Climate change affects all people in the world. The impact can take place either directly as increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns or other extreme weather phenomena, or indirectly through various climate change mitigation and adaptation measures such as actions to…
Climate change affects all people in the world. The impact can take place either directly as increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns or other extreme weather phenomena, or indirectly through various climate change mitigation and adaptation measures such as actions to reduce emissions in different sectors of the society, and in attempts to increase preparedness to tackle extreme events. The contribution of Tanzania - and Africa as a whole - to the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is minor both historically in the form of cumulative emissions over time, and also at present. Africa’s share of world population is 17%, while its share of the global GHG emissions is a mere 4%. With approximately the same population, China’s share of world emissions is seven times larger at 28%. On the contrary to the minor contribution to the problem, the impacts of climate change are felt most severely in Africa. Food production will be at stake, as well as people’s safety under extreme weather conditions such as droughts and flooding. In combination with rapid urbanization, population growth and the need of citizens and nations to develop one’s welfare, climate change forms a wicked problem that requires innovative thinking and problem-solving capacity.
