A108186
ACTRAV/ITC-ILO COURSE
Decent Work, Green Jobs and
Sustainable Development
Turin Centre, 24 August to 04 September 2015
African Perspective
Climate Change and Environment
Presentation Outline
 Introduction
 Climate Change Vulnerability in Africa:
 Consequences of Climate Change in Africa
 Economic costs of Climate Change Impact on Africa
 Shrinking of Lake Chad
 AU-NEPAD Environment Action Plan
 AU’s Agenda 2063: Climate Action and Decent Work
 Adaptation and Mitigation:
 Mitigation Measures in Africa
 Adaptation Measures in Africa
 Potential Benefits of Greening Economy
 Sectors with Potential for Green Jobs Creation
 Conclusion
Introduction
 Environmental Sustainability and Decent Work for All are two of the defining
challenges of the 21st century.
 By 2050 there will be 9.6 billion human beings in the world and on current
trends of PRODUCTION & CONSUMPTION, we would require the natural
resources of three planet EARTHS to sustain us.
 The overuse of natural resources is increasingly exceeding planetary
boundaries
 The challenge of Inclusive Social Development and Environmental
Sustainability are indeed enormous and urgent:
 With over 201 million people unemployed [incl.74 million youth], persistent
working poverty and social exclusion affecting more than a billion people
globally coupled with rising inequality, declining social cohesion and
stability, Job Creation is a social imperative
 Developing countries can seize a unique opportunity to address SOCIAL
INCLUSION, POVERTY ERADICATION and reinforce SOCIAL COHESION
and STABILITY by shifting to a GREENER GROWTH path that will help
preserve our Common Home [Planet EARTH]
Climate Change Vulnerability in Africa
Source: Delphine Digout, revised by Hugo Ahlenius, UNEP/GRID-Arendal, Environment and Poverty Times #4: MDG issue, Vital Climate Change Graphics Update, 2002, updated 2004, 2005, available at:
http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/climate_change_vulnerability_in_africa Data sources: Anna Ballance, UNEP/GRID-Arendal, 2002.
Consequences of Climate Change in Africa
Reduced Water availability
75 to 250 million people affected by 2020
Reduced areas suitable for agriculture
Reduced yields for rain-fed agriculture
Reduced fisheries resources (aggravated by over fishing)
Source: IPCC (2007)
Economic Costs of Climate Change Impact on Africa
Energy demand.
Rising temperatures and demand for
cooling rise of 30% by 2030.
Heath burden
Rising incidence of health
burdens (malaria, other
vector borne), heat
extremes
Coastlines and sea level rise.
up to 20 million people / year in 2100 flooded
Costs of several $billion/year by 2030
Up to $50 billion/year by 2100
(AdaptCost)
Increasing extremes
Costs of flood and
drought years already 5
– 8% of GDP. Extreme
events could intensify
Agriculture
yield reductions up to
50% by 2020 and net
crop revenues up to
90% by 2100
Water resources
People with high water stress,
75-250 million by the 2020s and
350-600 million by the 2050s
Loss of ecosystem services
Effects on forests, corals, wildlife
parks, and on tourism and
services
Source: Watkiss et al SEI WeAdapt Google Earth Platform/ DFID Economics of Climate Change in East Africa / UNEP AdaptCost / EC ClimateCost
Shrinking of Lake Chad
AU-NEPAD Environment Action Plan
Environment is one of 8 components of NEPAD
Designed to tackle Africa’s environmental
challenges – 1st Africa Framework on Environment
Adopted in 2003 by 2nd AU Summit following a wider
participatory and consultative process
Key Objectives of the EAP
Contribute to
NEPAD
implementation
through the
environment
initiative
Promote sustainable
use of Africa’s
natural resources
and strengthen
public and political
support to
environmental
initiatives
Promote
environmental
issues into poverty
reduction strategy
Program Areas of the EAP
 Combating land degradation, drought and
desertification
 Conserving Africa’s wetland
 Prevention, control and management of invasive alien
species
 Conservation and sustainable use of marine, coastal
and freshwater resources
 Combating climate change in Africa
 Transboundary conservation or management of natural
resources
 Cross-cutting issues:
Health and environment
Assessment of an early warming on natural disasters
The environment directory of NEPAD
AU’s Agenda 2063: Climate Action & Decent Work
• Building Africa’s capacity to implement regional and
international environmental agreements
• Addressing Africa’s environmental challenges
Agenda
2063
“The
Africa
We
Want”
Inclusive growth,
climate resilient
economies and
sustainable
development
Participation in
global efforts to
tackle climate change
through mitigation
and adaptation
measures
• Adopting green economy strategy
• Encouraging green private investment and ensuring that
markets are open for green and clean products
• Seizing Africa’s energy & climate opportunities by:
• Adopting clean technology
• Redirecting subsidies spent on fossil fuel to
renewable energy
• Pricing carbon out of the market through taxation
• Energy labelling
• Increasing the capacity of carbon sinks e.g. through
reforestation
• Combating desertification
• Monitoring the environment
• Promoting ratification of climate change treaties
• Awareness-raising campaigns
• Exploiting the potential in biodiversity-based
industries
• Promoting Decent Work as a key component of national
development strategies
• Promoting adaptation and mitigation strategies to
preserve the environment and attain sustainability
Mitigation and Adaptation
 Mitigation refers to an anthropogenic intervention to reduce
the sources or enhance the sinks GHGs (IPCC)
Mitigation tackles the causes of climate change
 Adaptation refers to adjustment in natural or human
systems in response to actual or expected climate change
stimuli or their effects, which moderate harm or exploits
beneficial opportunities
Adaptation tackles the effects of climate change
 Africa suffers the most from adverse impacts of climate
change due to:
Low adaptive capacity
Low resilience
High levels of poverty
 The poor suffers the most of the impacts of climate change
Mitigation Measures in Africa
 Knowledge analysis and sharing in green economy
 Adoption of Green Economy legislation, policies and programs
 Awareness raising on Global Warming and Just Transition
 Capacity building: human, organizational and institutional
 Use of cooking gas and efficient cooking stoves instead of wood fuel
[East Africa, West Africa and Central Africa]
 Reduction of Emission, Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) [Niger,
Burkina Faso, Kenya, Sierra Leone, etc.]
 Shift from the use of chemical fertilizers to organic manure or compost
[Madagascar]
 Shift to “Clean Energy Technologies” as an alternative to Fossil Fuel
e.g. solar, hydro, geothermal, wind, biofuel and biomass energies [East
Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa and North Africa]
 Alliances and partnerships
Production factors that favour a rise or a decrease in CO2 emissions
Low Carbon
Growth
East
Africa
Examples
Renewables: hydro, solar,
geothermal in Rwanda
e.g. Solar Power Plant ( Jali Hill) is
Africa largest solar power plant
(250kW) has reduced dependency
on diesel-generated electricity.
Large potential for micro -hydro
Biomass / Biogas in Rwanda
Biomass energy strategy, includes
efficient cooking stoves with additional
benefits of reducing air pollution.
Large-scale biogas plants already in
prisons plus wider opportunities
Geothermal in the Rift Valley ( Olkaria)
Extension of geothermal, with additional 276
GWh/yr, which will displace electricity produced by
fossil-fuel-powered plants equivalent to 150,000
tCO 2e per year, and develop local community
benefits. CDCF will purchase emission reductions
Wind Development in Northern Kenya
Largest wind development in Africa, 300 MW,
near Lake Turkana, potentially meeting 30% of
Kenya's current electricity needs, at low
marginal cost. Part financed by carbon credits.
Micro hydro . Community micro hydro project in Kenyan village of
Mbuiru, north of Nairobi
Methane recovery and fuel
switching, Rwanda
Lake Kivu. 100 MW methane
emissions from the lake has been used to
Displace existing high cost
diesel generation and CO 2 emissions
($0.07/kWh compared to diesel
generation at $0.26/kWh )
Crop-residue fired brick Making Tanzania
Low carbon and poverty reduction project. Also
provides adaptation through increased climate
resilience to extreme weather compared to
traditional mud brick houses
Biofuels
Jatropha plantation provides fuel to replace
diesel in off -grid generator replacement
and also provides fuel for local lamps
Efficient cooking stoves, Uganda
Investment in high efficiency cooking stoves, funded by
voluntary credits (offsets). 300,000 tonnes of CO 2 offset
and reduction in kitchen smoke and improved health
Adaptation Measures in Africa
 Historical and real time climate observations and forecasts
[Improved disaster preparedness, management and response]
 Development of more resilient crop varieties [heat, drought,
and salt resistant]
 Investment in efficient technologies for water conservation
and irrigation; waste management (e.g. through recycling)
 Adoption of new methods to combat land degradation e.g.
construction of dykes and storm surge barriers to protect
sandy coasts
Prevent further development on flood plains and beaches
 Planned adaptation – policy coherence across sectors
 Building bridges between science and policy
Potential Benefits of Greening Economy
Transition to a greener economy could help
reach many social goals over the next 20 to 30
years, including:
Creating about 15 to 60 million additional decent
jobs
Upgrading jobs and raising incomes, especially in
sectors such as agriculture, construction, recycling, and
tourism
Contributing significantly to poverty eradication,
social inclusions and bridging inequalities
Realizing environmental sustainability
Sectors with Potentials for Green Jobs Creation
Sustainable
Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries
Renewable Energy:
Wind, Solar, Biomass,
Hydro
Manufacturing,
Construction and
Environmental
Services
Material Management
(Recycling, Waste
Management and Reuse)
Transportation,
Tourism, etc.
Conclusions
The world of work is a source of solutions and is an
indispensable driver to bring about profound
transformation of production and consumption
Proactive policies to protect the climate and preserve
the environment can actually create substantially
more jobs than ‘business as usual’ growth
We must put Green Economy Agenda at the heart of
DWCP, National Development Framework and
Growth Strategy
A Just Transition for all towards an environmentally
sustainable economy is imperative
We must all collaborate to care for OUR COMMON
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