Understanding responses to climate-related water scarcity in Africa.

Autor: Leal Filho W; European School of Sustainability Science and Research, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Ulmenliet 20, D-21033 Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: walter.leal2@haw-hamburg.de., Totin E; Ecole de Foresterie Tropicale, Universite Nationale d'Agriculture du Benin, BP, 43, Ketou, Benin. Electronic address: edmond.totin@gmail.com., Franke JA; Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA; Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: jfranke@uchicago.edu., Andrew SM; Department of Ecosystems and Conservation, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania. Electronic address: smacrice@sua.ac.tz., Abubakar IR; College of Architecture and Planning, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (formerly, University of Dammam), P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: irabubakar@iau.edu.sa., Azadi H; Department of Geography, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic. Electronic address: hossein.azadi@ugent.be., Nunn PD; School of Law and Society, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: pnunn@usc.edu.au., Ouweneel B; Africa Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, South Africa. Electronic address: birgitt@ouweneel.biz., Williams PA; CSIR-Science and Technology Policy Research Institute, Accra, Ghana. Electronic address: adadeposh@gmail.com., Simpson NP; Africa Climate and Development Initiative, 6th Floor, Geological Science Building, Upper Campus, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa. Electronic address: nick.simpson@uct.ac.za.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2022 Feb 01; Vol. 806 (Pt 1), pp. 150420. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Sep 20.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150420
Abstrakt: Water scarcity is a global challenge, yet existing responses are failing to cope with current shocks and stressors, including those attributable to climate change. In sub-Saharan Africa, the impacts of water scarcity threaten livelihoods and wellbeing across the continent and are driving a broad range of adaptive responses. This paper describes trends of water scarcity for Africa and outlines climate impacts on key water-related sectors on food systems, cities, livelihoods and wellbeing, conflict and security, economies, and ecosystems. It then uses systematic review methods, including the Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative, to analyse 240 articles and identify adaptation characteristics of planned and autonomous responses to water scarcity across Africa. The most common impact drivers responded to are drought and participation variability. The most frequently identified actors responding to water scarcity include individuals or households (32%), local government (15%) and national government (15%), while the most common types of response are behavioural and cultural (30%), technological and infrastructural (27%), ecosystem-based (25%) and institutional (18%). Most planned responses target low-income communities (31%), women (20%), and indigenous communities (13%), but very few studies target migrants, ethnic minorities or those living with disabilities. There is a lack of coordination of planned adaptation at scale across all relevant sectors and regions, and lack of legal and institutional frameworks for their operation. Most responses to water scarcity are coping and autonomous responses that showed only minor adjustments to business-as-usual water practices, suggesting limited adaptation depth. Maladaptation is associated with one or more dimension of responses in almost 20% of articles. Coordinating institutional responses, carefully planned technologies, planning for projected climate risks including extension of climate services and increased climate change literacy, and integrating indigenous knowledge will help to address identified challenges of water scarcity towards more adaptive responses across Africa.
(Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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