”Adapting to climate change decisive for Africa’s future”

”The future of Africa depends on the continent’s ability to adapt to climate change. Africa represents a negligible amount of the world’s CO2 emissions, but climate change has already hit the continent hard. Of the Norwegian Government’s budget increase of NOK 430 million on environment and climate issues in 2008, NOK 130 million goes to projects in Africa”, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told a press conference with South Africa’s Minister of the Environment, Mr. Marthinus van Schalkwyk, at a regional conference staged by the UN Climate Panel in Cape Town today.  

Drought, flooding, desertification and reduced food security and access to water have increasingly become part of reality for many African countries.

”Although industrialised countries should do what they can to reduce carbon emissions as quickly as possible, we will still see climate changes that may have drastic effects for millions of people in Africa. That is why we need to know more about how we may assist Africa in adapting to climate change and prevent humanitarian catastrophes”, Mr Stoltenberg stated.

As the world’s poorest continent marked by frequent conflict, bad governance and epidemic diseases, Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate changes and lacks the ability to cope with these.

”Adapting to climate change is a prerequisite for economic growth and development in Africa. That is why this field will have high priority in Norway’s international development activities in the years to come. We are now geared to focus on the prevention of and the adapting to climate change in African countries where the need is most urgent, and where we - together with our African partners and international organisations - can really make a difference”, Mr. Stoltenberg said.

In particular Norway will focus on measures to secure a responsible management of biodiversity and natural resources in southern and eastern Africa. An important part of this will be the Government’s support to measures reducing deforestation. Among them will be improved management of water and forest resources, preparedness for natural disasters and increased use of clean and renewable energy. Norway is working with countries like Tanzania and Uganda on responsible and sustainable forestry, while the country’s main emphasis in Zambia is a broad programme for adapting the agricultural sector to climate change.