African Climes

The Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released a report last year   about the state of biodiversity in the world. Here are some key takeaways. The opening statement is a look at the all-important role of nature in the world. It documents the functions of nature in supporting human existence and civilization, the role of all other life excluding mankind as well as acknowledgement of how different elements and processes interact in the natural world so as to support the existence of the millions of species on the planet. The report opens by articulating some of the gifts of nature such as   goods and services, food and feed, air regulation and supply, water supply, physical benefits, psychological benefits, provision of medicines, protection and buffering against extreme weather events, genetic resources, provision of fuel and energy, ensuring the health of soils, carbon seque...

T he Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last month released a new report, one of three special reports, the other being the land and climate report and the special report on 1.5 degrees as decided upon in 2016.   The report titled The Oceans And Cryosphere in a Changing Climate examines the effects of climate change on the world’s oceans and the cryosphere. The cryosphere is the frozen component of the earth i.e. mountaintop glaciers, polar ice caps, sea ice and icebergs as well as permafrost. An iceberg I t starts by noting that 71% of the Earth surface is covered by oceans which also hold 97% of all the water on the planet. Now, oceans have a huge role in supporting life on Earth. They regulate gases, regulate heat and regulate climate. They also support a huge number of species and biodiversity, a good number of which are still undiscovered. They provide food and water, support tourism, trade and culture among other myriad uses. A ccording to the ...

  Coral bleaching Coral are marine organisms. Dead and living coral skeletons make up coral reefs like the one found in Watamu or in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. When people talk of coral they assume it is one creature but it is made up of organisms called polyps and algae. In real sense, coral tissue is clear but the algae have various shades of photosynthetic pigments. Thus there are many species of differently coloured coral. It’s a symbiotic relationship where the coral provide anchors and give a constant supply of carbon dioxide while the algae carries out photosynthesis , provides food for the coral and aids in calcification. some of the marine life at the Watamu coral reef - such is now under threat from climate change Coral reefs form the habitat for a very diverse and huge number of marine organisms.   Coral is also very sensitive to temperature changes. Coral lives in the upper layers of the ocean where sunlight permeates and the temperature is ...

More often than not, in fact 90% of the time, the reason why we are concerned about climate change is selfish and self-serving. We as human beings are concerned about us. How will climate change affect our lives, our livelihoods, our economies, our development, our security, food and otherwise. It’s all about us. Even in adaptation, we focus on, how we can save ourselves and the planet for our own benefit? The Congo rain forest - thousands of species call this place home Yet human beings are just one among the millions of species that call this planet home. These plants, animals, microbes do not have a voice and cannot participate in global debates that determine their welfare and survival. In burning fossil fuels, we are just thinking of ourselves, of how we can develop our lot and move forward as a species. We caused the current global warming without thinking about the rest of the planet’s inhabitants who incidentally form the majority. Now, how and what will cl...