Change or perish, experts warn East African nations
15th Nov 2006, 01:46 GMT
East Africa will turn into desert unless measures are taken to reverse the trend that has led to global warming, experts have warned. The experts at the Climate Change Conference in Nairobi say the region's highest mountains -- Kenya and Kilimanjaro -- will lose their glaciers, leading to the drying up of most of the rivers emanating from the two mountains. They also say that many coastal areas, including much of the infrastructure in East Africa and elsewhere on the continent will be submerged if governments, industry and the society do not take concrete steps to reverse the ongoing changes in the climate. This message is contained in a new report on the impact, vulnerability and adaptation in Africa, released prior to the conference by the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The report says that 70 million people in Africa will be affected as the sea level rises by 15 to 95 centimetres by the dawn of the next century. In East Africa, the sea rise will mostly affect residents of Dar es Salaam, where a rise of 50 cm would submerge as much as 2,000 sq km of land in Tanzania costing the country around $50 million. In Southern Africa, Mozambique's capital Maputo and South Africa's Cape Town are likely to suffer the same fate. Besides, Africa's coastal zones are likely to suffer from a reduction in the number and species of fish, salt water intrusion and loss of beaches and, consequently, tourism revenues.
Change or perish, experts warn East African nations related news:
- East Africa: Change Or Perish, Experts Warn East African Nations — AllAfrica News: Environment
- NATO Experts Warn Of Russian Gas Cartel — Rferl.org News
- Bush Warned Not to Sidestep Congress on Bolton Nomination (OneWorld.net) — Yahoo! News: United Nations
- UN to offer plan for 'hybrid' African Union-UN force — Boston Globe -- World News
- Sudan frowns on joint UN-African command in Darfur — Reuters: World
- AIDS still unchecked in African children — Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune
- UN, AU to host meeting on Darfur in Addis Ababa — KeralaNext: Africa
- Egyptian coach Mohsen Salah is seen in Sfax during the African ... — Mideast Photos - AFP on Yahoo! News Photos
- Neveu confirms Guinea exit — BBC Sport | Football | African | UK Edition
- Australian Experts Warn of Looming Diabetes Disaster For World's Indigenous Peoples — VOA News: Asia
Latest news from ICSF:
- Irish fishermen show their defiance over ban on drift-net salmon fishing
- Barramundi to be farmed in Bulgaria
- Sri Lankan Navy reportedly attacks Indian fishermen, 20 feared missing
- Malaysia to investigate harassment of local fishermen
- Kenya to host 8-country $35-mn Indian Ocean fisheries project
- Pacific wildlife 'threatened by sea of plastic', says report
- Plans afoot to expand Jamaica's fisheries industry
- Shark population may be depleted in 10 years, say conservationists
- Mining in Venezuelan Amazon threatens biodiversity, indigenous groups
- Japan to host first meet of five tuna conservation bodies next year