection of a range of scientific disciplines and public policy issues. In this innovative book, Benjamin I. Cook brings together climate science, hydrology, and ecology to provide a synthetic overview of drought and its environmental and social consequences. Cook introduces readers to the hydroclimate and its components, explaining the global water cycle, the earth’s climate system, and the distribution of water resources. He discusses drought dynamics and variability over time, the climatological context and ecological effects, and environmental issues such as desertification, land degradation, and groundwater depletion. He also considers the socioeconomic impacts of drought and the role of drought risk management policy, especially in light of how climate change is expected to affect drought risk and severity. Cook gives special attention to paleoclimate and the role of drought in the crises of ancient civilizations. A scientifically comprehensive and approachable overview of water issues throughout the world, Drought is a critical interdisciplinary text that will be essential reading for a broad range of students in earth science and environmental and sustainability studies.
Download or read book Drought written by Justin Sheffield and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2011 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First Published in 2011. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Download or read book Meteorological Drought written by Wayne C. Palmer and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The underlying concept of the paper is that the amount of precipitation required for the near-normal operation of the established economy of an area during some stated period is dependent on the average climate of the area and on the prevailing meteorological conditions both during and preceding the month or period in question. A method for computing this required precipitation is demonstrated.
Download or read book Hydrological Drought written by Lena M. Tallaksen and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2004 with total page 626 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The majority of the examples are taken from regions where the rivers run most of the year.
Download or read book Famine Crimes written by Alexander De Waal and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who is responsible for the failures? African generals and politicians are the prime culprits for creating famines in Sudan, Somalia and Zaire, but western donors abet their authoritarianism, partly through imposing structural adjustment programmes.
Download or read book Water Harvesting in Sub Saharan Africa written by William Critchley and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-01-04 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is constrained by highly variable rainfall, frequent drought and low water productivity. There is an urgent need, heightened by climate change, for appropriate technologies to address this problem through managing and increasing the quantity of water on farmers’ fields – water harvesting. This book defines water harvesting as a set of approaches which occupy an intermediate position along the water-management spectrum extending from in situ moisture conservation to irrigated agriculture. They generally comprise small-scale systems that induce, collect, store and make use of local surface runoff for agriculture. The authors review development experience and set out the state of the art of water harvesting for crop production and other benefits in Sub-Saharan Africa. This includes an assessment of water harvesting schemes that were initiated two or three decades ago when interest was stimulated by the droughts of the 1970s and 1980s. These provide lessons to promote sustainable development of dryland agriculture in the face of changing environmental conditions. Case studies from eight countries across Sub-Saharan Africa provide the evidence base. Each follows a similar format and is based on assessments conducted in collaboration with in-country partners, with a focus on attempts to promote adoption of water harvesting, both horizontally (spread) and vertically (institutionalization). Introductory cross-cutting chapters as well as an analytical conclusion are also included.
Download or read book Natural and Human Induced Hazards and Disasters in Africa written by Simelane, Thokozani and published by Africa Institute of South Africa. This book was released on 2019-02-25 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Natural and human-induced environmental hazards are becoming increasingly prominent. The frequency of recorded natural disasters rose markedly during the last century, from about 100 per in the years up to 1940 to nearly 2800 during the 1990s. Africa is the only continent whose share of reported disasters has increased over the past decade. Several factors contribute to Africa’s high vulnerability to disasters. These include the high rate of population growth, food insecurity, high levels of poverty, inappropriate use of natural resources, and failures of policy and institutional frameworks. Despite the huge negative impact of natural and human-induced hazards on Africa’s development, little is done to prevent them. Disaster prevention contributes to lasting improvement in safety and sustainable livelihoods and is essential as part of integrated disaster management strategies. The provision of effective scientific input to policy formulation on various issues related to hazards and disasters is an ambitious undertaking. It requires the collaborative effort of the African scientific community to develop comprehensive long-term strategies and human capacity-building initiatives that will enable science to benefit society. This will further require: a) Building strong research and training institutions in Africa at national and regional levels; b) Facilitating the exchange of scientific information and sharing of ideas across borders; c) Strengthening the link between scientific research and policy making; d) Promoting outreach activities to build resilience to disaster risk; and e) Tapping the knowledge base of rural and urban communities. In this volume, the ICSU ROA has brought together selected African scientific researchers to share their views on policy direction for facing challenges linked to natural and human-induced hazards. The book is intended for policy advisers, environmental scientists, government officials and members of the general public with a special interest in environmental issues.
Download or read book Beyond El Ni o written by Antonio Navarra and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The interest and level of research into climate variability has risen dramatically in recent years, and major breakthroughs have been achieved in the understanding and modelling of seasonal to interannual climate variability and prediction. At the same time, the documentation of longer term variability and its underlying mecha nisms have progressed considerably. Within the European Commission's Environment and Climate research programs several important projects have been supported in these areas - including the "Dec adal and Interdecadal Climate variability Experiment" (DICE) which forms the basis of this book. Within the EC supported climate research, we see an increasing importance of research into climate variability, as is evidenced in the upcoming Fifth Framework Programme's Key Action on Global Change, Climate and Biodi versity. This is because of the obvious potential socio-economic benefits from sea sonal to decadal scale climate prediction and equally important for the fundamental understanding of the climate system to help improve the quality and reliability of future climate change and mankind's current interference with it. The DICE group has performed important and pioneering work, and we hope this book will receive the wide distribution and recognition it deserves. We wel come the contributions from distinguished researchers from US, Japan and Canada to the EC's DICE group towards completing the scope of the book and as an exam ple of international cooperation which is essential in such a high-level scientific endeavor.
Download or read book Climate Change in Africa written by Camilla Toulmin and published by Zed Books Ltd.. This book was released on 2009-11-16 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is a major challenge for us all, but for African countries it represents a particular threat. This book outlines current thinking and evidence and the impact such change will have on Africa's development prospects. Global warming above the level of two degrees Celsius would be enormously damaging for poorer parts of the world, leading to crises with crops, livestock, water supplies and coastal areas. Within Africa, it's likely to be the continent's poorest people who are hit hardest. In this accessible and authoritative introduction to an often-overlooked aspect of the environment, Camilla Toulmin uses case studies to look at issues ranging from natural disasters to biofuels, and from conflict to the oil industry. Finally, the book addresses what future there might be for Africa in a carbon-constrained world.
Download or read book Satellite Rainfall Applications for Surface Hydrology written by Mekonnen Gebremichael and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-12-02 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With contributions from a panel of researchers from a wide range of fields, the chapters of this book focus on evaluating the potential, utility and application of high resolution satellite precipitation products in relation to surface hydrology.
Download or read book Day Zero written by Leonie Joubert and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The three-year drought that hit Cape Town was the local expression of the global climate change emergency. It shows what happens when the normal demands of running a city, with its many development challenges, collide with a climate 'shock' like this one. The lessons learned from how the City and its residents responded are relevant globally, as major cities around the world face growing populations and ever-shrinking resources in the face of a changing climate."--Back cover.
