Climate Change and Sustainable Development of Water: Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Current scientific consensus predicts that continuing and significant climate changes arising from increasing greenhouse gas emissions will occur in coming decades, likely resulting in widespread alterations to hydrologic conditions. Hydrologic alterations are challenging for sustainable development of water resources, because of the direct reliance on the hydrologic cycle for adequate supplies of water and the cycle’s inherent vulnerability to change of temperature, precipitation, and streamflow. According to the IPCC, African countries are more vulnerable to changes of climate and resultant effects due to lack of capacity and economic development. 200 million people already water-stressed in Africa. Providing access to adequate supplies of water has been a high priority on the agenda of organizations working in the international development community. Progress has been made, but some of the greatest challenges that developing nations continue to face include providing access to water, while successfully managing it as an environmental resource, and mitigating the potential effects of climate change as this resource continues to be developed. Development and management of water resources has long proceeded under the assumption of a relatively constant climate, subject to some natural fluctuation. Critical water infrastructure in developed countries, such as the Colorado River System, are designed to buffer variability in precipitation and streamflow over time scales of a few years to a decade. Water infrastructure in the developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa is struggling to provide adequate water to inhabitants. Variability in precipitation and streamflow, in the form of a drought, has had devastating consequences. Access to water affects complex feedback loops between natural resources, land use, hydrologic and climate cycles, policy, population growth, agriculture, socio-economics of development, and stakeholders. The combination of rapid population growth, extreme climate, and uncertainties of inadequate data will have a disproportionate effect on Africa. Already, environmental and human crises have results from inadequate, or mismanaged, access to water in both developed and developing countries. As Sub-Saharan Africa continues to grow, climate change poses uncertainties for resources. This chapter reviews aspects of population growth, agriculture, and development within the feedback loops; what is known and projected with respect to climate change; hydrologic alterations of surface water and groundwater; caveats; and planning and the path forward.