The impact of climate change happening faster than earlier predicted.
Climate change has been broadly defined as a change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to human activities that alter the composition of the global atmosphere. It is a natural climate variability observed over a comparable time.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report of 2022 confirms an exacerbation of the impacts of climate change on the globe with recent data showing that the total anthropogenic emissions have increased and reached the highest levels since 1850; since 2010 they have continued to rise and are now their highest levels. The average green gas emissions between 2010-2019 are higher than it has ever been in human history. In brief, the earth is literary frying under our feet and on our watch and the poor countries are the most affected.
Despite being a least polluter, Tanzania is highly vulnerable to these adverse impacts of climate change. In recent years desertification has increased, rainfall cycles are irregular, and floods are common. There has been recorded increase in water levels along the Lake Victoria Basin[1] and along the major coastlines risking settlements and livelihoods. According to the United Nations, Tanzania is currently experiences severe weather extremes as a result of a changing climate. Increased temperatures, prolonged droughts and erratic rainfall are resulting in significant impacts to public health and livelihoods, with climate projections indicating that the situation is expected to intensify. The level of desertification and loss of forest cover an sensitive biodiversity supporting ecosystems and habitats to unique plants and animals is high. Therefore, Tanzania needs to put in place adaptation actions to safeguard development gains and achieve its development targets.
Developed and developing countries, through the Paris Agreement, committed to acting to limit the global average temperature increase to well below 2 °C, and to pursue efforts to further limit this to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. The UN Intergovernmental panel on climate changes suggests that capping global warming at 1.5°C requires that global emissions reach net zero by 2050. Meeting this target requires a large-scale mobilisation of political and economic capital to accelerate mitigation, adaptation and the process of replacing carbon-intensive energy infrastructure with low-carbon energy sources.
However, there are concerns that the current global climate change discussions are biased and unfair to less developed countries such as Tanzania. The rate of pollution by developed countries is still high, the transition to cleaner energy is moving faster in developed countries than predicted and yet less developed countries are expected to move at the same pace. The technology and financing required to help less developed countries to keep pace is less forthcoming.
Tanzania requires more energy to meet her industrial and population demands. Majority of Tanzanians are still reliant on biomas as a source of electricity. Despite possessing a huge potential for renewable clean energy such as solar and offshore wind, expanded investment in these technologies has not been forthcoming. The governments efforts to address climate change mitigation and meet its global targets through its NDC plan faces significant financing gaps.
The opportunities that Tanzania could leverage to mitigate the risks that it could suffer from climate change and energy transition are less known to the public. The government efforts, policy direction and position on these issues is not yet widely known to citizens. Improved Climate Change governance and citizens engagement is critical and national and global advocacy for action and accountability.
Work under this program addresses
- Climate Change and Just Transition
- Energy Transition and Clean Energy
- Green Economy Financing