'Urgent need' for more African climate research, says expert

More research is needed to better understand the complexities of Africa's climate drivers, says a new paper by Professor Sir Gordon Conway.

The science of climate change in Africa: impacts and adaptation(PDF) describes how predicting climate change's impact on specific countries, regions or towns in Africa is extremely difficult. Africa's climate is driven by three very complex factors – the cycle of hot air and rain in the tropics, the monsoons and the El-Niño/ La Niña phenomena in the Pacific ocean. This makes it hard to forecast what will happen, when and where.

Climate change in Africa could cause more frequent and severe floods, droughts and other extreme weather events; decreased access to drinking water; damage to agricultural land and crops; and the spread of diseases like malaria into previously unaffected areas — all of which could have serious consequences for the poorest members of society.

The Professor of International Development at Imperial College and former UKCDS Chair is calling on governments, NGOs and the private sector to work together to increase African communities' resilience to extreme weather events associated with climate change.

The discussion paper was produced by the Granthan Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College. Hard copies are available from Jo Seed in the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College.