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<\/a><\/p>\nEffa Tambenkongho<\/p>\n
7 December 2011<\/p>\n
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Nineteen places in the Sahel and West Africa have been identified as severely affected by climate change. These places are mostly found in the central part of the Sahel, in Niger, Burkina Faso, northern and coastal Ghana, as well as northern Togo, Benin and Nigeria.<\/p>\n
According to a joint report presented at a press briefing on Livelihood Security: Climate Change, Migration and Conflict in the Sahel, carried out by the United Nation Environment Programme; the International Organisation for Migration, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations University and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel, the frequency of floods and the areas covered by flooding have increased in parts of the region over the past 24 years. The report quotes areas of southern Burkina Faso, western Niger and northern Nigeria as experiencing up to 10 floods during this period.<\/p>\n
Common to these hotspots as defined by the researchers, is that they have all been seriously affected by flooding, drought, and changes in temperature that have affected the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on natural resources. The joint study appealed for major investments in climate change adaptation projects to reduce the risk of conflict and forced migration.<\/p>\n
Climatic changes in these areas have forced indigenous peoples of these countries to migrate to areas where they can find pastures for their cattle and where they can continue with their farming activities. Floods sweep away nutrients from the soil and seriously deplete the productivity of the land. Rivers dry out leaving no water for irrigation or for cattle to drink. Crops are dried out by the scorching heat, river beds are filled with sand and potable water becomes dangerously scarce.<\/p>\n
Large scale migrations of populations affected by climate change can have serious consequences. For example, the education of children is at stake when parents move away from established schools and migrate to where they can find pastures, or they move into the towns to seek employment. In other cases, people are forced to cross borders into neighbouring countries and are often faced with a hostile local population that might also be seriously affected by drought.<\/p>\n
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