Adapting Maize Production to Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa - Essay Example

Climate is the study of atmospheric conditions of a particular area over a long period of time. Fossil fuels burnt in industries for generation of electricity, burning and clearing of vegetation, industrial processes that add up gases such as chlorine and methane to the atmosphere are the human causes of climate change. This contributes greatly to global warming due to the greenhouse effect as a result of the gases added to the atmosphere and the destruction of the ozone layer(McMichael,23). The chlorofluorocarbons used in the industrial processes and appliances used at home were the main causes of the greenhouse effect in the 20th century.

They are now greatly regulated since they caused a severe impact on the atmosphere such as ozone depletion. Climatic change has already become a reality worldwide in the recent past. These changes are killing humanity. The most vulnerable over these subjects are the developing countries due to sufficient resources towards adapting to technological, financial, and social changes. Africa’s development has been affected to a larger extent due to the impact of climatic change which has led to underdevelopment and poverty.

There are intensified droughts, depletion of a rain forest, and unprecedented floods in Eastern Africa, Equatorial Africa, and Western Africa respectively(Collier,5). In late April 2007, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) gave a report warning Africa to act quickly on the severe consequences of the emissions of the greenhouse gas on both the economy and the environment. Extremely altered weather conditions and climatic variations have threatened the agricultural sector, food security, health, and water sector which has resulted in arrested development in Africa.

The repercussions of climate and environmental-associated disasters have threatened human security leading to the forced migration of different ethnic groups in search of areas that can sustain them. A good example of this continuous movement includes the pastoralist communities who migrate because of droughts and floods in Northern Kenya. In Ethiopia, there is also migration from rural to urban due to environmental alterations in its highlands(Collier,12). In Africa, the leaders must come together and come up with a solution over this dispute of global climatic change which is now a national disaster.

The country should allocate enough funds to be used in research and innovation which will assist come up with new ideas on how to end this calamity. The current African generation is equally obligated with the role to ensure that they practice all policies act responsibly for the protection of future generations from the effects of global warming which may lead to health problems. African nations should meaningfully engage in the fight against climatic change. If all these will be achieved even the economy of the individual countries is likely to grow to the next level.