Attachments
This monograph contains papers that were
presented at the International Conference on Climate Change and Natural
Resources Conflicts in Africa, 14-15 May 2009, Entebbe, Uganda, organised
by the Environment Security Programme (ESP) of the Institute for Security
Studies (ISS), Nairobi Office.
The climate change phenomenon is a global
concern, which typically threatens the sustainability of the livelihoods
of the majority of the population living in the developing countries. Africa,
particularly the sub-Saharan region, is likely to be negatively impacted
by climate variability and change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC), Africa's vulnerability arises from a combination
of many factors, including extreme poverty, a high rate of population increase,
frequent natural disasters such as droughts and floods, and agricultural
systems (both crop and livestock production) that depend heavily on rainfall.
Extreme natural occurrences such as floods and droughts are becoming increasingly
frequent and severe. Africa's high vulnerability to the negative impacts
of climate variability and change is also attributed to its low adaptive
capacity.
Climate variability and change have
further exacerbated the scarcity of natural resources on the African continent,
leading to conflicts with regard to access to, and ownership and use of
these resources. The scarcity of natural resources is known to trigger
competition for the meagre resources available among both individuals and
communities, and even institutions, thus affecting human security on the
continent.